Game Notes: (MBK) Augustana College @ North Central College (2/3/16)

Final Score

Augustana 86, NCC 78

Game Summary
In the biggest game of the season with revenge on their minds, the Cardinals (15-6, 8-2) started okay out of the gate, getting the opening bucket six seconds in. The Vikings (20-1, 9-1) were able to bounce back quickly however and turn the game into a battle of attrition. The Cardinals took an 18-12 lead early and seemed to be in control before the Vikings stormed back. Augie would lead by as many as nine points late in the half, but a Cardinal surge got North Central back within three by halftime with a 37-34 score. The Cardinals struggled early in the frame as Augie rebuilt its lead to as big as 12 points. After a couple timeouts to stop the bleeding, the Cardinals went to work and used a 12-4 run to eventually cut Augie's lead to one at 62-61, but the senior Vikings stepped up their game and turned the contest into one of trading buckets and the Cardinals got no closer than within two in the final minutes, missing multiples looks from three in a tough loss.

Key Stats

• Hunter Hill (AUG): 9-13 FG (5-8 3PT), 2-3 FT; 25 pts, 5 reb (1 off), 2 ast, 1 stl. Hill is one of Augie's top two scorers and came into last night shooting 43.5 percent from beyond the arc. All five of his threes came at huge moments of the game, including one to put Augie up nine in the first half. He came through most at the end after the Cardinals pulled within one. He passed the ball on the perimeter, then circled through the lane to the corner, the Cardinals lost track of him... and he buried a wide open three. Very next possession after a Cardinal basket, Hill passed off on the perimeter, circled through the lane to the opposite corner, again the Cardinals left him alone... and again he buried a wide open three. Absolutely inexcusable defense, but credit to Hill. Dude is a great shooter with a phenomenal sense for the moment.
• Ben Ryan (AUG): 9-15 FG (0-1 3PT), 3-4 FT; 21 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast. Ryan is Augie's best offensive post player, and he was a killer inside. Connor Raridon was on him for significant chunks of the game and Ryan was able to take advantage both in the post as well as in the midrange game. One of the fans who sits directly behind the scorers' table said it best post game: these were the two guys you had to stop, and you couldn't.
• Jagger Anderson (NCC): 8-15 FG (0-3 3PT), 3-8 FT; 19 pts, 4 reb (3 off), 3 ast, 1 stl. Jagger looked really good last night, even against a stout Viking defense. When he was able to get one on one or in transition, he was unguardable. He hit a couple of absolutely ridiculous layups and got to the line for a couple and-ones. However, his shooting line was representative of the night for the Cardinals.
• NCC: 5-28 3PT (17.9%), 7-15 FT (46.7%). I'm adding a fourth key stat for this game because those two percentages are crucial to what happened in the game. The Cardinals had a ton of open looks from three, but started the game 0-10 or so from outside and missed a ton at the end. Going into the game the Cardinals shot 36 percent from beyond the arc, and failed to reach even half of that. On an average night, a few of those open look misses fall, and we're talking about a different result. The free throw thug I've mentioned a couple times as this team's biggest weakness, and it definitely hurt last night. You can't miss your freebies against a team like Augie. You just can't.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ Elmhurst 96 (18-3, 8-2), Carthage 70 (8-13, 2-8)
• North Park 74 (14-7, 6-4), @ Wheaton 61 (5-16, 1-9)
• Millikin 61 (7-14, 1-9), @ Illinois Wesleyan 59 (11-10, 5-5)

Grey Giovanine Jacket Watch
My good friend Geoffrey Clark insisted I do this segment for every opposing CCIW coach, but it is Augustana's coach who truly inspired its birth. By all accounts, Grey Giovanine is the nicest guy you could ever meet, but get him coaching a basketball game and he can get pretty hot. I've always noticed working Augie games that his jacket tends to come off very quickly. It was on for most of the first half in the meeting in Rock Island, but that was a fluky game. Last night, Giovanine's jacket came off at the 14:01 mark of the first half, much to the delight of not only me, but some of ye fans who sit directly behind me.

Final Thoughts

I said going into the game that there was no way in hell the Cardinals would start the game 1-26 from the field again. That game in Rock Island was a credit to just how good Augustana is, but the Cardinals missed a ton of shots early that they normally make in that game. A similar thing happened last night from beyond the arc. A couple more hits makes this a different ballgame.

At the end of the day though, this game was all about the mental side and execution. The Cardinal offense was, to be blunt, very bad in terms of ball movement and shot clock management, and the lapses on defense to leave Hunter Hill wide open on back to back possessions late after he's already burned you multiple times is indefensible. Even so, the Cardinals hung with this Augie team to the bitter end. That has to count for something.

Big picture-wise, this game had far-reaching implications. The win by North Park, losses by Carthage and Wheaton, and 0-9 start in conference by Millikin means that the latter three teams have all been eliminated from CCIW Tournament contention. That leaves five teams fighting for four spots, with Augustana just needing one more win to lock up a berth in the tournament. The Cardinals are in a tie for second, but currently hold the head to head tiebreaker over Elmhurst, and North Park is two games back in fourth place with a one game lead on Illinois Wesleyan for the final spot. Effectively for North Central though, the Cardinals are two games back of Augustana with three to play because the head to head tiebreaker rests firmly with the Vikings. This means that the Cardinals probably only have one home game left this season, and the CCIW Tournament will not be held at Gregory Arena, which also lessens the chances of North Central hosting the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

This makes the final four games for North Central all the more crucial. It begins on Saturday with Senior Night against Illinois Wesleyan, who I'm sure is coming to Merner with revenge on their minds. The Cardinals can clinch a berth in the CCIW Tournament with a win though, and the schedule doesn't get any easier after Saturday, with three straight road games to close it out, including a trip to Elmhurst. Hopefully the Cardinals have short memories and can bounce back on Saturday.