The Team in the Red Dress

Sure, it was from the desktop computer in my dining room as opposed to on a nice TV. But hey, a selection show is still a selection show. And they got it done in 10 minutes or so.

After knocking off Wheaton on Saturday the Cardinals received the CCIW's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Interestingly enough, the CCIW sends 3 teams into the fray, reminding us once again that the CCIW is a gauntlet, and one of the best athletic conferences top to bottom in the nation. Wheaton got in, which is no surprise, but I'm a little shocked Wesleyan got in.

To the right is the section of the bracket NCC is in. They will be heading off to St. Louis this weekend, as Washington University in St. Louis won the right to host the first two rounds of NCC's group at their field house. Looking solely at records, the Cardinals are tied with the hosts for best record (Washington gets the tiebreaker due to fewer games), but obviously records can be deceiving. So I'm going to look at some numbers on each of these teams.

Game Notes: Wheaton College @ North Central College (2/25/12)

Final Score
NCC 75, Wheaton 58

Summary
In what was one of the most fun basketball games I have ever been to, the Cardinals (20-7) played at a good pace in front of a raucous home crowd. They battled back and forth with the Thunder (21-6), with neither team really jumping to a huge lead until the Cardinals went up 27-20 late in the first half. Wheaton then went on a run before the Cardinals came back to tie right before halftime. The game was close immediately after the break before the Cardinals slowly built a lead into double digits. Once it reached 50-40, the Cardinals unleashed holy hell to pull away, leading by no less than 13 the rest of the way.

Key Stats

• Kevin Gillespie (NCC): 8-14 FG (6-9 3PT), 22 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl. Gillespie was easily the MVP last night, not only because he was the leading scorer, but also because his buckets came at the biggest times. He hit a three with seconds left before halftime to tie the game, then was the catalyst to get NCC ahead. He hit a huge three to put NCC up 4, then one to answer a Wheaton deep ball, and hit the first of 4 straight threes by the Cardinals to open the floodgates. The icing on the cake: Wheaton played up on him after that last three, allowing him to drive, and he picked up assists on the next 3 triples. That's what you love to see from your senior captain.
• Charlie Rosenberg (NCC): 3-6 FG, 4-5 FT, 10 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast. I remember being concerned going into this season because of the loss of Jack Burchett down low for defense and rebounding. But Landon Gamble continues to be one of the best post players in the CCIW, and he has a great backup in Rosenberg (5.5 points, 3.2 boards in 13 minutes per game). Charlie was able to get in the paint and open up the perimeter for the Cardinals, while hitting big free throws and rebounding very well.
• Tim McCrary (WC): 4-14 FG, 3-4 FT, 11 pts, 3 reb, 4 stl. One of the CCIW's best and a member of the all-conference 1st team was held in check last night. Aaron Tiknis was on him much of the night, but he was constantly doubled down low, and really didn't get off many good shots, even down low. What amazes me is that he was held to only 3 boards. He averaged almost 10 rebounds during the season, so you have to credit the Cardinals for forcing the rest of the Thunder to pick up the slack.

Final Thoughts
You have to give Wheaton credit; they never gave up even when the Cardinals were taking their game to another level. Wheaton has a strong shot at making the tournament as an at-large team. As for North Central, many players (including Gillespie) said they largely fed off the crowd noise. This was probably the most packed I've ever seen Merner, and the student section brought their A-game. It was loud. It was great to see this old building come to life last night. Home court can really make a difference to your team.

Monday morning at 11:00, the NCAA will announce the pairings for the national tournament, as well as host sites. Who knows, maybe Merner will have a little more excitement this season. Either way, congratulations to the Cardinals, winning the CCIW Tournament for the first time since the inaugural tournament in 2006!

A Rivalry, A Dance, and the Fate of the Universe

Picture from northcentralcardinals.com.

I wrote back in October about how big rivalries are in sports. We, as sports fans, grow up with them. And if you play sports for your schools or follow them, you find yourself personally into a rivalry. Me? I've been conditioned to hate sports teams from Wheaton schools since 2003. Aurora Christian's biggest rival was (and might still be, I'm not sure anymore) Wheaton Academy (actually in West Chicago... liars). I was taught from my first months in Eagle red that Wheaton was the enemy. So my transition to North Central was easy; have a bird as the mascot, wear red, and have an archrival school from Wheaton.

So it comes as no surprise that when I look ahead to tomorrow's CCIW Men's Basketball Championship Game, I can't help but already have the pregame jitters. I remember telling someone before I did the NCC-Augie game 3 weeks ago that that was the biggest game I'd ever done public address for. It's just been usurped.

Like the big boys, Division III has a huge national championship tournament featuring the conference champions (42 conferences recognized), a Pool B team of non-AQ conferences (not sure what that's about), and 19 at-large bids. For those of you counting at home, that's 62 teams (up from 61 a year ago). That clears up the confusion about the count on the Tournament FAQ page, but still leaves me with a definitive "How does this work?" question.

And that's before we get into the NCAA Regional Rankings, which are even more of a load of bull. All 4 teams in the CCIW Tournament are in the Midwest Rankings, with Wheaton at #2, Wesleyan at #5, NCC at #7 and Augie at #8. NCC is the top seed in the conference... yet is 7th? They were 5th in previous installments, but fell in the final poll despite winning their final 2 regular season games. Wheaton being above them is defensible because they've won the first 2 matchups (we'll get to matchup 3 in a moment), but Wesleyan? Yes, they're a game up on NCC in the standings. But... NCC beat them. Twice. Still makes more sense than the BCS, but not by much.

My rant complete, this game is huge for both teams, though NCC has more to gain. I think making it to the title game should be enough to get the Cardinals in regardless of the result, but the automatic bid makes everything easier. Wheaton should get in either way, but NCC has revenge on their minds. How do they go about getting it? Here's the key matchups tomorrow night:

1. NCC Frontcourt vs. Wheaton Frontcourt. It's always a battle in the trenches. Tim McCrary of Wheaton (18.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg) is a beast, and while Wesleyan doubled him often tonight, he went off for a 19-12-4 (with 2 steals and 3 blocks for good measure). He has 34 points and 19 rebounds in 2 games against the Cardinals this year, but he'll still have his hands full with the stacked NCC backcourt. Odds are he'll be matched up on Aaron Tiknis tomorrow, which should be a fun matchup. Both guys can score from just about anywhere (though Aaron has a great 3 point shot, McCrary doesn't shoot from deep). Whoever can outduel the other will give his team a great chance to win. Meanwhile, Landon Gamble for the Cardinals will be getting touches in the post, and as the play by play team on WONC said, "If you give him space, he's automatic." If they can keep Gamble away from the hoop, NCC is in trouble.
2. Snipers. A stat I heard on WONC tonight that floored me was that NCC is shooting just under 40 percent from beyond the arc as a team. Of the 5 guys who have shot the most 3's on the team, the two lowest percentages are held by CJ Goldthree (36.4%) and Vince Kmiec (36.5%). I'm honestly shocked Vince's rate is so low, but then you add in Kevin Gillespie (41%), Derek Raridon (43.2%), and the aforementioned Aaron Tiknis (52.3%... that is not a typo.) Wheaton shoots almost as well (38 percent as a team), with 3 key players over 40 percent from deep. NCC went cold early tonight against Augie, but they were able to stay in the game with defense. If they keep Wheaton in check and are hitting from deep early, look out.
3. Defense. You all know the old adage. What really impressed me tonight with Wheaton was how well they moved on defense. Wesleyan really never had any open looks, and it showed in their shooting numbers (30.4% from the field tonight). NCC plays great team defense as well. Whichever team can find (and hit) the open shots, and take care of the basketball will likely win the game.
4. Free Throws. This doomed NCC in their loss at Wheaton, and nearly did the Thunder in tonight (10-20 from the line in the 2nd half). This game, like the previous ones, screams "Close finish, comes down to execution down the stretch." The teams are about even overall from the line, with Wheaton having great shooters (McCrary at 76%, Aaron Garriot at 84%). But NCC has Derek Raridon, who, really, should just have the scoreboard operator put 2 points up without him needing to shoot his freebies, because he's going to make them anyway (91%).

This has the makings of a possible bloodbath, or a fun, fast-paced, high scoring affair. Either way, it will come down to the final possession in an incredibly loud gym, as both fan bases will come out in full force. I'm looking forward to being behind the mic for this game, being my usual, unabashed homer self, and hopefully bringing home a win and a trip to the tournament.

WE ARE NC. GO CARDINALS!

A Tour of Our Pastime

This winter in Chicago hasn't been like any normal winter I've been used to in my 22 years. I've enjoyed the mostly 30 degree temperatures and relative lack of snow (you know, other than tonight, but whatever). It really hasn't felt like it, so you don't get that feeling that baseball is coming quite as much since there really hasn't been a thaw.

Nonetheless the new season is starting soon and spring training camps are open, with most teams reporting around now. The Cubs have been off doing that bunting tournament (genius) to prepare the pitching staff at the plate. I like this idea since I'm not a huge fan of the DH (but that's another story).

I've been batting around ideas for how to get baseball season even somewhat underway without overshadowing basketball. I ultimately decided on doing a little ballpark review. With planning stages underway to continue my tour of the nation's 30 ballparks, I wanted to go over the ones I've been to so far. I don't know how many parks most of my readers have been to, though I imagine the baseball fans have all been to their favorite team's park, plus maybe one or two more. Me? I've been to 10 currently in use, which, conveniently, allows for a nice countdown. I'll go in order from my least favorite to my most favorite.

Game Notes: Millikin University @ North Central College (2/18/12)

Final Score
NCC 76, Millikin 65

Summary
In a great game on Senior Day, the Cardinals (7-18, 1-13) were competitive early, hitting some big 3's to keep it close. The Big Blue (15-10, 7-7) led 26-19 with less than 7 minutes to go in the opening half (causing me to think "Here we go again..."), only to see the Cardinals go on a run to tie it up and ultimately take a 32-30 lead into the locker room. Whatever Coach Roof said to them during the intermission, it worked; the Cardinals went on a 15-2 run in the first 6 minutes of the second half. That was as big as the lead got, with Millikin closing to within 7 a couple times. Fortunately the Cardinals kept attacking and getting to the free throw line (see below) to close out the game, avoid a winless conference season, and send its two seniors out with one last victory for the road.

Key Stats

• NCC: 30-37 FT (23-30 in the 2nd half). Though it was an excellent overall shooting day (20-41 from the field, including 6-13 from deep), it was the constant trips to the line that helped the Cardinals win today. I was worried at times as the game went on when there were a few misses here and there, but they kept getting stops at the other end. It also helps when you draw 20 fouls in the half and get to the bonus with 7 minutes left, but the Cardinals really took advantage today.
• NCC Seniors: 25 pts, 12 reb, 8 ast. Helen Muleya (11-7-7, 1 stl) got to the line early and often, converting those opportunities, while Emily Collins (14-5-1, a couple 3's) was able to hit a few key buckets, especially in that early stretch of the 2nd half when the Cardinals pulled ahead for good. I'm thrilled that these two had pretty good games and were able to go out victorious.
• Callie Rezin (NCC): 5-8 FG (3-4 3PT), 3-4 FT, 16 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast. I don't remember if I've mentioned Callie here before or not, but she was hitting big shots all game as well. She finished her freshman year on a high note, leading her team in scoring in the finale. She'll be a great part of this team going forward.

Cardinal Turnover Watch
Even though the Cardinals came away with a win, this was kind of an ugly game. The Cardinals finished their season with a 26 turnover output. 8 of them were steals by the Big Blue, with a few travels in there as well. It was not that pretty a sight, especially in the 2nd half when protecting a lead. Unfortunately, Helen Muleya led the team in this category today... with 8. That's way too many, but Millikin often couldn't take advantage. Conversely, the Big Blue turned it over 23 times, with only 3 coming on Cardinal steals. That helped level things out today.

Final Thoughts
I had mentioned yesterday that I thought a Cardinal win could spoil Millikin's bid for the tournament. Unfortunately, Elmhurst also lost, and somehow Millikin got into the tournament. I'm not sure how the selection process works in terms of a tiebreaker (Millikin and Elmhurst split their games this season, and Elmhurst had a better overall record). Either way, the Cardinals didn't get to play spoiler, but it was great to see smiles on the Cardinals' faces at the end of the game. The year may be over, but the team has good players in place next year to contend for the tournament.

A big thanks goes out to Clark Teuscher for the opportunity to be the public address announcer for Lady Cardinal basketball this season. Unfortunately they only went 3-9 at home, but I had a blast doing these games. I also want to thank Coach Michelle Roof for being a supportive coach throughout a rough season, and to these players for never giving up and staying with each other every game. I hope to be able to have a great seat for more basketball again next season!

Looking Ahead to Senior Day

Tomorrow marks the end of the regular season for CCIW basketball... well, mostly. There is a makeup game on the women's side (and I'm honestly not sure how it happened. North Central is having both of its Senior Days tomorrow. I will be at the mic for the women's, and likely in attendance for the men's (at least the first half of the game anyway).

Here's how the standings are shaping up going into tomorrow:

WOMEN

1. Illinois Wesleyan (19-5, 12-1)
2. Wheaton (16-7, 9-3)
3. Carthage (18-6, 9-4)
4. Elmhurst (16-8, 7-6)
5. Millikin (15-9, 7-6)
6. North Park (10-14, 4-9)
7. Augustana (11-12, 3-9)
8. North Central (6-18, 0-13)

NCC is home against Millikin tomorrow. The Cardinals are really not playing for anything more than pride and sending Helen Muleya and Emily Collins out as winners. I really hope they can pull out just one victory, if only for them. Though they can also play spoiler, as a win likely knocks Millikin out of the tournament.

The conference picture itself is pretty clear so far. Illinois Wesleyan has once again claimed the regular season crown after being picked to finish behind Carthage. As such, the Shirk Center will once again be home to the women's tournament. Wheaton and Carthage have already punched their tickets to Bloomington, and will end up playing each other in the semifinals. Augustana will likely end up determining who gets to wear the white jerseys in that game, as they have both teams on the schedule still. Meanwhile, the Titans can also play spoiler at home and try to knock Elmhurst out of the race.

MEN

1. North Central (17-7, 11-2)
2. Wheaton (18-5, 9-3)
3. Illinois Wesleyan (18-6, 9-4)
4. Augustana (18-5, 8-4)
5. Carthage (12-12, 6-7)
6. Elmhurst (12-12, 6-7)
7. North Park (6-18, 2-11)
8. Millikin (1-23, 0-13)

Weird how the tables turn for the men as Millikin is the bad team in this one. NCC has already locked up at least a share of the conference title, and a win guarantees a second straight year of the tournament at Gregory Arena. The competing teams are actually already set in stone, though that makeup Wheaton-Augie matchup may decide some seeding. Obviously if you're the Cardinals, you want Wheaton to win at least one game in hopes of avoiding them in the first round game. The Cardinals just haven't been able to best them this year, though it is hard to beat a team 3 straight times in one season. That being said, you don't really want to face any of these teams. The Titans have a solid team once again, and Augie plays great defense.

I will bring updates from NCC tomorrow night or Sunday after the regular season finale. I hope to also make at least part of the CCIW Tournament in Naperville as well. Go Cards!

Cake for a Legend

"When your favorite team lands a transcendent player in your formative years... it really is like winning the lottery." -Bill Simmons, The Book of Basketball

I wasn't around in 1984 for what is arguably the biggest draft day steal of all time, or for some of the early moments. But on this day 49 years ago, a boy was born in New York who would be that steal, and over the course of 15 years be cemented as the greatest to ever play the game.

Much like any kid born in Chicagoland in the 80's (I barely made it), if you were into sports, Michael Jordan captured your imagination. My parents had actually moved to the area just in time for MJ's arrival, and a few years later I would be around to only see one year of growing pains before the string of 6 titles. I don't remember any of the first 3-peat seasons, though apparently there is video evidence of me reciting the Bulls starting lineup at age 3 or so (probably why I love being a PA announcer... I miss Ray Clay.)

During the legendary '95-'96 season I was lucky enough that my parents got 3 tickets to a game at the United Center. We sat up in the 300 level behind one of the baskets. April 4, 1996 versus the Miami Heat. The Bulls won 100-92. I know those facts by memory. What I didn't remember until looking it up a couple years ago was that Michael went off for 40 points in that game. I will always treasure that game, even though I don't remember much of it other than the final score. I saw Michael Jordan play in person. I saw him drop 40 in a win.

My memories of that second three-peat are much better. I remember watching Game 6 of both the '96 and '98 Finals in my family room and going nuts after both. I'm not sure what happened in '97 that I missed that ending, because you'd figure I'd remember that one. But '96 was the first title I consciously remember. And what Bulls fan could ever forget The Last Shot?

The NBA hasn't been the same since MJ left. I went to a few other Bulls games in the years since, but it was never the same. There's been a renaissance in recent years with Derrick Rose, but he's nowhere near the level MJ was. No player is. It's my firm belief that no player ever will be. The closest to him among active players right now is Kobe. But even Kobe with his 5 rings has a long way to go to catch him. He's won 2 as the guy in LA, and at his age, I don't know that he could will the Lakers to 4 more. Best post-MJ player for now, though you could make an argument about guys like Shaq or Tim Duncan. We all know LeBron is talented, but is without a ring.

I'm lucky to have been around to see the Greatest of All Time. He gave me and Bulls fans everywhere great memories. As such, it is only fair to wish the legend a happy 49th birthday. If I could arrange it, I'd send him a gift of Bryon Russell so he could hit another jumper over him for old times sake.

A Tale of Two Road Trips

I've been more zeroed in on North Central lately, and not really focused as much on Chicago's two teams taking up residence on the West Side... though that's mostly because they haven't been home lately. It's just been kind of interesting to see how these two squads have spent their road trips going in seemingly opposite directions.

The Bulls have been mostly a joy to watch recently, as I'm sure Geoffy will attest to. You go 6-3 on a road trip, you're in good shape. The bad news is that the Bulls 3 losses came to good teams (Miami, Philly, and Boston). At the same time, you have to take into account that the Bulls have been, like pretty much everyone else, injury ravaged this season. And the scary part is that without some key figures, they're staying competitive with the other contenders in the East. You include Deng in the Miami game, the Bulls probably pull that one out, and with Rose, Boston is likely a win as well. Philly was a little more one-sided, but those losses will happen.

On the positive side, the Bulls are destroying inferior teams, including the NBA record 4 straight road wins by 20 or more. Racking up wins any way you can in this shortened season is a must, and at 23-7, the Bulls are in a great position... especially when you consider that 20 of those 30 games have come on the road. The second half of the season will be more in front of the friendly crowds at the United Center, something Bulls fans should be excited about.

Thank God Derrick Rose doesn't have any structural damage in his back, otherwise the Bulls would have a reason to worry. Until then, I would say let him rest. They're in good shape and don't need to rush him back in the immediate future.

I wish the news were the same for the other tenants of the Madhouse. It's been a rough go the past month or so. After dropping that home-and-home with Nashville into the All Star Break, the Hawks have been killed on this 9 game road trip of theirs, going 0-5-1 so far. And really, there's no one thing that the Hawks can do to get out of the funk. One night, the offense isn't scoring any goals, the next they're giving up 8 points to one guy. I've had the TV on for parts of a couple games on this trip, and I'll be into it a little bit, only to get really frustrated. This team has shown flashes of brilliance mixed with "WTF" moments. Many fans have called for Coach Q's head or Stan Bowman's head, but not a lot of attention has been paid to the players. They're the ones not executing right now.

That being said, all it takes is one good game for guys to get confidence up. Say tomorrow night in Nashville the Hawks only give up a couple goals in tough situations, but manage to score a time or 2 on timely opportunities and possibly steal one from a division rival. A win can cure everything, but even a tough loss where the team plays well can ignite a fire under the other guys.

I saw a status on Facebook from a guy I went to college with who's a hockey player and a big Hawks fan, and he reminded Hawks fans that this team lost 7 of 9 games in March of 2010... and we all know what happened that season. Granted, the rosters are totally different, but all you need to do is get into the tournament. Once there, anything can happen.

These two teams are going in different directions now, it seems. But both of these teams will play prominently when 30 competing teams get whittled down to 16.

Game Notes: Wheaton College @ North Central College (2/11/12)

Final Score
Wheaton 72, NCC 54

Summary
The Cardinals (6-17, 0-12) started out of the gate okay, leading 8-5 before Wheaton (16-7, 9-3)turned it on and went on a 20-0 run. The Cardinals tried to answer back, getting the deficit back to single digits before seeing Wheaton take a 38-24 lead into the break. Despite the score, the first half was pretty competitive. But in the second half the Thunder were able to step up their defense and slowly build the lead to over 20 points before calling off the dogs late.

Key Stats

• Wheaton: 8-15 3PT in the 1st half. I would dare to make the argument that the Cardinals outplayed the Thunder in the first half. They seemed to hustle more, make some good plays on defense, and hit a few big shots here and there. They might have led, if not only trailed by a few points were it not for the fact that Wheaton was unconscious from deep. They only went 2-5 from beyond the arc in the second half, but when your opponent is hitting everything from downtown, it's hard to stay in the ballgame. Credit Wheaton for hitting the shots all night, especially when given the open looks.
• Sophie Newson (NCC): 5-15 FG (2-6 3PT), 4-4 FT, 16 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl. Sophie looked more like that all-around player I know she can be tonight, especially in the first half. At the break she was 4 of 7 from the field with 9 points and 5 boards. Simple math tells you that her shots stopped falling in the second half. It's been a constant problem all year with the Cardinals, but even despite that Sophie played a great game tonight.
• Breanna Bohlen (WC): 7-10 FG (4-4 3PT), 0-1 FT, 18 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast. The prime example of why NCC lost. Donning the Rip Hamilton mask, she was left open a few times on the perimeter and took advantage. Other times the Cardinals did get over to close, but she just kept hitting shots off the bench. You need your role players to come in and execute their jobs. Bohlen did just that tonight.

Cardinal Turnover Watch
I had the offer of traveling with the team to Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday to call the game for WONC since there really weren't any people available to call the game. I didn't take it, and instead Geoffy decided to make the trek down there and enjoy the sack lunch on the ride home. What I'm sure he didn't enjoy was the fact that the Cardinals turned it over 34 times in their 40 point loss to the Titans. Considering that, plus the Wheaton factor, we at the table set the over/under for turnovers at 21.5. I took the under, fearing I'd be wrong. But true to their average, they only committed 20 turnovers tonight, a lot of them bad passes, plus a couple offensive fouls. To their credit, they did force 15 Thunder turnovers, including a couple offensive fouls and a pair of 5 second calls.

Final Thoughts
This Cardinal team is better than their 6-17 record. I know from the flashes I've seen. But what I also notice is that this team has 2 major flaws. First and foremost is where they tend to shoot themselves in the foot (tonight, going about 7 minutes without a basket while Wheaton scored 20 points in that same stretch) by either cold shooting nights, poor shot selection, or most commonly, giving the ball up in bunches. The second problem is that this is a first half team. They stay in the ball game in the first half (even tonight, you felt like they could come back in the 2nd half) only to completely fall apart after the intermission. I don't know if they don't have the energy to play the full 40 minutes, lose their focus and drive after halftime, or what the case is, but for whatever reason, this team doesn't come out of the locker room ready to climb out of the hole.

With all this being said, this team has talented players. With a good offseason, some recruiting help, and a year of experience for the young contributors (think Bobbi Johns, Lauren Hernandez, Callie Rezin, Larynn Shumaker), this team will be a little bit better next year.

Next week is the final week of the regular season. Tuesday (men) and Wednesday (women), the Cardinals make the trek to what Geoffy calls North Park Middle School (relying on his word for this, I've never been there) before Senior Day a week from today against Millikin.

Game Notes: (MBK) Augustana College @ North Central College (2/4/12)

Final Score
NCC 43, (15)Augustana 41

Summary
This game had the feel of an old-time basketball game in front of a packed house.. We spent the first 5 and a half minutes locked in a 0-0 tie before Augie (16-5, 6-4) opened the scoring. The teams started to pick up from there as the offenses got in rhythm, but Augie led most of the half, going up 22-17 at the break. The Cardinals (15-6, 9-1) made their adjustments to get back to a one possession game for almost the entire 2nd half. It was tied at 38 with 4:41 left before Augie got a three to take the lead with 4:23 left. They would not score again as the Cardinals closed them out on defense.

Key Stats

• Teams combined: 28-92 FG (30.4%), 41 turnovers. The Vikings shot worse (14-48) and turned it over 25 times, but this shows how physical and competitive a game this one was. Both teams played excellent defense and had some struggles on offense. The Cardinals nearly lost this one from the free throw line (9-15), but Augie missed its opportunities too (11-19).
• Aaron Tiknis (NCC): 6-11 FG (3-7 3PT), 4-5 FT, 19 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl. He was clearly the best player out there on a night where Landon Gamble couldn't buy a layup (0 pts) and Derek Raridon was held to 3 points (all FT's). The hybrid forward was everywhere trying to have an impact, and hit some huge shots for the Cardinals all game long.
• Brandon Kunz (AUG): 3-5 FG, 6-9 FT, 12 pts, 12 reb (4 off). Came off the bench and was an excellent presence for the Vikings with teammates getting in foul trouble. Something the Vikings can build on as they make their run at a CCIW crown.

Final Thoughts
I think this was probably the biggest game I've ever done public address for, but it was a somber night with the passing of Shaun Wild. But the turnout was great, and the fans were fantastic in helping give the Cardinals a home court advantage, something I try to do every game (since I was filling in for Jim Godo, the normal men's announcer). I got really into the game, even feeling headaches with a couple three calls. With about 3 minutes left, Clark Teuscher, the Sports Information Director, told me to "take it down from 11 to 10" because he "didn't want to lose me if the game went to overtime". I tried, and timeouts helped.

Anyway, this was the first sweep of Augie in what seems like forever, and the Cardinals are unbeaten at home this season (which could be a huge advantage if they top the conference standings). A tough team to beat with a great defense, and have multiple options to score with.

Bonus Feature
This was tough to do since I had to get it from my iPhone. I apologize for the shaking of the phone. I was really anxious/excited when doing this last night. I also threw off the team's order of running out; I think normally Jim does them in numerical order, I tried more of a Ray Clay style. I do like how Derek did a Jeff Hornacek-esque move by running out before his name was called. I respect his humility, and how he lets his game speak for itself. But anyway, yesterday's lineups:

Game Notes: (WBK) Augustana College @ North Central College (2/4/12)

Final Score
Augustana 67, NCC 55

Summary
This was a competitive game on an emotional night, where the Cardinals (6-15, 0-10) were in the game throughout, but the Vikings (10-11, 2-8) were able to break a 6-6 tie with a 13-2 run. The Cardinals closed the gap to 6 at halftime. Once again they play well enough to be in the game early, but then things fell apart a little bit in the second half. The Cardinals never got any closer than about 6 or 7 the rest of the way, bowing out to an Augie team that got hot near the end.

Key Stats

• NCC: 18-62 FG (29%), 5-21 3PT (23.8%), 14-26 FT (53.8%). Ouch. They've been running the offense a little better of late, but the shots just aren't falling. There were some ill-advised threes taken, and more missed layups again last night. But the free throws have not really been good for most of the season. You're not going to win many games shooting 29 percent overall.
• Emily Collins (NCC): 4-13 FG (0-1 3PT), 2-7 FT, 10 pts, 14 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk. I was impressed by her effort last night and her ability to get to the basketball. I didn't realize her shooting night was that bad, but those nights happen. She needs to forget about that part of her game, while still building on her rebounding. I could have also gone with Helen Muleya, who had a good game (15 pts on 5-9 shooting, plus 4 of 7 at the line), but Collins' numbers down low were amazing. Two seniors who have talent, and will be missed.
• Molly Etheridge (AUG): 5-11 FG (3-6 3PT), 6-6 FT, 19 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast. She came off the bench and was immediately lethal from deep. She was a big part of that 13-2 run for Augie. Though honestly, I didn't realize she was that aggressive on the glass. A big reason why Augie got their second conference win of the year (both of which have come against NCC).

Cardinal Turnover Watch
I need to start having more faith in this team. They had a season low 10 turnovers last night, with no player committing more than 2. A phenomenal job taking care of the basketball. Another big key to why NCC lost was that Augie took good care of the ball too, only giving it up 12 times. A much more mistake-free game than I'm used to seeing.

Final Thoughts
I feel bad criticizing this team of late, because they go all-out, and they do have a good team. They're unfortunately not much of a match for the Wesleyan's and Carthage's of the world, but against the lower tier of the conference, they're a competitive team. Unfortunately, they have a tendency of shooting themselves in the foot with either turnovers or off shooting nights. This has been a fun year of basketball to watch nonetheless, and I'm honored to have worked 10 games for this team with 2 more to work. They travel to Bloomington on Wednesday before coming back to face Wheaton on Saturday.

Remembering Family

Throughout my forty-some posts on Confessions of a Sportscaster, I had never imagined I'd have to do a post like this. Not in a million years.

If you've seen my Facebook and Twitter you've seen posts about this, but I wanted to do something a little more official to recognize this tragedy.

Last night at a bar in downtown Naperville, there was a stabbing incident involving 3 people, including 2 NCC football players. Defensive lineman Willie Hayes is in serious condition as of this posting, and the attack claimed the life of Shaun Wild, former punter and second grade teacher at Spring Brook Elementary in Naperville.

I never personally met either of these great young men, but everyone who knew them speak very highly of them. And as a North Central alum, it's like losing a family member. NCC is one big family, and it's a family I love. I will celebrate their triumphs, and grieve with them in their times of darkness.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Willie, that he makes a full recovery, and to Shaun's family as they cope with the all-too-soon passing of a wonderful young man.

RIP Shaun

The Unofficial National Holiday

The biggest single day of sports is the first Sunday in February every year. For a weekend stretch of sports, nothing beats the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament, but the Super Bowl in and of itself is the biggest game all year.

I've put off thoughts about the game to come until just about the last possible minute. If you go by my original prediction, I only got 3 of 11 winners right. On a week by week basis I did much better; I correctly picked 6 of the 10 games correctly. It only makes sense that I predict the Super Bowl.

I foresee this as an offensive battle of epic proportions between two elite quarterbacks. Tom Brady is finally back on the biggest stage where he has excelled throughout his career. He will be somewhat limited offensively with Gronkowski recovering from an ankle sprain, but he still has Welker and Hernandez. Meanwhile Eli Manning has vaulted himself into elite status (while not on the same plane as Brady, but still elite) by making his teammates better. He has excellent receivers in Nicks, Cruz, and Manningham.

The other reason this will be a shootout? The Giants defense is ranked 27th, the Patriots 31st. Personally, I hate those numbers as the main statistic when it comes to measuring defense, so based on scoring allowed, the Patriots were 15th (21.4 PPGA) and the Giants 25th (25 PPGA). Still not great, so it strengthens the argument that we're going to see a shootout.

The toughest part? Predicting the score. I scoured the archives of Facebook to try to find my prediction for Super Bowl XLIII, only to be shot down by lack of status updates from back that far. But I have friends who are witnesses to the fact that I correctly predicted Steelers 27, Cardinals 23 and who will gladly back me up in this claim if asked. (And I'm also pretty sure there's audio evidence from the WONC archives I could dig up too... but I digress.) I did it once, so there's no chance in hell that I'll ever correctly predict the score again. But that won't stop me from predicting.

It'll be a high scoring game, and turnovers/sacks will have an impact, but it also seems like whoever has the ball last will win the game. My official prediction is Giants 34, Patriots 28. I figure New England will score a lot and can come up with some big plays to hold the Giants to field goals, but Eli is deadly late in ball games. Then again, so is Brady, but this game just has a similar feel to Super Bowl XLII... you know, except this year it's the Patriots everyone is doubting, myself included.

Whatever your plans are for the big game, enjoy yourselves, have fun, and be safe. And start crafting proposals for Super Bowl Monday becoming a new national holiday. You know, because no one will want to do anything the day after the big game.

Game Notes: North Central College @ Elmhurst College (2/1/12)

Final Score
Elmhurst 63, NCC 60

Summary
Probably the most fun game I've been at all season (and my first road trip for basketball in a couple years), the Cardinals (6-14, 0-9) took early advantage of a Blue Jay (16-4, 7-2) team that was without Meghan Merklein due to injury. NCC went on an 11-1 run that put them up 21-14 with 8:26 to go before halftime. Elmhurst stormed back to within 32-28 at the half, then came out on fire. The Cardinals answered back, and led 51-49 with 8:23 left in the game. But the Blue Jays started to get inside and get some easy baskets, and the Cardinals couldn't execute down the stretch to steal a road win.


Key Stats

• NCC: 23-64 FG (35.9%) , 4-16 3PT (25%), 10-16 FT (62.5%). The Cardinals had their opportunities at the line and couldn't always convert, part of a not-so-great shooting night overall. The worst part was down low; a run through the play-by-play shows they went 12-26 on layups. It seems to happen a lot, but this is the first time I've documented it. Some of them were unfortunate rolls, others were bad attempts or bad looks. Whatever the case, give the Cardinals even half of those missed layups and it swings the game to an 11 point victory. Alas.
• Helen Muleya (NCC): 4-7 FG, 1-4 FT, 9 pts, 8 reb, 2 stl. Even though the starting point guard had a game without an assist, she played very well tonight. Made a couple bad decisions here and there, but forced some key turnovers with her great defense, and did a good job with her shot selection and execution overall tonight.
• Tess Godhardt (EC): 5-8 FG, 3-4 FT, 13 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl. 11 of her 13 points came in the 2nd half, most of them down low. 3 of her rebounds came on the offensive glass, again, all in the 2nd half. She brought her A-game tonight and helped propel Elmhurst to victory.

Cardinal Turnover Watch
I didn't make any bets with anyone tonight on the number of turnovers, but the Cardinals did a better job taking care of the ball, only turning it over 17 times. Jenny Swanson, Emily Collins, and Helen Muleya all turned it over 3 times apiece (to Muleya's credit, hers all came in the 1st half). A better job, especially when they forced 15 Blue Jay turnovers (10 off steals). I normally talk about the Clogged Toilet Offense, but they moved the ball well for the most part today, other than some errant passes throughout the game.

Final Thoughts
I never want to blame the referees for what happens in a basketball game, but the officiating was spotty at best tonight. They let things go in the first half, only to tighten it up after the break, getting the Cardinals in early foul trouble, but it also seemed like the Blue Jays were getting away with near murder down low.

That being said, the Cardinals didn't execute down the stretch. On their final possession, down 5 with 18 ticks left, the Cardinals ran down the floor and just dribbled around the perimeter. I remembered another game they lost doing that on their final possession. They at least got a shot off at the end to cut the final margin from 5 to 3, but they need to be aware of the clock at all times.

Overall though, I think this was probably the best game that North Central has played in conference (at least from those I've seen). It's a tough loss to swallow, but there are some positives to take into Saturday's rematch with Augie at Merner. I will be back from being a casual fan to my work behind the mic, for their game as well as a highly anticipated rematch between the men's teams.