Game Notes: (WBK) Millikin University @ North Central College (1/29/25)

Final Score
Millikin 76, NCC 69

Game Summary
It seemed early on like we would be in for a good night as the Cardinals (7-12, 3-7) got some early takeaways off their press and jumped out to a 12-0 lead. But the Big Blue (7-12, 6-4) hit a bunch of threes to keep themselves in the contest, though they would trail 25-18 after one. The Cardinals kept it up in the second quarter and even pushed ahead a little bit for a 40-29 intermission lead. Things seemed in hand as with 6:44 left in the third NCC took its biggest lead of the contest at 48-31. And then it all went to hell. Millikin slowly chipped away, getting it back to single digits with about two minutes to go and cut it to five by the end of the third. The Big Blue needed just a minute to tie the game in the fourth and took their first lead just over a minute later. All told an extended 22-2 run by Millikin decided the game as the Cardinals choked this one away.

Key Players

• Nikkel Johnson (MIL): 9-17 FG, 6-7 FT; 24 pts, 7 reb (3 off), 1 ast, 1 stl. The freshman has missed some time so far this season, but had easily the best game of her young career as she just destroyed the Cardinals' interior defense in the second half. 10 of her 24 came in the second half, including three straight layups on consecutive fourth quarter possessions that more or less salted the game away for the Big Blue. She could be a major problem for CCIW foes in the coming years.
• Bella Dudley (MIL): 8-10 FG (2-2 3PT), 1-3 FT; 19 pts, 5 reb (2 off), 1 ast, 1 stl. Dudley also came off the bench for the Big Blue and was another offensive spark for this team. One of her two threes came immediately in the fourth quarter to cut it to a two point game, but she was also able to easily get to the basket a few times in this one.
• Biz Daly (NCC): 8-12 FG, 3-4 FT; 19 pts, 6 reb (4 off), 1 ast. This is probably the lone bright spot from a rough outing. I've chronicled the struggles the past two games for Daly, but she got into a rhythm early and had a nice bounceback game in this one. She did run into some foul trouble, which might not have helped, but hopefully this was a good confidence builder going into the home stretch.

Key Stats

• NCC: 4-17 FG in the 4th quarter (23.5%). Yeah. From that aforementioned 6:44 mark in the third quarter onward, the Cardinals missed a total of ten layups. Twelve, if you count the pair of missed tip in attempts. Granting that there were some offensive rebounds mixed in there, that's still probably 16-20 points left on the floor in a game you lost by seven. You do the math.
• MIL: 7-14 3PT (50.0%). I mentioned in the summary that their three point shooting kept them in the game early. The Big Blue went 4-5 in the opening quarter to keep from getting their doors blown off, and actually started 5-6 in the game counting Dudley's three early in the second. I'd almost forgotten about the hot start as they missed their next five tries, but the couple hits early in the fourth as part of the aforementioned 22-2 run really swung the momentum.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ ELM 80 (12-6, 4-6), AUG 71 (7-12, 3-7)
• WHE 56 (10-9, 5-5), @ NPU 50 (3-16, 0-10)
• @ CRL 80 (13-5, 8-1), CAR 53 (14-5, 6-4)
• BYE: IWU (18-0, 9-0)
  
• MBK: NCC 65 (11-8, 4-6), @ MIL 56 (10-9, 4-6)

Final Thoughts

In a season that has turned frustrating since the calendar flipped to 2025, last night was a new low. Coach McCloskey-Bax mentioned offhand towards the end that they'd spent much of a practice working on layups leading up to this game... and you can see how that went here. It's a devastating loss that puts the Cardinals in the bottom third of the league standings with time running out. NCC is a game back of Elmhurst for the sixth and final spot in the conference tournament, and with the split there we'd have to go through the tiebreaker list to figure out who would get that spot.

Ultimately though the Cardinals have to regroup, as they now find themselves facing an absolute must-win game on Saturday as they head to Rock Island to take on Augustana. The Vikings and Cardinals are tied for seventh in the league standings, with the Cardinals winning the first matchup in Naperville back in December. A sweep would put the Cardinals likely clear of them, but needing to steal another couple games if they want a chance to sneak into the postseason.

Game Notes: (MBK) Elmhurst University @ North Central College (1/25/25)

Final Score
Elmhurst 77, NCC 73 (OT)

Game Summary
In another heartbreaker, the Cardinals (10-8, 3-6) got off to a good start, scoring on the game's first possession and using a 10-0 to flip a five point margin early on to keep the game in their control. Elmhurst stuck around though, not letting it get beyond that five point deficit before coming back, though NCC would lead 30-29 going into halftime. The second half saw the Cardinals go up by a game-high eight early, and after a layup gave the Cardinals a 45-39 edge, the Jays countered with a 9-0 run to go up three. Naturally, the Cardinals responded with a 9-0 run of their own to retake that lead. It would be short-lived though, as Elmhurst scored the next seven, and a quick Cardinal three to regrab the lead was answered. The teams traded two point possessions a bit, but 40 minutes would not be enough on this night as we went to overtime. Early Cardinal baskets were quickly answered, and the Jays went up four with about two minutes to go. But the Cardinals found a way to tie the game at 73 with just 13 seconds to go. Unfortunately, Vinnie Adjahoungbeta was able to work his way free on the right side and got a floater to go with 2.8 seconds to go, and Ethan Helwig's baseball pass down the court went harmlessly out of bounds to allow the Blue Jays to escape with the win.

Key Players

• Dominic Trelenberg (ELM): 6-14 FG (1-3 3PT), 7-8 FT; 20 pts, 8 reb (4 off), 3 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl. Trelenberg had the best outing of the Jays in this one, as he was able to get to the basket enough in this one despite a decent Cardinal defensive effort. He scored six of his points in the extra session, four off free throws, assisted on the three that put the Jays up four, and got a layup that made it 73-71.
• Vinnie Adjahoungbeta (ELM): 4-10 FG (0-1 3PT), 2-3 FT; 10 pts, 11 reb (4 off), 2 ast, 1 stl. In 30 minutes off the bench, Adjahoungbeta was able to wreak a ton of havoc on the glass, and then hit what proved to be the game-winner in the closing seconds.
• Alejandro Diaz (NCC): 7-11 FG (3-7 3PT), 2-4 FT; 19 pts, 4 reb (1 off), 1 ast, 2 stl. As the leading scorer, Diaz was a big reason why the Cardinals stayed in this game, though it could be argued he's fortunate he was. Diaz picked up his second foul fairly early in the first half, then got his third before Vince Kmiec could get him out. Diaz would not pick up another, which worked out as he hit some big shots, especially in the second half.

Key Stats

• NCC: 7-12 FG (58.3%). This undersells how bad this was. In regulation the Cardinals were just 3-8 from the stripe. All but one of those shots came in the second half, with the misses all coming off either and-ones (though one would result in a second chance layup) or on the front end of one-and-one's. If even one of those free throws falls, we're talking about a completely different game.
• ELM: Outscored NCC on second chances 22-6. Honestly, this was more so the game. Elmhurst won the rebounding battle 43-35, which is significant, but maybe not 16 points significant. But it was the 16 Blue Jay offensive rebounds to eight for North Central, and that more or less sums up how this game went.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ CAR 77 (14-4, 8-1), AUG 69 (10-8, 3-6)
• NPU 69 (13-5, 8-1), @ MIL 61 (10-8, 4-5)
• @ IWU 90 (16-2, 8-1), WHE 68 (3-15, 0-9)
• BYE: CRL (6-11, 2-6)

Final Thoughts

This one hurt. The Wheaton game feels like an eternity ago, and since then the Cardinals have dropped four straight. All six of their CCIW losses are to teams ahead of them, with wins against the teams they're grouped with. If the season ended today the Cardinals would sneak into that sixth seed by virtue of the head to head win over Augie, but that's from even longer ago. I wasn't sure what the ceiling of this team was coming into the season, and I got excited early on that this team could be sneaky good. But at this point, they seem like a middle of the pack CCIW team. They need to get things figured out if they want to make the CCIW Tournament, but it won't be easy with a trip to Millikin on the docket next.

Game Notes: (WBK) Elmhurst University @ North Central College (1/25/25)

Final Score
Elmhurst 69, NCC 65

Game Summary
The Blue Jays (11-6, 3-6) opened the game on an 8-2 run to take the early control, though the Cardinals (7-11, 3-6) did a good job answering back, taking a 15-12 lead after one quarter. They'd push the lead as high as five, but couldn't sustain it and a late bucket gave the Jays a 30-28 halftime lead. Elmhurst pushed their lead up to seven midway through the third quarter, but the Cardinals followed that with an 11-2 run to retake the lead, though Elmhurst would tie it at 50 to end the third. The fourth quarter was largely back and forth, though the Jays held the advantage for most of it. The key stretch came with under a minute to go when a Jocelyn Trotter three tied the game at 63 with 35 seconds to go. Unfortunately, Elmhurst easily broke the Cardinal press for a layup, and the Cardinals never truly threatened again.

Key Players

• Cierra Steemer (ELM): 9-20 FG, 1-2 FT; 19 pts, 17 reb (8 off), 1 ast, 3 blk. The Cardinals did a decent job on Steemer, though she absolutely got hers throughout the game. She made what turned out to be the game-winning layup for the Jays with 28 seconds to go and absolutely dominated the glass.
• Kristin Bukata (ELM): 4-15 FG (0-2 3PT), 7-8 FT; 15 pts, 4 reb (1 off), 5 ast, 1 stl. Bukata is sneaky good. She struggled shooting on the whole, yet finished as the second leading scorer for the Jays and seemed like she scored in some key situations for them.
• Jocelyn Trotter (NCC): 9-11 FG (1-1 3PT), 2-2 FT; 21 pts, 10 reb (4, off), 1 ast, 2 blk, 3 stl. This seems like your typical Jocelyn Trotter game. It's her second straight double-double and third since returning from injury earlier this season. Most of her baskets were her bread and butter pull up jumpers, and she also hit that big three that tied the game at 63. It just wasn't enough today.

Key Stats

• NCC: 8-14 FT (57.1%). For the season, the Cardinals have been around 70 percent from the stripe, so this was an alarming game. They also only shot from the stripe in the second and third quarters, with none in the starting or ending stanzas. Elmhurst, for its part, hit at that 70 percent clip.
• ELM: 18 fast break points. The Cardinal pressure defense did do its part, but the Jays seemed like they had a pretty good grip on it. They were able to run the floor a decent amount and get some easy baskets. None more so than easily breaking the press of Trotter's game-tying three, and going tic-tac-toe to find Steemer for that game-winning layup.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ CAR 61 (14-4, 6-3), AUG 52 (7-11, 3-6)
• @ MIL 72 (6-12, 5-4), NPU 61 (3-15, 0-9)
• @ IWU 93 (18-0, 9-0), WHE 57 (9-9, 4-5)
• BYE: CRL (12-5, 7-1)

Final Thoughts

It has just been heartbreak after heartbreak with this team. After starting CCIW play 2-1, the Cardinals have dropped five of their last six. This also continues an infuriating pattern when playing the other DuPage County bird team: each of the last three seasons the Cardinals have won relatively easily in the first meeting of each season at Elmhurst (including a 20 point victory earlier this season) only to blow it at home on the return trip.

It was another rough game for Biz Daly as well, as she only went 1-10 from the field. Credit to Steemer for defense, but I also wonder a bit of Daly is starting to force it after the Carthage game. Hopefully she'll be able to find her form again soon.

It's getting late early for this Cardinal team; while they still find themselves in the hunt for a CCIW Tournament bid, a loss to a team they'd already beaten once hurts, and they remain in a tie for that final spot with this Blue Jay team who they now have a split with (which means they'll need a separate tiebreaker) and an Augustana team who they do have a win against already. It likely means they'll need to steal one against somebody above them the rest of the way, though they'll have a chance to do that when Millikin comes calling on Wednesday.

Game Notes: (WBK) Carthage College @ North Central College (1/22/25)

Final Score
Carthage 63, NCC 60 (OT)

Game Summary
We had a fun one early as the Cardinals (7-10, 3-5) got the scoring going early, overcoming an early small deficit and leading 24-16 after one quarter. The Firebirds (13-4, 5-3) trimmed the lead a couple times in the second quarter, but the scoring slowed down a ton as the Cardinals took a 35-26 lead to the locker room. NCC scored the first four of the second half to push their lead to a game-high 13, but Carthage fought back, using back to back threes at one point to cut the deficit to three. The Cardinals pushed the lead back to six by the end of the third but went cold to start the fourth, not getting their first field goal until the halfway point of the stanza. Despite that, the Cardinals held onto a four point lead with three minutes to go, but couldn't hold it as a pair of Marianna Morrissey layups tied the game at 56. Carthage had the first shot to win in regulation, but Grace Keiffer swiped the ball with just under five seconds left and the Cardinals called timeout to advance the ball. Josylin Simmons-Doxie's drive did not fall, and we got free basketball in Naperville. It took over two minutes in overtime before the Firebirds opened the scoring. The Cardinals answered a minute later, but the Firebirds retook the lead on the ensuing possession. Keiffer hit a pair of free throws with 21 seconds left to tie the game again, but Alyssa Orozco hit a corner three with 4.6 ticks left, and Keiffer's desperation three to force a second overtime was blocked to end the contest.

Key Players

• Marianna Morrissey (CAR): 6-13 FG (0-1 3PT), 3-4 FT; 15 pts, 7 reb (1 off), 4 ast, 2 stl. Morrissey had a strong first half, scoring nine on 4-7 shooting before going quiet for most of the second half. But her two quick layups late in regulation forced the extra session. She coughed the ball up a lot (six turnovers), but made up for it with some clutch play late.
• Megan McClure (NCC): 5-9 FG (1-2 3PT); 11 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 4 stl. It's been a bit of an up and down year for the fifth-year, but McClure had a solid game in this one. She hit a midrange jumper early in the game, but it didn't really set the tone. She was able to also get free for a couple easy layups, and she played very good defense on the interior (and she was rewarded with the couple blocks and team-high in steals). It just wasn't enough on this night.
• Biz Daly (NCC): 3-15 FG; 6 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl. I was high on Biz Daly at the beginning of the season, and she's definitely improved from her freshman year. But this was a rough outing for the sophomore. The Cardinals kept feeding her down low, but she just could not buy a layup the entire night. One of her three makes was a baseline jumper, and as the game went on she stopped backing opponents down and started trying turnarounds, just to get something to fall. Unfortunately for most of the night, it didn't.

Key Stats

• NCC: 22-66 FG (33.3%). This isn't a great line, but when you break it down it gets worse. The Cardinals were hot out of the gates, shooting 11-16 in the opening quarter. For those of you keeping track at home, that means they went 11-50 the rest of the game. This is a streaky team, and I even said at the table that I didn't think the first quarter was necessarily sustainable, but they just went absolutely cold at the worst possible time.
• CAR: 23 turnovers. If it weren't for the fact that the Cardinals couldn't buy a basket for most of the night, this would have been a fairly comfortable Cardinal win. Carthage tried a trap defense for chunks of the first half before going away from it due to lack of results. Meanwhile on the other end, 13 steals contributed a majority of the above, plus a few travels and a ten second call that ultimately led to 21 Cardinal points. Cashing in more would have flipped the result, but Carthage won the second chance point battle 13-6 after a +18 rebounding margin.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• WHE 64 (9-8, 4-4), @ AUG 62 (7-10, 3-5)
• @ CRL 73 (12-5, 7-1), ELM 71 (10-6, 2-6)
• IWU 81 (17-0, 8-0), @ MIL 60 (5-12, 4-4)
• BYE: NPU (3-14, 0-8)
• MBK: NCC bye (10-7, 3-5)

Final Thoughts

This one hurt. I had to go up to Alyssa Orozco postgame and congratulate her on her game-winner, because that's all you can do. But in a game that the Cardinals led for a majority of the contest, they just couldn't finish it off.

At the halfway point, the CCIW has a fairly clear set of tiers. Illinois Wesleyan is by itself, unbeaten and ranked second in the nation, with Carroll a tier below. Then there's a decent sized cluster with Carthage a game up on third place, and the Cardinals in a tie for the final spot, a game back of Millikin and Wheaton. The standings more or less make sense for the Cardinals, as they've lost to all the teams above them and beaten everyone even with them or below. Two of their conference wins came on the road, so they'll get the rematch in the comforts of home, plus additional home contests against Millikin and Illinois Wesleyan yet to go. They'll have a shot at the conference tournament still, but they'll need to go on an absolute heater if they want to live up to their preseason ranking.

Elmhurst comes calling this weekend for a matinee tipoff.

Game Notes: (WBK) Wheaton College @ North Central College

Final Score
Wheaton 66, NCC 52

Game Summary
This one started okay as the Cardinals (6-9, 2-4) got some early baskets and ended up leading 16-15 after one quarter. But the Thunder (8-7, 3-3) scored the first ten points of the second quarter and held NCC off the board until after the media timeout, going into half up 32-23. The third quarter proved to be more of the same as the Cardinals turned the ball over numerous times and Wheaton pushed the lead to a dozen before the Cardinals made a little run, getting within four before going into the final frame down five. In the fourth, the Thunder made enough plays down the stretch to slowly be able to pull away.

Key Players

• Kate Oliver (WHE): 8-17 FG (3-6 3PT), 5-7 FT; 24 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk. Oliver had a phenomenal game offensively, scoring several key baskets all over the floor. North Central tried multiple defenders on her, and even in circumstances where they forced her to take a contested shot late in the possession, she'd end up making it. It was that kind of night.
• Annika Richardson (WHE): 9-14 FG (5-8 3PT); 23 pts, 11 reb (3 off), 2 blk, 1 stl. Richardson might have had a better night. Several of her threes were fairly open looks as the Cardinal defense did not do enough to contest a shot, and she took advantage. Her size led to a game-high in rebounds as well.
• Jocelyn Trotter (NCC): 4-12 FG (0-4 3PT); 8 pts, 7 reb (1 off), 1 ast, 5 stl. Trotter was a key part of the comeback effort late in the third and into the fourth quarter, especially with her defense. Unfortunately she couldn't get outside shots to fall, and couldn't do enough in the pullup game to compensate.

Key Stats

• NCC: 20 turnovers. The Cardinals committed nine turnovers in the first half, then proceeded to almost double that just in the opening first few minutes of the third quarter. It was a lot of careless passes; Wheaton committed ten steals in the game. But the Cardinals were also called for a handful of traveling violations, which didn't help matters either. While the Thunder only scored 14 points off those 20 turnovers, the fact that the Cardinals kept coughing it up was ultimately the problem.
• WHE: 26-63 FG (41.8%). In a vacuum, those numbers aren't bad. Having watched the game though, this was part of why the Cardinals stayed in the game. The Thunder shot just 5-18 in the opening quarter, and even while the Cardinals were turning the ball over a ton in the third, Wheaton shot just 5-14. But it was the even quarters where they made their mark, and an 8-21 day (38.1%) from beyond the arc was enough to propel them to victory.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ IWU 63 (16-0, 7-0), Carthage 42 (11-4, 3-3)
• @ AUG 58 (7-8, 3-3), MIL 48 (4-11, 3-3)
• @ ELM 74 (10-4, 2-4), NPU 59 (3-13, 0-7)
• BYE: CRL (10-5, 5-1)
• MBK: @ CAR 93 (11-4, 5-1), NCC 78 (10-6, 3-4)

Final Thoughts

This one hurt. After a game in Naperville last year where the Cardinals played a complete game (albeit against a less-than-full-strength Thunder team) and snapped the 31 game losing streak for a victory I'd waited 15 years for, they couldn't stretch the streak to two. It was not a well-played game, and while the Thunder didn't play their best either, their two best players were the two best players on the floor last night, and they made the plays when they needed to.

The loss puts the Cardinals in somewhat precarious position; they're 2-4 in CCIW play, with their two victories coming against Augustana and Elmhurst, but losses to Wheaton and Millikin put them effective a game and a half back of them as we near the halfway point. They'll hopefully get a chance to rebound at North Park on Saturday before closing out the first half of the round robin at home against Carthage next week.

Game Notes: (MBK) Wheaton College @ North Central College (1/8/25)

Final Score
NCC 86, Wheaton 48

Game Summary
This was a nice bounceback by the Cardinals (10-4, 3-2), scoring the game's first eight points. But the Thunder (3-10, 0-4) were able to hit some shots from outside to keep the game close, maintaining a single digit deficit for the entire first half, though a late three gave the Cardinals a 36-27 lead going into the break. The Cardinals clearly made some good halftime adjustments, and opened the second half on a 19-0 run, that extended to 24-5. Wheaton got no closer than 23 the rest of the way, with NCC getting its biggest lead at the final margin.

Key Players

• Ethan Helwig (NCC): 5-11 FG (4-10 3PT), 3-3 FT; 17 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl. Helwig led the Cardinals in scoring, and also had several of the biggest baskets in this one. He hit the three at the end of the first half to answer a Wheaton triple and turn a six point game into a nine point game. He hit two more threes during that aforementioned 19-0 run, plus a pair of free throws that turned the game into a rout. He also played some solid defense to keep Wheaton under wraps.
• James Bullock, Jr. (NCC): 4-10 FG (1-2 3PT), 6-6 FT; 15 pts, 6 reb (1 off). Bullock has started to become a key guy for the Cardinals coming off the bench, and this was probably his best outing. His shooting numbers from the floor aren't great, but he hit a big three at one point and did well from the line. His six rebounds led the team as well.
• Kyle Neibch (WHE): 6-9 FG (all 3PT), 1-2 FT; 19 pts, 4 reb. Niebch was the main focus of Wheaton's offense, and was a big reason why the Thunder stayed in the game in the first half. Four of his six triples came in the opening 20 minutes. His four rebounds were also a team high.

Key Stats

• NCC: Outrebounded WHE 44-19. I could have gone with NCC's three point shooting (12-29, 41.4%), but this number just leapt off the page. Wheaton started a five guard lineup, and though they did get some forwards in at times, they just couldn't win the glass. To help matters more, the Cardinals won the offensive rebounding battle 13-0, which I think might be a first in games I've done. This resulted in a 16-0 advantage in second chance points for the Cardinals.
• WHE: 17 turnovers. This is a lot. Starting with a number of traveling violations early in the game especially, they also did a poor job taking care of the ball in total. Cardinal defenders recorded 10 steals, and the 17 giveaways led to 24 Cardinal points (for comparison, Wheaton forced nine turnovers and got just eight points off them).

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• IWU 80 (12-2, 4-1), @ NPU 69 (9-5, 4-1)
• CAR 75 (9-4, 3-1), @ ELM 71 (6-8, 2-3)
• MIL 67 (9-4, 3-1), @ AUG 62 (8-5, 1-3)
• Bye: CRL (4-9, 0-4)
• WBK: @ MIL 80 (3-10, 2-2), NCC 69 (6-7, 2-2)

Final Thoughts

This result was a little bizarre. Wheaton has struggled this season, sure, but in conference they'd had some decent results: a six point loss at Elmhurst, a three point loss at home to North Park, and a five point overtime loss at home to Illinois Wesleyan (albeit in a game they'd led by nine with about four minutes left). So to see this Thunder team come out and get their doors completely blown off was jarring (in a good way). It's a big win for a Cardinal team that needed one after a couple tough losses last week. It also gets the team to 3-2 in conference prior to absolutely running the gauntlet. Three contests remain in the first round of the double round robin, all on the road: at Illinois Wesleyan, at Carthage, and at North Park. Those are the top three teams in the league, by the way. Stealing one to close at .500 at the halfway mark would be great, and anything beyond that is gravy. Meanwhile, 3-5 would be a challenging hole to climb out of, but a doable one with those aforementioned teams all still due to come to Naperville.

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Epilogue

I was hoping to have multiple titles to celebrate this week, but alas, it was not meant to be.

We close out the 2024 contest as Adam only ended up taking six of our ten disputed games this week and five of seven from Joe, while I took two of three from Joe. With Adam leading the column coming in, that means for the second year in a row, he is our column champion.

The race at the top was tight going into Week 18 as well, and ultimately the difference there between staying tied and a two game final margin was Geoffrey riding the Steelers as home underdogs. He just barely hit that hero pick, and as a result Geoffrey takes home his second consecutive group championship in this contest.

You can view how we all ended up picking in relation to each other here. Group-wise, it was a pretty successful year. We hit on consensus picks at the best rate we ever have, and did a decent job on hero picks; we had as many as a group combined this year as Adam hit on in 2023 by himself. Six of the seven people in our group finished the year over .500, with Matthew being the only one below, and even then, he was only six games under. Not bad for a seven year old.

Congratulations once again to Adam on his column title, and to Geoffrey on his group title! We'll see you for the 2025 contest!

Records This Season
Lucas: 139-133 (7-9 last week)
Adam: 142-130 (9-7 last week)
Joe: 138-134 (6-10 last week)
Geoffrey: 151-121 (8-8 last week)
Jim: 149-123 (6-10 last week)
John: 140-132 (8-8 last week)
Matthew: 133-139 (7-9 last week)

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 18

And so it all comes down to this.

A few playoff spots are still up for grabs in the NFL, and as far as the coalition goes, there are a couple races up for grabs. Taking all of Week 17 into account (as we split it into two parts), Adam and I split our two disputed games, while Joe took five of seven from each of us. As a result he's come roaring back into a giant bunch in the middle of the pack.

That pack of us is really only fighting for the column title at this point, as we are well off the pace at the top. That title is a two-horse race between Geoffrey and Jim, who have caught fire as the season has gone along.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. I think the thing I'm most happy with, besides leading the hero win rate race even with a small sample size, is that barring a collapse we're looking at a phenomenal consensus win rate. Unless we go 0-5 this week, we'll finish above .500 for the fourth time in the last five seasons, and we're currently on track to finish with the best mark in that category since we started keeping track in 2016.

And so as we look ahead to the final round, Adam and I disagree on a whopping 10 games, Joe and I on just three, and the two of them on seven games out of 16. For the final time this season... let's get to it!