Final Score
NCC 84, UW-Oshkosh 82 (OT)
Game Summary
In an outstanding game worthy of being played in a later round, the Cardinals (23-5) scored the game's first basket and held some early leads in a back and forth affair, settling for their biggest advantage at 18-15 about nine minutes in. But the Titans (20-9) seemingly grabbed firm control over the next five minutes with a 15-0 run. They would lead by as many as 15 at 40-25 with 3:52 to go, but the Cardinals fought back, getting within seven, but no closer as the Titans took a 46-35 lead into the locker room. A strong early start to the second half for the Cardinals cut it back to seven, but the Titans kept getting clutch baskets and pushed the lead back as high as 13 as late as 10:43 to play. But then the Cardinals made their move, using a 10-0 run to make it a one possession game, but a Class B technical for a flop helped the Titans push it back to six moments later. Still, they couldn't put the Cardinals away, and North Central finally tied it up at 67-all with just under three minutes to play, and a minute later the Cardinals got their first lead since the first half with a huge three. Back to back Titan layups gave them a one point lead with just under a minute to go, but the Cardinals answered from distance again to go up two with 15 seconds left. Oshkosh would get a putback with just two seconds left to tie it. A last second deep three was blocked, forcing overtime. The Cardinals more or less controlled the extra session, building their biggest lead at 82-77 with just under two minutes to go. But the Titans fought back, tying the game with 43 seconds left and seemingly giving themselves the advantage. But the Cardinals got an offensive rebound on their go-ahead attempt with under 20 seconds to go, giving them a second chance with the shot clock off, and after a timeout, drew up the perfect play for a beautiful back door cut for the go-ahead layup with 3.2 to play. Oshkosh's inbounds pass was not cleanly handled, and the Cardinals escaped to the Sweet Sixteen.
Key Players
- Blaise Meredith (NCC): 8-20 FG (3-7 3PT), 4-6 FT; 23 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl. On a night where Connor Raridon and Matt Cappelletti were limited by foul trouble, someone needed to take over for the Cardinals... and Blaise stepped up big time. He had 10 in the first half, came up with 11 big ones, including two as part of the 10-0 run, and he hit the three that gave the Cardinals their first lead of the second half. He also scored the first points of the extra session to keep the Cardinals' momentum going. All in all, maybe his best game of the year.
- Mike Pollack (NCC): 6-8 FG (5-6 3PT); 17 pts, 4 reb (2 off). After a quiet first round game against Adrian, the Cardinals needed somebody else to step up on the offensive end... and Pollack, who in three years has built an illustrious history of big shots, came through. He hit two threes as part of the 10-0 run to get the Cardinals back into it, hit a third after the Class B technical, and added a fourth to cut the deficit to two with about four and a half to play. But he saved the best for overtime: his three after an Oshkosh offensive foul gave the Cardinals that five point lead, and on the final play of the game, he cut back door of a good Matt Cappelletti screen, and had a wide open layup that won the game for the Cardinals. Big Shot Mike strikes again.
- Jack Flynn (UWO): 10-20 FG, 3-3 FT; 23 pts, 10 reb (6 off), 2 ast, 2 blk. After serving as a dominant force down low on Friday in their win over Transylvania, Flynn looked like the key to the Titans making it back to the Sweet 16. Especially as the game went on, Oshkosh repeatedly fed Flynn down on the left block, with Will Clausel being tasked with slowing him down. Flynn got his... but he had to work hard for it, though his rebounding was a big reason why the Titans were able to build that lead in the first place.
Key Stats
- NCC: 12-24 3PT (50.0%). That's an absurd number. The Cardinals shot fairly well from deep in the first half (5-12, 41.7%), but went bonkers in the second half (6-10, 60.0%) and split their pair in the extra session. When you're hot... good things tend to happen.
- UWO: Outscored NCC in the paint 52-32. When you have an edge on the glass (41-36 Oshkosh) and outscore your opponent by 20... you're going to win a ton of ballgames. Flynn was a monster, but Levi Borchert hit a few big shots through fouls, and guys like Adam Fravert were able to get to the bucket as well. It just wasn't quite enough tonight.
NCAA Tournament Scoreboard Watch
- CCIW Teams
- Elmhurst 84 (25-5), Grove City 66 (21-9)
- Elmhurst retains possession of The BeltTM
- Nebraska Wesleyan Pod- Sweet 16 Opponent
- Washington University 79 (22-5), Nebraska Wesleyan 58 (25-4)
Final Thoughts
I'm still absolutely wired two hours after witnessing the end of this. It was pretty hard to stay neutral as per NCAA rules... but I did. They can't stop me from fighting back tears as this one came down to the wire, though.
I was nervous driving to the game, and wasn't feeling great at halftime. But I talked myself into hoping, and this team rewarded me by refusing to give up, clawing their way back, and not getting down when the Titans made plays to try and hang on in this one. I was more worried when Connor Raridon picked up his fifth foul fairly early in overtime that that would be his final college basketball moment. But he said after the game, "We found a way," and that his teammates picked him up... and pick him up they absolutely did. It was a joyous atmosphere at Gregory Arena after the final buzzer, with some of the student section (who did make it back from Spring Break to catch this one) coming out on the floor to celebrate. I took a ton of pictures of the guys cutting down the nets, with every player on the roster (JV included) getting in on the action, and the coaches getting to cut it down at the other end of the floor. Tommy Koth did most of the work getting the second one down... but was super gracious in the aftermath.
As noted above, WashU clobbered Nebraska Wesleyan to also advance to the Sweet 16. That result, given the Central region rankings, means that, barring some shenanigans on the part of the NCAA, North Central will get to stay in Naperville next weekend as the Bears make the trip up from St. Louis. It will be only the one game next weekend, with four games of the round played Friday and four more on Saturday, the NCC-WashU game included. Confirmation of the host site, along with a start time, will probably come early in the week.
I'm thrilled to get one more. And given that the Cardinals came back from down 15 against the defending national champions... anything can happen, right? A win next weekend sends the Cardinals to Fort Wayne, usually the site of the Final Four and championship, but this year the site for the Elite Eight and Final Four, as the title game will take place in Atlanta alongside the D-I and D-II title games. I don't want to say book your tickets yet... but at least keep your calendars clear.
