Elmhurst making a run in CCIW
Elmhurst College's men's basketball team is in an unfamiliar position for its teams of late, but that doesn't mean it's a bad one. The Bluejays are right in the middle of the CCIW race and have much of their fate in their own hands.
Taking hold of the conference won't be easy by any stretch. After a road game against North Park they host conference leader and No. 1 team in the country Augustana followed by a game at home against second-place Illinois Wesleyan.
"For me, I feel like it's an opportunity to get into the race," coach John Baines said. "We have Wesleyan and Augustana both at home. If we can win on the road at North Park then we have it at our place to get in the race."
Baines and his team have earned the right to feel confident no matter who they are playing. The Bluejays are 13-3 overall and 3-2 in conference. The first CCIW loss came at the hands of Augustana earlier this month on the road. However, Elmhurst was in the game to the end narrowly missing an upset bid and losing 58-56.
The loss to Augustana gave the team confidence they could play with anyone, but their next win against North Central proved the Bluejays could win those games against top talent.
"I think it just gave us the confidence that anyone we play for the rest of the year, our guys think they can win the game," Baines said.
Despite a bit of an up-and-down start to the CCIW schedule, with an upset loss to Carthage at home in a game Baines said was the worst of their season, the Bluejays are ranked nationally. For the second week in a row, the Bluejays are ranked No. 22 by D3hoops.com. This is the first season since 2008-09 Elmhurst has been ranked.
To keep up at that level, Baines said the team will need to get creative and be prepared. Player experience has helped that significantly, the coach said.
While his rotation typically consists of all juniors and one sophomore, it was the same group that saw the playing time all of last year. Baines said they are now able to absorb and learn during film sessions as opposed to it "blowing their minds" last year.
His strategy will be put to the test when the Bluejays host Augustana Saturday. Baines said he didn't think either team played as well as they could in their first matchup. The team that is able to score 65-70 points will likely be the winner, he said. Another option is returning to the zone defense they showed for the first time all season against North Central that proved beneficial.
"When you're playing a team that's No. 1 in the nation you can't just roll the ball out and beat them," Baines said. "You have to do something creative and do it well."
Wheaton College:
There are two things nearly every coach can agree are the most important to winning a basketball game - defense and consistency. For the Wheaton College women's team, they could be the difference in a CCIW championshp.
The Thunder has won four of the first five conference games putting them in a three-way tie for first place atop the CCIW. Despite beating North Central, one of the other teams tied in first, an upset loss to North Park has the Thunder in the middle of the fight.
"It's going to be a dogfight along the way," coach Kent Madsen said. "When you look at the scores you'll see a team like Millikin lost to Elmhurst but beat Carthage. It shows the parity in our conference."
Wheaton has the experience of fighting for a conference title already. Now, Madsen said he hopes it will pay off in conference play.