All-Illinois TeamRich Zvosec – Inside the CIT--Valley Hoops Insider
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Cameron Krutwig, Loyola
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All-Chicago Team
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Marques Townes, Loyola
Cameron Krutwig, Loyola
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Chicago Player of the Year
Cameron Krutwig, Loyola
No disrespect to Marques Townes, but finally I get to have my say on why Krutwig actually deserves superlative honors for Loyola.
Krutwig led the Ramblers in: usage, offensive rebounding rate, defensive rebounding rate, block rate, and fouls drawn per 40 minutes. He was second on the team in offensive rating and effective field goal percentage, trailing only 3-point specialist Cooper Kaifes in both. In MVC play, he also led the team in assist rate.
By various formulas, Krutwig held an edge over Townes. He had a nice edge in Value Add’s offensive and defensive efficiency ratings, and a slight edge in PORPAG, which is akin to MLB’s WAR. (PORPAG estimates how many more points per game a player creates compared to a “replacement,” or average, player.)
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Chicago Freshman of the Year
Cooper Kaifes, Loyola
Kaifes is practically the default choice as the only local freshman who received major minutes. With Lucas Williamson injured, Kaifes was thrust into the starting lineup for nine games.
He was the Valley’s second-best 3-point shooter at 46.9%, trailing only Drake’s Brady Ellingson. Kaifes hit double digits in scoring eight times and made three or more threes in seven games.
Illinois Defensive Player of the Year
Elijah Childs, Bradley
Don’t worry. Illinois’ only state representative in the NCAA Tournament isn’t getting shut out of player awards. Childs, the Arch Madness MVP, took on a much larger load as a sophomore and delivered, averaging 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.
As those 1.4 blocks suggest, Childs was a handful defensively. The tempo-free efficiency numbers like Childs, too. In the MVC, he ranked No. 4 in block rate and No. 3 in defensive rebounding rate.
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Illinois Coach of the Year
Brian Wardle, Bradley
Wardle got some pretty bad press last week, but ultimately that doesn’t take away from his rebuilding job at Bradley. The Braves won five games in his first year on the job in 2015-16, and in year four of the Wardle era they earned their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2006.
After a solid non-conference campaign, Bradley opened MVC play at 0-5. They really got rolling in February, though, and became the hottest team in the Valley, which carried into Arch Madness. They enter the NCAA Tournament with a 20-14 record.
The Braves won their three Arch Madness games by a total of 8 points. Sure, some luck goes with that, but credit is also due to good coaching.
Am I promoting the brand enough?
Chicago Coach of the Year
Porter Moser, Loyola
Like Chicago Freshman of the Year, this award comes by default. Yes, Loyola won a conference title and Moser, in the grand scheme of things, did a really good job following up on last year’s Final Four run.
But Moser didn’t have much competition as the top coach in Chicago this year. Loyola enters the NIT at 20-13 (60.6%). None of the other four Chicago metro area schools have a winning record.
Don’t be surprised if ...Ranking All 68 NCAA Tournament Teams, From Duke to NC Central--Sports Illustrated
Bradley coach Brian Wardle meets with some degree of hostility at his news conference. Wardle and the school’s sports information department took the bizarre step of attempting to ban veteran beat writer Dave Reynolds from covering a press event to discuss the upcoming tournament with the Braves, who qualified by winning the Missouri Valley Conference. Reynolds has been covering the team for 29 years, but assistant director of athletic communications Jason Veniskey told Reynolds, “You don’t promote the Bradley brand” and told him player interviews were off limits. The United States Basketball Writers Association protested. The school since retreated from this stance, but not before turning one of the happiest occasions in the basketball program’s recent history — this is the first NCAA bid since 2006 — into a sorry occasion.
63. BradleyMeet the 54 players from Illinois on NCAA Tournament teams--Chicago Tribune
While this ranking may not be promoting the Bradley brand, the Braves could’ve done a better job of that themselves if they hadn’t opened conference play 0–5 and lost to the likes of Eastern Illinois in non-conference play. Nonetheless, their late-season turnaround was impressive, and their slow motion jog through the Missouri Valley tournament, including a revenge victory over Loyola Chicago after they lost in the semifinals to the Ramblers last year, earned them a date with Michigan State.
Bradley2019 March Madness bracket field: Ranking all 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament bracket--CBS Sports
Armon Brummett, Decatur MacArthur
A 6-foot-4 freshman guard, Brummett has played in 23 games, averaging six minutes and totaling 13 points and 16 rebounds.
Peter Hanley, Peoria Notre Dame
Hanley played in 27 games as a freshman in 2015-16, but the 6-7 senior forward has played in only 16 games over the last three seasons, including six this season. He has six points and two rebounds in 18 minutes.
Nate Kennell, Metamora
A 6-6 junior guard, Kennell was voted the Missouri Valley’s sixth man of the year. He’s averaging 9.4 points and 2.4 rebounds and shooting 40.3 percent from 3-point range. He hit five 3s and scored a game-high 19 points in the Braves’ victory over top seed Loyola in the MVC Tournament semifinals.
Antoine Pittman, Rockford Auburn
A starter in 45 games over his first two seasons, Pittman has played in 18 games with three starts this season. The 6-3 junior guard is averaging 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds.
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62 BradleyMichigan State shift focus from brackets to branding Bradley--CBS Sports
Brian Wardle's Braves navigated through the Missouri Valley Tournament by upsetting last year's NCAA Tournament darling, Loyola-Chicago, then knocking off Northern Iowa in the title game. It's the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2006. This is a slow, grind-you-down team.
Bracket Breakdown: East Region--Rock Chalk Talk
#15 Bradley Braves (Overall: 20-14, Missouri Valley: 9-9)An Illinois Fan’s Guide to Bandwagoning the NCAA Tournament--The Champaign Room
The Braves finished 5th in the MVC, and it took a miracle run to get to the dance. That miracle will end at the hands of Michigan State.
Bradley Braves (No. 15 seed in East Regional)LISTEN: A Bradley basketball blast from the past--Peoria Journal Star
Who do they play in the opening round?: Michigan State Spartans
Bradley players celebrating with the Missouri Valley Conference trophy last week Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports
Why you should cheer for BU: If you’ve grown up and lived in Illinois most of your life, you likely know someone who went to Bradley. This is the first time in 13 years Bradley is going to the Big Dance. Bradley is a deep team, and unlike a lot of lower-seeded teams, the Braves do not rely on just one or two main players.
Strange fact: Bradley is loaded with international players. Half of the team hails from a country outside of the United States. South Sudan, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Cameroon and Netherlands are all represented on this squad representing a small private school in central Illinois.
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Cleve In The Eve: Braves open as 19.5-point underdogs--Peoria Journal Star
Drake is one of the headliners, as the 24-9 Bulldogs surged up the standings to claim a share of the MVC regular season crown in Darian DeVries first season in charge. They’ll play Southern Utah, which will be making its second postseason appearance in 31 years as a Division I program.
UNI Women Travel to Minnesota for WNIT Opening Round--unipanthers.com
Harris Appointed to NCAA Division I Council--The Missouri Valley
Valley Hoops Postseason Viewing Guide--The Missouri Valley
UNI Women Travel to Minnesota for WNIT Opening Round--The Missouri Valley
