Wednesday, February 25, 2015

North Central and the NCAA Regional Rankings: Week 3 Edition

For the final time this season, the NCAA will pull back the curtain of its selection process. The third set of regional rankings is the final time we get to see anything for NCAA Tournament purposes, but it's worth getting a look with conferences tournaments underway.

When I checked these last week, both teams were coming off some struggles, but both the NCC men and women held firm in their regional rankings from Week 1, then proceeded to win their regular season finales to seal their respective places in the CCIW Tournament.

This is not the final set of regional rankings; the NCAA does re-rank teams one more time on Sunday, but that one is kept private. Even so, this set will be a pretty good indicator of teams' chances to make The Dance.

2015 CCIW Men's Basketball Tournament Preview

Yesterday was a preview of the women's side of CCIW Tournament play. Today, we preview the men.

The process of getting here was a good one, as the double round robin set up some interesting clinching scenarios that made for a fun final day of the regular season.

The men's tournament has a slightly weird bracket; only 62 teams make The Dance (something about fewer conferences earning auto bids), with 43 teams earning automatic invites. This leaves 19 spots open for at-large invitees, which the CCIW could take some advantage of.

Like yesterday, this isn't a look at possibilities of making the NCAA Tournament, other than for the purposes of the automatic bid. I'll also take a look at the venue for this weekend's action. Later today once the final public regional rankings drop, I'll take a look at those.


Tuesday, February 24, 2015

2015 CCIW Women's Basketball Tournament Preview

The 2014-15 regular season is complete following Saturday's slate of games, including NCC's 21st win of the year. Now, the stakes are raised.

Four teams advanced from the double round robin portion and get to face teams a third time for more marbles. Whoever wins two games this weekend gets one of 44 automatic bids into the NCAA Tournament. If any of the losing teams are lucky, they will get one of the 20 at large berths into the field of 64.

This isn't a look at NCAA Tournament pictures; that will come later this week when the final public regional rankings drop. Instead, I'm going to take a look at the venue for the CCIW Tournament and each of the four teams that will be playing this weekend.


Sunday, February 22, 2015

Game Notes: (MBK) North Park University @ North Central College(2/21/15)

Final Score
NCC 82, NPU 72

Game Summary
Playing for the final spot in the CCIW Tournament, the Vikings (15-10, 6-8) came ready to play, going on a 9-0 run to open up an 11-2 lead as the Cardinals (18-7, 8-6) struggled to take care of the ball or get anything going offensively. North Park led for almost the entire first half with the Cardinals cutting it close a few times, but not forcing a tie until there were 28 seconds left in the half. The Vikings got a bucket with just three ticks left before the break to go up 36-34 at the break. North Central tried to keep pace early in the second half, but the Vikings would push the lead back up to 49-41 with 15:39 left. The tide began to turn from there though, as the Cardinals tightened up the game and finally took the lead at 58-56 with just under ten minutes to play on a couple corner threes. The Vikings kept pace, making it a one possession game a couple times, but the Cardinals had answers each time, and late stalling tactics from North Park's coach were too little, too late.

Key Stats
  • Jack Burchett (NCC): 8-14 FG, 5-6 FT; 21 pts, 14 reb (1 off), 1 ast, 2 blk. North Park really had no answer inside for the senior big man, who had a final game at Merner to remember. I got pretty amped after an early and-1 to answer that 9-0 North Park run to the point where I had to be calmed down so I could last for the rest of the game. Anyway, he continued that pace for the rest of the game while I paced myself. Jack also had the exclamation point of the game late: taking an outlet pass with a wide open lane and throwing down a thunderous dunk with just under a minute to play to make it 76-65 and draw a huge roar from the Merner faithful.
  • Kevin Honn (NCC): 7-9 FG (2-3 3PT), 4-6 FT; 20 pts, 7 reb (2 off), 1 ast, 1 stl. Kevin had a fairly quiet first half with just six points, but he was a key part of the second half rally. With the game at 56-52 North Park, he went into the far corner by the band and drained an open three to cut the lead to one. 46 seconds later, he had an open look by the Cardinal bench, and with the whole gym on its feet in expectation, drained it. It's been a long time since I've heard Merner get that loud.
  • Juwan Henry (NPU): 15-22 FG (2-6 3PT), 2-4 FT; 34 pts, 4 reb (1 off), 2 ast, 3 stl. Man, this guy. He showed why he won back to back CCIW Player of the Week awards this season, draining multiple step-back jumpers and being a huge reason why North Park led at halftime, considering he also hit the go-ahead layup. All of this said... I don't have much respect for this guy. I counted at least two flops, and there were probably more, while he got the call at least once.
Around the CCIW
  • @ Illinois Wesleyan 96 (18-7, 10-4), Elmhurst 66 (19-6, 9-5)
  • Augustana 89 (21-4, 11-3), @ Wheaton 55 (11-14, 4-10)
  • Carthage 70 (10-15, 5-9), @ Millikin 68 (8-17, 3-11) (OT)
Final Thoughts
My dislike extends beyond just Juwan Henry; I really don't have a lot of respect for this North Park team. Head coach Tom Slyder tried to be like Grey Giovanine (who I do respect) in terms of yelling and the jacket removal, but from what I heard from fans seated behind me, he should have been T'd up for swearing at the refs at one point. Then late in the game with the outcome decided, he started calling unnecessary timeouts to extend the game. I get the idea of "Play till the buzzer", but this seemed a little too much. He called timeout with three seconds left and the score here to get his end of the bench guys in for all the good that did. All in all, just not the way you should end a game like this.

Enough sour grapes though; the Cardinals had a must-win game at home, and they delivered. After a one year hiatus from CCIW Tournament play, they're back. Augustana awaits on Friday night in the semis, but I'll have more about that this coming week in a CCIW Tournament preview post.

Since odds are this was my final men's game of the season (I mean, the odds of Merner hosting a set of men's game in the NCAA Tournament are all but nil), I want to take the opportunity to thank athletic director Jim Miller, sports information director Clark Teuscher and men's basketball coach Todd Raridon for the opportunity to be their public address announcer full time this season. I had a blast, and got to be a part of some fantastic basketball games this season. Hopefully, I'll be able to come back and do it all again next year!

Game Notes: (WBK) North Park University @ North Central College (2/21/15)

Final Score
NCC 103, NPU 70

Game Summary
It was a slow start for the Cardinals (21-4, 10-4), who couldn't get much going offensively as the  Vikings (13-12, 5-9) jumped out to an early 10-4 lead. North Central worked its way back into the game with three point shooting and some free throws, eventually retaking and trading the advantage before leading by as many as 13 before settling into a 43-34 halftime edge. The threes continued to fall in the second half as the Cardinals built their lead with no North Park answer in sight, eventually seeing the Cardinals lead by as big as the final margin. They got the Big Macs with about a minute and a half to play, marking the 12th time this season they reached the 100-point plateau, which I'm pretty sure is an NCAA record.

Key Stats
Poster given to the seniors yesterday
  • Tess Godhardt (NCC): 11-15 FG, 8-11 FT; 30 pts, 7 reb (5 off), 4 stl. The leading scorer in the CCIW cemented her place there with a phenomenal outing, especially in the second half. She went into intermission with only nine points on 2-6 shooting, largely because she was getting mugged down low with few whistles. She took over in the second half though and helped the Cardinals pull away.
  • Maryssa Cladis (NCC): 3-11 FG (all 3PT), 3-4 FT; 12 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl. Her Senior Night performance was a good one as well, even if her three point shooting wasn't outstanding. Scoring in double figures and adding three triples to her total that ranks second all time in North Central history is no small feat. She had a good overall floor game too.
  • Bobbi Johns (NCC): 0-3 FG (all 3PT), 2-4 FT; 2 pts, 3 reb (2 off), 7 ast, 2 stl. I'll keep up with the senior theme for this post. Bobbi passed up multiple layup opportunities, but she's done a great job this season allowing her driving to open up shots for teammates, and her seven dimes makes it the ninth season of at least 100 assists, and she's the fifth Cardinal ever to reach that mark.
North Central System Watch
  • NPU Turnovers: 30. I thought this might be higher; the officials called traveling a ton last night. At one point early in the game, the two teams had combined for 16 turnovers, then the Cardinals started a long stretch without one. Among these 30 turnovers was a five-second inbounding call, not one that happens too often.
  • NCC 3PT: 13-53 (24.5%). Not the best shooting outing, but certainly nothing to sneeze at. Anita Sterling had another good outing, hitting three of four from beyond the arc, while Maryssa tied for the team lead with three triples.
  • NCC Charges Drawn: 2. They didn't get any in the first half, but picked up a couple late. Jamie Cuny drew the first one (that I actually didn't have a good vantage point for), and then Therese Pettersson drew the other one while she had four fouls. I'll have to run the numbers through again, but I'd bet T won the home side of the charges race, which I continue to maintain needs to be kept as an official statistic.
Around the CCIW
  • Elmhurst 82 (16-9, 9-5), @ Illinois Wesleyan 75 (10-15, 4-10)
  • @ Wheaton 71 (22-3, 12-2), Augustana 35 (9-16, 3-11)
  • @ Millikin 76 (14-11, 5-9), Carthage 59 (15-10, 8-6)
Final Thoughts
This is how you want to go out as a senior. They had a phenomenal game, and with the win, clinched the number two seed in the CCIW Tournament. This was also kind of a bittersweet night, as it's the last game I announce for this year's squad. I had a great moment post game with both Coach Roof and Bobbi Johns with big hugs from both since during any future games I do this year, I have to be neutral per the NCAA.

The CCIW Tournament is this coming weekend, and I'll have a tournament preview coming up early this week with a look at all the participants. I'm just glad the ride isn't over yet. Elmhurst awaits Friday night with their win and Carthage's loss to Millikin, and we have to beware either Carthage or Wheaton on Saturday should they advance. Either way, hopefully an NCAA Tournament bid is also in the cards for this squad. They've earned it.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

North Central and the NCAA Regional Rankings: Week 2 Edition


We're onto the second week of the NCAA releasing regional rankings at the D-III level for both men's and women's basketball. These were supposed to drop yesterday, but technical issues pushed the revealing of the rankings back a day. The men's regional rankings dropped this morning, with the women's side coming a little bit ago.

Last week, things seemed a little brighter for both North Central teams as they approached the end of the regular season. Now, some tough losses have changed the equation a little bit.

I touched on this on Monday in looking at all the CCIW scenarios regarding the tournaments. I won't rehash all of that too much, instead focusing on the changes from last week and what it means for North Central with regards to their chances of getting the proverbial golden ticket.

Monday, February 16, 2015

One More to Play: A CCIW Update

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day/Singles' Awareness Day/whatever you end up celebrating on February 14th! It saw the second to last game on the schedule for every team save Carthage's men's team, who has a random game with IIT coming up on Tuesday. With it, this means we are just a couple weeks away from the CCIW Tournament.

Following those games, I'll do a preview of both conference tournaments because of the involvement I've had with North Central basketball this season, even if NCC doesn't make it (which on one side has some danger to it). We've only seen minor changes to the standings on both sides since the halfway point of CCIW play. Let's take a look at the scenarios.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Game Notes: (MBK) Carthage College @ North Central College (2/11/15)

Final Score
NCC 65, Carthage 61

Game Summary
In a defensive struggle early, the Cardinals (17-6, 7-5) needed a little time to get going as the Red Men (7-15, 3-9) were able to build an early lead. The Cardinals started going inside and took control, leading by as any as seven with five minutes left, but Carthage rallied to take a 27-26 lead into the break. The Red Men maintained that lead for a bit into the second half before the Cardinals took over and opened up a lead as big as nine with about 11 minutes left. Carthage fought back with a barrage of threes and even tied the game at 57, but timely layups and a few free throws put the game away.

Key Stats
  • NCC: 27-30 FT (90%). After last week's women's game where 59 fouls were called, this was much better, with 34. Most importantly, when NCC got to the line, they made the Red Men pay. In tight games like this, you need to make your freebies, and the Cardinals did.
  • Jack Burchett (NCC): 7-11 FG, 12-14 FT; 26 pts, 9 reb (4 off), 3 ast, 3 blk, 2 stl. Burchett set a new career high in scoring, largely thanks to his success at the charity stripe. Free throws have never really been one of Jack's strengths (he's a career 44.6% shooter), but he had a career day in attempts and makes, including getting a very friendly roll on the one that probably put the game away.
  • Mike Kjeldsen (CAR): 3-5 FG (all 3PT), 2-2 FT; 11 pts. Kjeldsen came off the bench in the second half and keyed the Red Men rally with deadly three point shooting. He hit a wide open look from the corner to tie the game with three minutes to go and wouldn't score again. 
Around the CCIW
  • @ e-Wheaton 70 (11-12, 4-8), e-Millikin 67 (8-15, 3-9)
  • x-Augustana 82 (19-4, 9-3), @ x-Illinois Wesleyan 56 (17-6, 9-3)
  • @ x-Elmhurst 89 (18-5, 8-4), North Park 49 (14-9, 5-7)
  • x: Team has clinched a berth in the CCIW Tournament
  • e: Team has been eliminated from CCIW Tournament contention
Final Thoughts
North Central's win eliminated Carthage, Millikin and Wheaton from tournament contention, but Elmhurst's win was key, in that North Park is now two back of the Cardinals with two to play. Either a Cardinal win in Elmhurst or a North Park loss to Wesleyan on Saturday makes the regular season finale mean nothing and gives the Cardinals, who are just two back of the CCIW lead, a berth in the tournament.

This was a fun game, and marks my last Wednesday night tilt of the season. The women (who couldn't overcome an early double digit deficit at Carthage last night, join the men at Elmhurst for a Valentine's Day doubleheader. A week from then, North Park comes calling for Senior Night at NCC, which is always an emotional day.

On Sunday following the penultimate games of the season, I'm going to look at both CCIW tournaments and try to piece together the scenarios, though for the men, it's all but decided. Wednesday I will update the regional rankings from the NCAA and figure out how things look for The Dance.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

North Central and the NCAA Regional Rankings: Week 1 Edition

We're into the heart of February, and with it: nearing March Madness. Even at the lower levels of the NCAA, this is a big time, and Selection Monday coming up in a few weeks is a big deal.

Both Cardinal teams are in the thick of the race in the CCIW, so with that in mind, I want to take a look at both the women's team and the men's team and how their chances at making The Dance look as we approach the end of the regular season. To do this, I'm going to look at their standings in the CCIW as well as the regional rankings, which just came out today.


Thursday, February 5, 2015

Game Notes: (WBK) Augustana College @ North Central College (2/4/15)

Final Score
NCC 105, Augustana 82

Game Summary
After dropping in the rankings to #24 following the bad loss to Wheaton, the Cardinals (19-2, 8-2) struggled to hit shots out of the gate. The Vikings (7-14, 1-9) ended up opening the fray a minute and a half in. The teams traded leads for much of the half before North Central took command thanks to a ton of free throws, and carried a 50-37 lead into the break. The Cardinals started hitting shots in the second half and began pulling away, topping 100 with a few minutes left, but Augie made it closer than it was with some garbage time buckets.

Key Stats
  • Augie: Called for 33 fouls to NCC's 26. This stat was too important to be left as just a footnote. I don't think it was an intentional imbalance, just that the Cardinals got to the basket a ton. Augie had 18 fouls in the first half to NCC's 12. This forced 69 free throws between the two teams (NCC was 29-40, Augie 15-29). The first half was so whistle-happy that the refs even asked how many they'd called when they came to the table at halftime.
  • Tess Godhardt (NCC): 9-15 FG, 9-11 FT; 27 pts, 8 reb (5 off), 3 stl. The CCIW's second leading scorer had a great game. Tess got several open looks at layups and probably had four or five "and-1's" to lead all scorers while doing a nice job on the glass.
  • Marissa Pezzopane (AUG): 13-23 FG, 1-2 FT; 27 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl. The conference's third leading scorer played well, getting plenty of open looks from The System, but she was limited by foul trouble. She had three in the first half and actually started the second half on the bench, playing only 22 minutes.
North Central System Watch
  • Augie Turnovers: 26. This number seems a little low, but all the fouls didn't help. Even so, they had issues taking care of the ball as a whopping 18 of the turnovers came on Cardinal steals, with Godhardt and Maryssa Cladis each notching three to lead the way while five others had two. The Cardinals also drew a ten second call, something they haven't done a ton of this year.
  • NCC 3PT: 10-49 (20.4%). Overall... not the best day, but it stemmed from an ice cold start. It took almost ten minutes before Cladis finally hit one. They finished 2-23 in the first half before regressing to the mean in the second half.
  • NCC Charges Drawn: 1. Anita Sterling was at it again, picking one up fairly early in the game. I'm not sure who leads the team, but she's up there.
Around the CCIW
  • @ Illinois Wesleyan 83 (9-12, 3-7), Millikin 76 (13-8, 4-6),
  • @ x-Wheaton 63 (19-2, 9-1), North Park 48 (12-9, 4-6)
  • @ Elmhurst 64 (13-8, 6-4), Carthage 58 (12-9, 5-5)
  • x- Team has clinched a berth in the CCIW Tournament
Final Thoughts
I'm sad; this is the second to last home game of the year for this team, barring Wheaton falling off a cliff in the last four games or the NCAA granting North Central the right to host the first and second rounds of the tournament. Getting to be involved with this team has been a great blessing, and this season is one I'll remember for a long time.

With this win and losses by Millikin and North Park, the Cardinals have all but locked up a bid to the CCIW Tournament, as kooky tiebreaker nonsense could wipe them out if they lose out. With either a win or a North Park loss (since the Cardinals hold the tiebreaker over Millikin), NCC is in for the second time in three years, and makes this season a resounding success no matter what happens.

The Cardinals face a tough stretch in the next couple weeks as, to quote Coach Roof before I left last night, "We have to do this on our own now!" Three straight road games await, beginning with Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday. Coach Roof said she wants to take at least two of those road games, something that's reasonable, but tough, given the nature of the Gauntlet.

Next week we'll have one final Wednesday home game as the men take on Carthage. Meanwhile, the first regional ranking should drop, and I'll analyze that as well. Good luck Cardinals on your trip to Bloomington on Saturday!

Monday, February 2, 2015

Thoughts From Super Sunday

Photo by Matt Slocum (AP)
Super Sunday delivered once again. We had a great game with some spectacular plays, and a phenomenal finish. Congratulations to the New England Patriots on their fourth quarter comeback and fourth Super Bowl title.

In the midst of all the chaos, I wanted to do a rundown of the best and worst of Super Sunday. I had the day off of work because of the North Central-Wheaton doubleheader on Saturday, though given the giant snowfall we had in Chicago, I wouldn't have made it in anyway. I got to prep for the game, watch it in its entirety, and got to spend the whole day with my wonderful wife and our two cats. So below, here are the best and worst moments from yesterday.


Sunday, February 1, 2015

Game Notes: (MBK) Wheaton College @ North Central College (1/31/15)

Final Score
NCC 63, Wheaton 62

Game Summary
In a very back-and-forth game, the Cardinals (15-5, 5-4) weren't able to establish much in the way of control, but the Thunder (9-11, 2-7) couldn't take advantage of it, as the teams tied six times and traded the lead seven other times in the first ten minutes. The Cardinals finally took over a little bit, and carried a 35-30 lead into the break despite guard Jayme Moten leaving late in the half with an injury. The Cardinals pushed the lead to 48-39, but couldn't make it double digits as Wheaton started to catch fire and took advantage of foul trouble on Charles Rosenberg. Wheaton retook the lead at 52-51 with about eight minutes to go, but the Cardinals wouldn't go away. A Thunder three during a 59-all tie gave them a three point lead, but they wouldn't score again, and the Cardinals took advantage of a layup, missed Wheaton free throws, and a wide open look with just 12 seconds left to steal a win on home court.

Key Stats
  • Erwin Henry (NCC): 7-13 FG (1-1 3PT), 2-4 FT; 17 pts, 5 reb (3 off), 1 ast. Erwin was the hero last night. He was able to get to the basket multiple times, but more impressively, was able to hit some key jumpers at critical moments, none bigger than late. Following a missed front end of a Wheaton one-and-one, Henry found himself wide open under the basket on a great feed from Jack Burchett and put it home to win the game.
  • NCC: Outscored Wheaton in the paint 34-10. When you consider that Wheaton ran a very good 2-3 zone, this is kind of amazing. This becomes even more amazing when you see that Burchett and Rosenberg only had eight points each. It's a credit to guys like Henry being able to penetrate and get to the basket.
  • Joel Smith (WTN): 8-11 FG (3-5 3PT), 5-5 FT; 24 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk. Smith was nearly the hero for the Thunder. He was hitting just about everything again, including a go-ahead three with about two minutes left to make it 62-59. He was pumped after that, and rightfully so.
Around the CCIW
  • @ Elmhurst 88 (16-4, 6-3), Millikin 72 (8-12, 3-6)
  • @ North Park 76 (12-8, 3-6), Augustana 69 (17-3, 7-2)
  • Illinois Wesleyan 77 (15-5, 7-2), @ Carthage 65 (7-12, 3-6)
Final Thoughts

Wow. Despite the inclement weather today, lots of fans made the trip out to Merner last night, and they were rewarded with a fantastic game. I got to talk to assistant coach and former Cardinal player Aaron Tiknis after the game, and he was very happy, saying that "We needed that one." He's absolutely right. After dropping two in a row and four of their last five, this was a much needed win. The Augustana loss was also huge, as it narrows the gap at the top of the conference. North Central is back within two games, and with Carthage and Millikin both losing, the Cardinals are two games up on both for the fourth and final spot in the CCIW Tournament.

Things get incredibly difficult this next week for the Cardinals, however. They head to Rock Island to face Augustana on Wednesday before making the trip down to Bloomington to take on Illinois Wesleyan. If the Cardinals can split those games, they'll be in good shape for the stretch run.

Game Notes: (WBK) Wheaton College @ North Central College (1/31/15)

Final Score
Wheaton 109, NCC 60

Game Summary
In the biggest women's game at Merner in 30 years, the Thunder (17-2, 7-1) came out rolling. The Cardinals (18-1, 7-1) couldn't get much going on offense, but managed to make it as close as a 15-9 deficit in the first half before Wheaton went on a 22-7 run to open up a 20 point lead. The Cardinals got some offense going, but trailed 62-31 at the break. The second half went much the same way, as the Cardinals weren't able to bridge the gap. Wheaton slowly called off the dogs as the game concluded.

Key Stats
  • Wheaton: 27-46 FG (7-12 3PT) in the first half. That's... That's just incredible. There were plenty of layups to be had, but for several minutes, every jumper was falling for the Thunder. They regressed to the mean somewhat in the second half, but still. Hannah Considine finished with 26 points on 12-19 shooting, Moriah Reeves hit ten of her 13 shots (both layups and jumpers), and Chantal Meachem hit six of her nine threes for 18 points.
  • Wheaton: Outrebounded NCC 69-36 (Led in offensive rebounds 25-14). That'll do it too. It was really bad at halftime; NCC was getting outrebounded 33-10, and Wheaton had 14 offensive boards. You won't win that way. Considine finished with 15 rebounds, including 9 on the offensive glass.
  • Corrine Rowe (NCC): 5-11 FG (2-7 3PT); 12 pts, 2 reb (1 off), 3 ast. Rowe probably had the best night out of anyone in terms of getting to the basket and scoring, tying for the team lead with Tess Godhardt, who went 6-10 from the field.
North Central System Watch
  • Wheaton Turnovers: 18. They actually tied NCC in this department, throwing a few passes away, but ultimately doing well against the press. The Cardinals only had five steals in the game, with nobody notching more than one.
  • NCC 3PT: 6-44 (13.6%). The six makes are a season low, and makes it two games in a row of sub-20 percent shooting from out there. Rowe was the only one with multiple makes, and several players went 0-3 or 0-4 from outside.
  • NCC Charges Drawn: 6. Bobbi Johns drew a pair early in the first half, Anita Sterling drew two in the second half, and Tess Godhardt and Therese Pettersson drew one apiece. Pettersson's (if memory serves) was an iffy one that we got away with, but it was the one area the Cardinals excelled in.
Around the CCIW
  • @ Elmhurst 72 (12-8, 5-4), Millikin 49 (13-7, 4-5)
  • @ North Park 66 (12-8, 4-5), Augustana 44 (7-13, 1-8)
  • @ Carthage 68 (12-8, 5-4), Illinois Wesleyan 57 (8-12, 2-7)
Final Thoughts
Not gonna lie... this one hurt. I was talking to Lauren Hernandez before the game, and she said they were ready. I think they were, but Wheaton was ready as well. It makes the 14 point loss at Wheaton look more like an aberration than a sign of the tide of the CCIW turning. That said, Wheaton's game last night was about as perfectly played as possible. There really wasn't much the Cardinals could have done about it.

Big picture-wise, this loss likely means that Wheaton will end up hosting the CCIW Tournament on the 27th and 28th. The Thunder are up a game in the CCIW standings, and clinched the tiebreaker with the Cardinals, effectively making it a two-game lead. As for the national rankings, Wheaton will surely move up, while the Cardinals will probably drop a few spots for losing by this much.

I'm sure the Cardinals will be fine overall; it's just one game. They get the last place Augustana Vikings at Merner on Wednesday to try and right the ship.