Game Notes: (MBK) Carroll University @ North Central College (12/14/24)

Final Score
NCC 68, Carroll 66

Game Summary
There was more drama in the nightcap than there was in the game that preceded it, though at first it didn't seem like it. The Pioneers (2-7, 0-3) took the lead early and just built on it. They had a double digit lead with nine minutes gone in the contest and got it as high as 14 before the Cardinals (8-2, 2-1) started to make some headway and cut it a seven point game before the Pioneers made one late push to end the half up 37-25. After a Kobe Simpson three made it 40-27 about two minutes into the second half, Carroll went cold, and the Cardinals embarked on a 16-3 run that tied the game with under 12 minutes to play. This turned the game into a back and forth classic, with neither team being able to push out to a two possession lead. Carroll tied the game for the 13th time at 66 with about 15 seconds to go. The Cardinals took two and a half ticks to get across halfcourt for a timeout to draw up the final play. And from there... we'll let the video do the work.

Goaltending? You be the judge. #d3hoops pic.twitter.com/gAxIUukjvN

— Lucas Mitzel🎙 (@northsider89) December 15, 2024

Key Players

• Ethan Helwig (NCC): 7-12 FG (2-6 3PT), 4-5 FT; 20 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl.  Helwig was a large factor in the comeback, with 14 of his team-high 20 coming after the intermission. But no play was larger than the final offensive possession when he took a bounce from Alejandro Diaz, lost the handle, somehow got it back, fired up a fadeaway that somehow, someway, bounced home. Just two days after picking a pocket for the game-winning layup at Loras, he does it again.
• Terrance Moncrief (NCC): 8-13 FG (1-1 3PT), 2-3 FT; 19 pts, 6 reb (2 off), 3 ast, 4 stl. Someone came by the table late in the second half and asked what Moncrief was at scoring-wise; it might have even been after he hit his lone three to put the Cardinals up by that much with under 90 seconds to go. You talk about guys have a "quiet" 19 where you aren't really paying attention to his output, go to check the box score at the end of the game and his numbers are really good. Moncrief though, had a loud 19. He was attacking the basket and got a ton of shots to fall, none bigger that that three, even though Carroll immediately came back to tie the game.
• Evan Bland (CRL): 5-8 FG (2-4 3PT); 12 pts, 3 reb. There's probably a few different ways I could've gone, but Bland led the Pioneers in scoring coming off the bench, and hit some big buckets for them in this one. It just wasn't enough on this night.

Key Stats

• NCC: 10-34 FG 1st half (29.4%). This was a big part of it; the Cardinals couldn't buy a bucket early in the game. This mark included a 1-10 effort from beyond the arc. Obviously it got better after halftime (17-30, including 4-9 from beyond the arc), and that helped the Cardinals to a comeback victory.
• CRL: 8-29 FG 2nd half (27.6%). And this ultimately tells the other half. Carroll went about seven minutes without a field goal when the Cardinals were mounting their comeback. The numbers got buoyed by the late efforts to answer Cardinals baskets, but it just wasn't enough.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• CAR 82 (7-2, 2-0), @ AUG 70 (5-3, 1-2)
• NPU 78 (6-3, 3-0), @ WHE 75 (3-8, 0-2)
• BYE: MIL (5-4, 1-1)
• Sunday 4pm: ELM @ IWU

Final Thoughts

Okay, I didn't address it when I dropped the video originally, so let's get to the elephant in the room. Yes, that probably should have been goaltending on Tyler Swierczek. It was pretty clear both in real time and then again on replay that he touched the rim. But in keeping with how most of this game went, they let both teams play.

The Cardinals have now won 12 in a row against Carroll dating back to December of 2018, and that includes a three game sweep last year highlighted by a Sean Molloy fadeaway winning the game in somewhat similar fashion as well as a game in the CCIW Tournament. North Central continues to find ways to win games, even when they don't necessarily play their best. But at 8-2, with a 2-1 mark in CCIW play, they're in good shape.

This is it for conference play for the calendar year. Concordia Chicago comes calling on Friday (a reschedule due to NCC Football doing NCC Football things), plus an exhibition against D-I UW-Milwaukee before the holiday.

Game Notes: (WBK) Carroll University @ North Central College (12/14/24)

Final Score
Carroll 85, NCC 58

Game Summary
This one wasn't pretty. The Pioneers (6-4, 2-1) scored the game's first eight, and while the Cardinals (5-4, 1-1) fought back to cut the deficit to make it a 15-8 ballgame, Caroll finished the opening quarter on an 11-3 run to go up by 15 after ten minutes. A 9-0 Pioneer run keyed their second quarter to a 51-27 halftime advantage. The Cardinals would not threaten in the second half, and Caroll got the lead as high as 32 before settling into the final margin.

Key Players

• Olivia Rangel (CRL): 7-11 FG (1-1 3PT), 3-4 FT; 18 pts, 7 reb (1 off), 4 ast, 1 stl. I could've gone a few different ways, but Rangel had the best floor game for the Pios.
• Emilie Wizner (CRL): 8-15 FG (1-6 3PT), 4-4 FT; 21 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl. Wizner I feel like had kind of a quiet 21. I called her name plenty of times, but it didn't feel like she was the big threat. Maybe part of it was the poor three point night. Regardless, she did enough from elsewhere on the floor to make up for it.
• Elle Sutter (NCC): 5-14 FG (0-1 3PT), 3-4 FT; 13 pts, 10 reb (3 off), 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl. Not a great shooting night, as Elle missed some looks from in close (though through contact that was not called much either way all night), and yet she still managed to put up a double-double. For her second official game back, not too bad. She'll get there.

Key Stats

• NCC: 2-15 3PT (13.3%), 14-24 FT (58.3%). It's the combination of these, really. The Cardinals did a poor job at the line, though that wouldn't have been enough to turn the tide. Maybe doing better from deep would have helped. The looks were open, but other than Cate Uhren hitting a pair in the first half... that was it.
• CRL: 56 points in the paint. I mean, considering the Cardinals only scored 58 total, this seems like the game. Carroll did a great job moving the ball around and finding some open looks, and made the Cardinals pay despite them doing all they could.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ IWU 93 (9-0, 3-0), ELM 56 (7-2, 1-2)
• CAR 71 (6-2, 1-1), @ AUG 57 (3-7, 1-3)
• @ WHE 68 (6-5, 2-1), NPU 35 (3-7, 0-3)
• UW-Platteville 60, @ MIL 47 (2-6, 1-1)

Final Thoughts

I hate playing Carroll in women's basketball. It's a credit to Lindsey Schultz, her staff, and the players that they continue to dominate this series, winning the past eight matchups between these two teams. While we're nowhere near Wheaton territory yet, it's getting there.

I was hoping for a little more competitive a game, but this team will have to have a short memory and be ready to go, as they hit the road on Tuesday for a game at Coe. That will be their last game before a two week break for the holidays; that game in Iowa will be the first of five straight on the road. North Central will not be home again until January 15th when they welcome Wheaton to town.

Attacking the Gauntlet Once More

Somehow, someway, I keep coming up with new titles for this annual post.

Like many of the conferences in Division III, the CCIW plays a double round robin in men's and women's basketball. Everyone has played eight games to date: one against every other opponent. So as we make the turn into the second half, this is where I start to write a little bit more on a weekly basis, beginning with this one. The regional rankings don't start coming out for another couple weeks yet, so we still have to wait for that, but this is where we start to look at postseason prospects for everyone, North Central in particular.

Game Notes: (MBK) Carroll University @ North Central College (1/11/20)

Final Score
NCC 63, Carroll 55

Game Summary
Tipping a few hours early due to inclement weather, the Belt^TM-holding Cardinals (12-3, 5-1) were able to score the game's first basket, but the Pioneers (9-6, 2-4) were able to keep pace until a key sequence about seven minutes in when the Cardinals picked up an and-one, and Carroll coach Paul Combs ran onto the floor to argue it, picking up a technical foul. Both technical free throws were hit, turning the three point play into a five point play, and the Pioneers went into chase mode, as the Cardinals pushed the lead to ten just over two minutes later and would lead by as many as 11. Carroll managed to keep it reasonably close, pulling to within five a couple times before going into the break down 31-23. The Cardinals came out kind of cold to start the second half, allowing the Pioneers to make it a one possession game less than four minutes in, but an 8-0 Cardinal run pushed it back to double digits and forced a Pioneer timeout. Again, the Pioneers refused to go away, answering with a 13-2 run that tied the game at 42, and split free throws on each side forced another tie at 43 with nine minutes to go. A sustained 10-0 Cardinal run spanning three minutes seemed to put the hosts in the driver's seat, but Carroll again closed the gap, managing to pull back within one at 56-55 with about two and a half to play. But that was all they'd get, as a good look at a go-ahead three their next time down missed, and free throws plus a clutch corner three was enough for the Cardinals to close it out and defend The Belt^TM.

Key Players

• Connor Raridon (NCC): 3-6 FG (0-1 3PT), 6-6 FT; 12 pts, 7 reb (1 off), 6 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl. Just another day at the office for number 32. He only played 38 minutes in this one, but made the most of it, splitting his dozen point evenly between the halves and picking up four of his six dimes in the second half. Adding in the second-highest rebounding total for the game, plus wreaking havoc on the defensive end, and the preseason All-American showed why he was.
• Blaise Meredith (NCC): 1-6 FG (1-5 3PT), 4-4 FT; 7 pts, 5 reb (1 off), 3 ast, 1 stl. This has still been a major offensive struggle all season for Blaise, but Saturday had to give him a little more confidence. After going 0-8 in his last three games, he narrowly missed a three early that rattled out, and the one he did hit came at a key moment during that 10-0 run and seemed to stun him given his reaction. He was also clutch at the line, hitting a pair during the aforementioned run, and hitting a pair right after the missed go-ahead three attempt by Carroll to make it a three point game. I think his confidence is there, hopefully Saturday was a stepping stone to him starting to heat up.
• Kale Maupin (CRL): 8-12 FG (3-4 3PT), 2-2 FT; 21 pts, 5 reb (1 off), 1 ast, 3 stl. Maupin had a really good game for the Pios, displaying a great inside-out game on offense and playing good defense on the Cardinals' bigs. He was a key part of the comeback effort, hitting one during the Pio rally to tie the game at 42, and he had a wide open look to pull his team within one with two and a half to play. He also had a good look at that go-ahead one Carroll's next time down, but he was just a bit off, and Carroll's dreams of a road upset died with that miss.

Key Stats

• NCC: Outrebounded Carroll 30-20. It's rare for the Cardinals to really possess a size advantage, per se, but they kind of did in this one, and made the most of it to the tune of a +10 margin on the boards. North Central had seven offensive rebounds in the game, leading to eight second chance points. Carroll, for their part, had just three offensive boards, none resulting in second chance points. You do the math.
• CRL: Forced 15 NCC turnovers. Carroll started the game with man defense, but spent a significant chunk of the game in a 3-2 zone with Maupin at the top, and I think it really messed with the Cardinals to some degree. Those 15 turnovers led to 16 Pioneer points and helped get them back in the game more than once.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ ELM 96 (13-1, 4-1), NPU 81 (2-12, 0-5)
• AUG 83 (9-5, 3-2), @ MIL 58 (4-11, 1-5)
• Was postponed to Sunday 1/12
• CAR (10-3, 2-2) @ WHE (9-4, 3-1)- PPD
• Makeup scheduled for 5:30pm Monday 1/13
• BYE: IWU (9-5, 3-2)
• WBK: @ NCC 62 (6-9, 2-4), CRL 60 (5-9, 1-5)
• WBK: NPU 80 (11-3, 4-1), @ ELM 75 (6-8, 1-4)
• WBK: @ MIL 75 (10-4, 3-2), AUG 71 (8-7, 3-3)
• Was postponed to Sunday 1/12
• WBK: CAR (8-5, 3-1) @ WHE (9-4, 2-2)- PPD
• Makeup scheduled for 3:30pm Monday 1/13
• WBK: BYE- IWU (10-4, 4-1)

Final Thoughts
Carroll is always a tough out, and they were once again on Saturday. Their 2-4 CCIW record doesn't really do them justice. For reference, their four losses:

• @ Augustana- by two in overtime
• vs Elmhurst- by one in double overtime, required a 35-40 have by the Blue Jays' Derek Dotlick at the buzzer
• vs Carthage- by eight, trailed by two with about two minutes to go, missed a game-tying layup with about a minute to play, then gave up four points in 15 seconds
• @ NCC- see above

With a six-team conference tournament, the Pios can certainly make it, but they'll likely have to win a road game against a 3 or 4 seed to do so... but we're getting way ahead of ourselves.

For the Cardinals, this was a good, gutty win. They didn't play as complete a game as they did against Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday, but did just enough to pull it out. These were the kind of games the Cardinals lost earlier in the season. Now, they find themselves on an eight-game win streak after having held serve at home against some tough opponents. It doesn't get a lot easier to close out the first half of CCIW play, as North Central heads down to Decatur to take on Millikin this Wednesday, then after a Saturday bye... we begin the Jacket Watch.

One More to Go: A CCIW Update

Part of my annual series on North Central basketball includes a final look at the conference tournament picture. So with one more day of games on the docket, let's get to work on this.

I need to give a ton of thanks and credit to Greg Sager, play by play guy for North Park athletics and frequent contributor to D3Boards, who did pretty much all of the legwork on the various scenarios.

We've had years on opposite ends of the spectrum in the past when I've run this feature. Some years it's a simple "Win and you're in" prospect. Other years, you have teams with absolutely zero control over their own postseason fate because of the weirdness of tiebreakers. This year, with the expansion of the conference tournament from four to six, it made more games meaningful but also opened up a whole new world of clinching scenario possibilities.

Details come after the jump, but suffice it to say that the men's clinching scenarios are a lot simpler than the women's. If you're curious, you can view the CCIW tiebreakers here.

Once More Unto the Gauntlet

I'm running out of titles. I was going to go with "Once More Unto the Breach," but I used that in 2015.

One of my many annual features as a part of NCAA Division III basketball season is a checkin on the rest of the conference at the halfway point. This will be followed up in the next couple weeks when the NCAA regional rankings drop, where I'll look at how North Central fares in that arena as well.

But for now, with a single round robin complete, let's look at how North Central is doing.

Game Notes: (WBK) Carroll University @ North Central College (1/2/19)

Final Score
Carroll 72, NCC 65

Game Summary
The game started all right as the Cardinals (3-11, 1-4) began by hitting their first three attempts from beyond the arc to build a 9-4 lead. But the Pioneers (7-6, 2-2) got into the paint and scored almost at will, keeping it close with the Cardinals going up 16-15 after one quarter. After a three to go up four, the Pioneers went on an 11-1 run to take control of the game, pushing the lead as high as seven before the Cardinals fought back, taking a brief lead before going into the locker room down 37-35. The game stayed close early in the third quarter with the Cardinals even taking a 44-41 lead about three minutes in, but Carroll closed the frame on a 15-6 run, then all but put the game away early in the fourth with a flurry of offensive rebounds. The Cardinals would get no closer than five in the final minutes.

Key Players

• Sierra Grubor (CRL): 7-12 FG (1-1 3PT), 5-7 FT; 20 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 1 stl. Grubor was lethal off the bench for the Pios, getting some easy layups underneath while also taking advantage of her lone deep look. Grubor scored 13 of her 20 in the first half to get the Pios in control while also contributing everywhere else as well.
• Alyssa Cruz (CRL): 4-9 FG (1-3 3PT), 5-6 FT; 14 pts, 6 reb (1 off), 6 ast. The freshman had an outstanding floor game (albeit with four turnovers, but a 1.5 assist to turnover ratio isn't bad), getting to the rim fairly early and putting the contest away at the free throw line late. The fact that she tied for the game lead in rebounds with six at 5'5" is simultaneously pretty impressive and reflects poorly on North Central.
• Natali Dimitrova (NCC): 6-11 FG (0-2 3PT), 4-5 FT; 16 pts, 6 reb (2 off), 1 ast, 1 blk. In another year that has been kind of dismal, Nat has been one of the bright spots as she's really raised her game to another level this season. She has turned into a dependable weapon in the post on both ends of the floor, a solid rebounder, and has even improved her free throw shooting. I could do without her five turnovers from last night though, including at least one travel because she shuffles her feet a lot.

Key Stats

• NCC: Outrebounded 46-32. The Pioneers did have a little bit of a size advantage, and to some degree I'm used to seeing the Cardinals get outrebounded, but last night was pretty bad. The aforementioned flurry of offensive rebounds to open the fourth was the alarming one; officially the Pioneers had 12 offensive rebounds, six of which I counted occurring in the fourth quarter alone. The third or fourth prompted a Maggie McCloskey-Bax timeout where she reamed the team for giving those second chances up. While Carroll didn't necessarily make the most of them, it took time off the clock that the Cardinals could have used to cut into the deficit.
• CRL: 42 points in the paint. Some of this was defensive breakdown, but it was also good driving and passing on the part of the Pioneers as they controlled the interior for pretty much the entire game. For comparison, the Cardinals scored 26 in the paint.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• WHE 56 (10-3, 4-0), @ IWU XX (11-3, 4-1)
• AUG 70 (9-5, 3-2), @ ELM 64 (5-8, 1-3)
• @ CAR 76 (8-5, 2-2), NPU 39 (6-8, 2-3)
• Bye: MIL (5-8, 1-3)
• MBK: @ AUG 76 (12-1, 4-0), NCC 59 (11-3, 3-2)

Final Thoughts

I came into last night's game thinking we should have won. And I'd argue that the Cardinals should have. But the Pioneers played some stifling defense to force a bunch of turnovers and controlled both the paint and the glass. It's hard to win against that combination, and if the Cardinals had shot a little bit better they could have stolen a home win. Instead, they are out of a tiebreaker and fully in last place in the CCIW. They're 1-4, with the win coming at Augustana. Of their losses, only the one at Wheaton is fully justifiable. The single digit home losses to Millikin, North Park, and Carroll are all games the Cardinals arguably should have won. Realistically, I would be okay with winning even one of those to get to 2-3, and anything beyond that would be gravy. Instead, you have a young team still trying to find its way.

The Cardinals continue their homestand on Saturday by welcoming in another beatable opponent in Elmhurst. While we're not in must-win territory yet, this one is a big one if the Cardinals want to stay relevant in the conference picture the rest of the way.

Game Notes: (MBK) Carroll University @ North Central College (12/5/18)

Final Score
NCC 61, Carroll 47

Game Summary
This was kind of a weird game, especially early on. The Cardinals (6-0, 2-0) took a couple minutes to open the scoring, leading 6-0 on a pair of threes, but the Pioneers (2-5, 0-2) responded with the next eight, eventually leading to an 8-8 tie ten minutes into the game. Eventually the teams found their rhythm, with the Pioneers gaining control thanks to early Cardinal foul trouble. The Pios led by seven with about two and a half to go in the first half, but the Cardinals managed to cut it to four at 26-22 by the break. Carroll started the second half strong, pushing the lead to eight just a couple minutes in, but the Cardinals began chipping away, using an extended 9-0 run to grab the lead back. It switched hands a few times midway through the half, but North Central took a 41-40 lead on a Matt Cappelletti free throw with about eight minutes to go and never looked back. Carroll got it back within one a couple times, but the Cardinals put the game out of reach with a few threes.

Key Players

• Blaise Meredith (NCC): 6-10 FG (2-6 3PT), 5-8 FT; 19 pts, 5 ast. The fact that Blaise did not manage a single rebound tonight was a little shocking, but his offensive game was much needed on a night when Connor Raridon did almost nothing (see more below). His 19 points was a career high, and the five assists were key as well.
• Matt Cappelletti (NCC): 2-7 FG (0-4 3PT), 7-9 FT; 11 pts, 11 reb (1 off), 1 stl. On a night where not a lot of shots were taken due to the sheer number of fouls and thus free throws, rebounds were at a premium, and Cap dominated the glass, notching over 20 percent of the game's available boards. He continues to struggle from deep, but got to the rim and to the line, making the most of those opportunities.
• Aiden Chang (NCC): 4-6 FG (2-3 3PT); 10 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl. The stat line doesn't seem like much, but Aiden made some big plays when the Cardinals needed them. All ten of his points came in the second half, but two big moments stand out to me. He hit a huge three to give North Central a 34-32 lead, then immediately forced a sloppy turnover and took it the other way for a layup, forcing a Carroll timeout. Then, with about three and a half minutes to go, he hit his second three in the midst of a 10-0 run that put the game out of reach.

Key Stats

• NCC: 8-21 3PT (38.1%). This is a number more in line with what you'd hope for from this team after some early season struggles. The best sign was that the Cardinals went 5-11 from deep in the second half, and it was the three ball that put the game out of reach. It's hopefully a sign that the Cardinals are coming out of their funk, and when Cap starts hitting his threes... look out.
• Carroll: 26 fouls. I don't want to harp too much on the officiating, especially after a win, but this crew was inconsistent at best. At one point in the first half, North Central had ten fouls to Carroll's four. After that point, North Central would commit ten more to Carroll's 22. Some of that I'm sure was things evening out, but I also think North Central adjusted fairly well as the game went on.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• WHE 90 (6-2, 1-1), @ IWU 88 (7-1, 1-1)
• @ CAR 78 (4-4, 1-1), NPU 54 (2-7, 1-1)
• ELM 74 (3-3, 1-0), @ MIL 62 (4-3, 0-2) 
• Bye: AUG 78 (6-1, 1-0), @ MacMurray 54
• WBK: NCC 69 (2-4, 1-1), @ AUG 58 (4-4, 1-1)

Final Thoughts

If you had told me before the game that Connor Raridon, a guy who came into tonight with 947 career points would be held to just two field goal attempts and four points, I'd have first thought you were crazy, then figured North Central wouldn't win the game. Raridon was in foul trouble, picking up two about eight minutes into the first half, leading to him riding the bench until intermission, and fairly quickly getting up to four in the second half. Even when he was in though, Carroll played him very well defensively, not giving him looks at his usual turnaround jumpers. This jeopardizes his shot at reaching the 1,000 Point Club at home, barring a monster game or two out of him coming up.

Regardless, you have to find a way to win games like this, and North Central has continued to do so. They really haven't put together much of a complete game yet other than the win over Alma. But they're unbeaten and in first place in the CCIW thanks to Augie getting a bye and Aston Francis doing Aston Francis things. The schedule remains somewhat favorable with a home date against North Park on the horizon, though the Vikings did just beat Wheaton four days ago.

One More to Go: A CCIW Update

It's an annual tradition, though maybe not unlike any other.

Tomorrow is the final day of the regular season in the CCIW, and actually the final time that we'll have regular season games on this day after just two years of the return to nine teams in the conference. Next season, the conference tournaments will expand from four teams to six in both men's and women's basketball. It's going to make more games matter at the end and possibly bolster resumes when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. But that's next year.

With the final day approaching, I always take the time leading up to it to look over the conference and see what the tournament scenarios are. This is where it's handy to have access to the list of CCIW tiebreakers, which was last updated in the fall of 2014 and may need to be updated slightly with Carroll's return. Fortunately, any updates that would need to be made won't impact either race. Also, compared to prior years, this year's post will be so much simpler than any other. As with last year, my thanks goes to the D3Boards community for helping sort through all of this.

Game Notes: (MBK) Carroll University @ North Central College (2/14/18)

Final Score
Carroll 77, NCC 73 (OT)

Game Summary
This one started well enough for the Cardinals (16-7, 9-5), who put the clamps down defensively and opened an 8-0 lead on the Pioneers (10-13, 5-9) five minutes in. Carroll worked its way back in a little bit before the Cardinals started to pull away, making the lead double digits about 10 minutes in. After a Carroll timeout, Blaise Meredith forced an open court steal and dunked it home to make it 20-7 and seemingly putting the Cardinals in total control. North Central pushed the lead as high as 19 with a minute and a half to go, but Carroll closed the half on a 6-0 run to make it 40-27 at the break. After a Carroll three to open the second half, the Cardinals went on an 11-0 run to push the lead to 21 just three minutes into the second half. Then the bottom started to fall out. The Pioneers slowly chipped away at the lead, though the Cardinals still seemed to be in control, leading by 14 with about five and a half minutes to play. With just over three to go the Pioneers cut it to single digits, but even then the Cardinals still looked to be in pretty good shape, leading by six with just under a minute to play. But Troy Howat buried a three with 38 seconds left, the Cardinals blew a transition opportunity, and after a stop, Alex Sorenson came up empty at the free throw line, and Kale Maupin buried the tying three with eight seconds to go. Connor Raridon missed a desperation leaner at the buzzer, and the game went to overtime at 69-all. The Cardinals took a pair of two point leads in the extra session, but couldn't extend the advantages. Joel Heesch put the Pioneers ahead for good with 13 seconds left, Blaise Meredith rimmed out a go-ahead three on the ensuing possession, and Tanner Zaeske split four free throws to put it out of reach.

Key Stats

• Tanner Zaeske (CRL): 5-9 FG (3-5 3PT), 3-7 FT; 16 pts, 6 reb (1 off), 1 blk. Zaeske didn't have a great night at the line, but did enough in the extra session to put the game away. He did most of his damage early in the game though to keep the Pioneers from getting blown out of the gym.
• Troy Howat (CRL): 5-8 FG (4-5 3PT); 14 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast. Howat was a spark off the bench for the Pios, as he went 4-4 from beyond the arc in the second half, including the clutch one with 38 seconds left to cut North Central's lead to three. There weren't a lot of other stat-filling guys on Carroll's roster, but Howat was one of the clutch guys.
• Alex Sorenson (NCC): 9-15 FG (0-1 3PT), 3-10 FT; 21 pts, 8 reb (3 off), 3 ast, 4 blk. Sorenson had a quiet 21, stemming largely from the fact that he only had five points at the break. He broke out in the second half and was excellent on the defensive end before fouling out. The big problem is that glaring 3-10 mark at the line. Sorenson missed his final six free throw attempts of the night, including those two in the closing seconds of regulation that could have put the game out of reach.
• NCC: 11-22 FT (50.0%). The team itself gets a dishonorable mention, because this wasn't all Sorenson. Connor Raridon split a pair late that could have avoided the extra session and finished 4-7 for the night, and Mike Pollack proved he's human and split a pair. Sorenson's line is obviously the key problem, but it's far from the only one.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ WHE 85 (17-6, 10-4), CAR 77 (12-11, 7-7)
• Wheaton has clinched a CCIW Tournament berth
• Augustana has clinched a CCIW Tournament berth
• North Central has clinched a CCIW Tournament berth
• IWU 65 (18-5, 11-3), @ MIL 56 (11-13, 4-11)
• Illinois Wesleyan has clinched a CCIW Tournament berth
• @ ELM 77 (13-11, 6-9), NPU 63 (5-18, 1-13)
• BYE: Augustana (18-5, 10-4)
• WBK: @ CAR 92 (17-6, 10-4), NCC 56 (5-18, 3-11)

Final Thoughts

The reason I hold off on the Game Notes until the day after is twofold: I need to get to bed at a decent time, but also because I need to let the game sink in a little bit and not write this post in a fit of anger. Last night's game deserves peak rage: the Cardinals blew a 21 point lead, the largest blown lead in a game I've ever worked (beating out the legendary time UW-Eau Claire blew a 19 point lead). I'm trying to make that the focus of my rage, because the officiating last night was absolutely horrendous. The Pioneers took advantage of at least two North Central fouls on shot attempts that were either all ball or no contact whatsoever their opportunities at the free throw line to help get back in the game, combined with hot shooting while the Cardinals couldn't put the game away. Carroll earned this win, and and rage I take out on the bad officiating is just pathetic excuse making on my part trying to look for other reasons why the Cardinals couldn't pull this one out.

This also meant that two postgame announcements I was planning on making didn't get made, because the fact that you blew a 21 point lead to lose in overtime overshadows them. The Cardinals hit eight threes last night, bringing their season total to 211, which breaks the program record of 210 set just last year. And thanks to Wheaton's win over Carthage, the Cardinals clinched a CCIW Tournament berth despite the collapse. You can't celebrate a berth after a loss like that.

With the loss, the Cardinals sit in fourth place, a game behind Wheaton and two games out of first place. And with the Augie sweep of the Cardinals, I'm pretty sure hosting rights for the Cardinals in the CCIW Tournament are completely gone. They closed the 2017-18 season with a 9-3 record at home, which is nothing to be ashamed of. They won almost all of the games they were supposed to at Gregory Arena, last night being the only one they should have won but didn't. The other losses came to Illinois Wesleyan in heartbreaking fashion and last week to Augie. Those shouldn't overshadow some fantastic wins, including a buzzer beater over Benedictine, Alex Sorenson's clutch three and the ensuing chaos in the North Park win, and historic nights that saw Todd Raridon's 500th career win, Connor Raridon breaking both the single season and all time program records for assists, and Alex Sorenson singlehandedly destroying Robert Morris to break Bill Warden's longstanding single game scoring record.

Alas, the Cardinals end the season on the road with back to back tough games: they head to Wheaton on Saturday with the Thunder thinking revenge for earlier this season, and end the regular season on Tuesday at Illinois Wesleyan, where they may end up heading right back to a week from tomorrow for the CCIW Tournament.

Game Notes: (WBK) Carroll University @ North Central College (1/31/18)

Final Score
Carroll 60, NCC 55

Game Summary
This one started out well enough for the Cardinals (4-16, 2-9), who fought off a decent start from the Pioneers (6-13, 3-7) with some timely threes and solid free throw shooting and took a 17-12 lead after one quarter. North Central would lead by as many as seven early in the second, but the Pioneers wouldn't go away, cutting the lead to one a couple times before settling into the half down 30-26. The Cardinals came out of the gate strong in the second half, scoring five straight points to push the lead to nine, but Carroll went on a 13-4 run to tie the game at 39. A three gave the Cardinals the lead right back, but they only took a 42-41 advantage into the final frame. The teams traded advantages a bit in the early going, but the Cardinals seemed in control with a six point lead with just under five minutes to play and a five point lead with just under three to go on a Haydn Braun layup. But that was all the Cardinal offense could muster as Rachel Van Sluys scored five straight to tie the game with about a minute and a half to play, and Emily Majerus hit the go ahead three with 40 seconds to play to give the Pioneers the season sweep.

Key Stats

• Brittney Wald (CRL): 9-19 FG (2-3 3PT), 3-5 FT; 23 pts, 12 reb (4 off), 1 ast, 1 stl. Wald was the Carroll offense for much of this one. She scored 12 of Carroll's first 19 points before starting to be contained a little bit, but she still got too many good looks. Her 12 rebounds were also a game high... and she's a 5'6" guard.
• Rachel Van Sluys (CRL): 5-13 FG, 5-8 FT; 15 pts, 10 reb (5 off), 2 stl. Van Sluys missed a significant chunk of the season due to injury and this was her first game back, and she made sure to make the most of it. She came off the bench to ease her way back in and didn't really do anything in the first half (just two rebounds), but came alive in the second half. She scored seven of Carroll's last ten points that sealed the game for them, including the tying basket and the clinching free throws.
• Maya Walls (NCC): 4-7 FG (2-2 3PT); 10 pts, 4 reb (1 off), 1 ast, 2 blk, 3 stl. I had a bit of a hard time deciding which Cardinal to highlight, but Maya had a decent game. She could have done a better job rebounding, but was a pretty good part of the offense, getting to the basket a couple times and hitting a couple threes, while making a couple great plays on defense.

North Central "System" Watch

• Carroll Turnovers: 16. This number isn't good enough, especially considering the Cardinals had 19 on their end. North Central did a pretty good job jumping passing lanes though as they logged 12 steals, paced by four from Michaela Reedy, plus Wall's three. They also forced a shot clock violation.
• NCC 3PT: 9-28 (32.1%). It's rare for the Cardinals to shoot this well percentage wise from deep and lose the game. They got some well timed threes throughout the game, but couldn't hit a tying effort late after Majerus' go-ahead bomb. The percentages were also pretty consistent across the halves (4-12 in the first half, 5-16 in the second).
• NCC FT: 6-9 (66.7%). I can't really complain about this part. The Cardinals hit their first three and started 4-5 at the line before regressing to the mean and going 2-4 the rest of the way. They got to the line fairly early and I would have liked to see that trend continue, but it just wasn't meant to be. All in all though, this raises their season average a little bit.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ IWU 99 (18-2, 11-0), AUG 70 (12-8, 5-6)
• Illinois Wesleyan clinches a CCIW Tournament berth
• @ WHE 54 (16-4, 9-2), CAR 35 (14-6, 7-4)
• @ ELM 55 (12-8, 8-3), MIL 53 (5-14, 0-10)
• Millikin is eliminated from CCIW Tournament contention
• Bye: NPU (8-11, 3-7)
• MBK: NCC 79 (15-5, 8-3), @ CAR 75 (11-8, 6-4)

Final Thoughts

Photo from WONC Sports

One important note to take from this game is that the Cardinals weren't at full strength. Bekah Foley was on crutches last night and I don't know whether she'll be good to go or not. There was also late doubt about Mayson Whipple, who participated in warmups, but did not play last night with a hamstring. I also don't know whether this is a long term injury or not.

Despite being down their best player and one of their better freshmen, you have to beat the bad teams at home. Carroll isn't that good, but my sense of deja vu proved to come true as the Cardinals went ice cold in the final minutes and once again, Carroll took advantage. They celebrated quite a bit after the win, which I don't blame them for. It's their first win in Naperville this century and for quite the young team, it's a confidence booster going forward. But for the Cardinals, it's an incredibly frustrating loss. I know it was for me.

Looking at the big picture, Illinois Wesleyan locked up the formality of a CCIW Tournament berth, which we pretty much all knew was going to happen. Their biggest threat to a 16-0 conference record is next Wednesday when they head to Wheaton, but it's all but a foregone conclusion that the tournament will be in Bloomington. The Cardinals aren't mathematically eliminated, but a loss Saturday to North Park will be the death blow to a dismal season. It will be Senior Night however, as I bid farewell to the final players remaining from the legendary 2014-15 season.

Once More Into the Gauntlet

I'm running a little behind on this feature, but it's one that I need to run.

Ever since I took over the PA gig at North Central, I've always taken a look at the conference standings at the halfway point of the schedule. It's good to get a look at what's going on and see where everyone stands with seven (or now, eight, with Carroll's return to the conference) games to play.

In a week and a half I'll have a look at where North Central stacks up regionally, but that's only because that's when the NCAA releases its regional rankings. For now, we're going to stick with the conference standings, for both the men and the women. Pictured at the start of each section will be a screenshot of the conference standings pulled from the Confessions of a Sportscaster sidebar as of Monday, January 22nd.

One More To Go: A CCIW Update

I didn't get to watch any of it live, but I'm reveling in the upset pulled off by NCC against Illinois Wesleyan. I guess if you maybe want to get technical, both of them.

The regular season all comes down to Tuesday, and while most of the CCIW Tournament field is filled, the seedings are still very much up for grabs. And so as I like to do on an annual basis going into the final game, here are the scenarios for seedings in next weekend's CCIW Tournament.

I do want to express my thanks to the D3Boards community for working out all of the men's scenarios, which greatly helped my understanding of how Tuesday's stuff was going to work.

Game Notes (MBK): Carroll University @ North Central College (2/1/17)

Final Score
NCC 82, Carroll 69

Game Summary
This was a good back and forth game as the Cardinals (12-8, 6-5) were able to go toe-to-toe with the Pioneers (11-9, 6-5), who were hitting their shots early in this one. The Cardinals led by as many as four in the early going, but timely three point shooting from the Pioneers built an eight point lead and forced a couple North Central timeouts. A 9-0 Cardinal run would later flip the script and give North Central a two point lead, but Carroll answered back with four straight, and the Cardinals split a pair of free throws in the final second to go into the break down 38-37. The Cardinals continued that momentum in the second half, forcing a tie at 45-all, then embarking on a 15-4 run to take control of the game. The Pioneers weren't done, scoring six straight to narrow the gap to five, but the Cardinals started to heat up from outside and pushed their lead to as many as 15 to cement their grip on the victory.

Key Stats

• Jagger Anderson (NCC): 6-12 FG (2-3 3PT), 8-12 FT; 22 pts, 1 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl. I don't know that Jagger gets enough credit for this team, but he was phenomenal last night. He only turned the ball over once, did a great job distributing the ball, and had his usual couple of circus shots that fell, and while outside shooting isn't his strongest suit, he was left open a few times and made the Pioneers pay for it. He also did a good job at the free throw line, including taking advantage of a flagrant-1 foul following a steal.
• Matt Cappelletti (NCC): 8-11 FG (3-6 3PT), 2-2 FT; 21 pts, 8 reb (1 off), 1 blk, 1 stl. Last night snapped a four game streak of double digit rebounds for the freshman, but he still did a good job on the glass and made up for falling two short of a double-double by having his best offensive game to date. He hit some key threes in the second half to help put Carroll away. I'm starting to think Cappelletti is the heir apparent to Kevin Honn as the forward "super sub" once Connor Raridon comes back.
• Alex Sorenson (NCC): 9-13 FG (1-2 3PT), 3-3 FT; 22 pts, 6 reb (3 off), 1 ast, 1 blk. What's astounding about this stat line: Sorenson accomplished this stat line in just 26 minutes, and he sat for an overwhelming majoring of the final 11-plus minutes with four fouls. He was in and out a few times after that as part of offense-defense substitutions, but the best part of this win was that they really didn't need him all that much to come away with the victory.
• Carroll: 8-17 3PT (47.1%). I'm adding this as a fourth stat because it's key to the game. Carroll is a team of shooters, and that's a big reason why they controlled the first half. They hit six of 10 threes in the first half before cooling off and only hitting two of seven in the second half. Credit the Cardinals' defense for making adjustments to stop Carroll's strength.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• Augustana 59 (16-4, 9-2), @ Wheaton 57 (8-11, 4-6)
• Carthage 93 (14-6, 7-4), @ Elmhurst 91 (6-14, 2-9) (OT)
• Illinois Wesleyan 65 (13-6, 5-5), @ Millikin 53 (3-17, 1-10)
• Millikin is eliminated from CCIW Tournament contention.
• BYE: North Park (15-4, 8-2)
• WBK: NCC BYE (10-9, 4-6)

Final Thoughts
This was a fairly chippy game, as Erwin Henry received a technical for what he said was a simple hand wave in the second half. The coaches also traded barbs, as during the second half after a foul call questioned by Todd Raridon, there was a wet spot on the floor that needed to be wiped up. Carroll's team manager went out to wipe it down, as did Raridon, with an official nearby. Pioneer head coach Paul Combs yelled over something to the effect of "Your school has 3000 students and you don't have a manager?" Raridon responded that his manager was upstairs filming the game. After the floor was wiped off, Combs thanked his manager, and Raridon chirped back, "I was out here too, are you going to thank me?" Combs answered in the negative, and for a split second I thought we might have a coach fight. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed.

This is a big win for the Cardinals, who even up the season series with the Pioneers, but Carroll still holds the tiebreaker thanks to an earlier win over North Park. Nonetheless, the Cardinals are in a tie for that fourth and final spot in the CCIW Tournament after their third straight win, all at home. It doesn't get any easier for North Central though, as four of their last five are on the road. They have a very tough one coming up on Saturday at North Park, with the Cardinals needing a win there to boost their chances at making the postseason.

A Second Run Through the Gauntlet

This is a feature I've run almost annually since I started Confessions of a Sportscaster, but it's the first year with nine teams. I think that means we're getting this started a few days earlier than we have been. Of course, I'm also writing this a couple days after we got through the first CCIW runthrough.

CCIW play is a double round robin, so every team in the conference plays everyone else twice: once at home and once on the road. There were a few quirks this season where some teams have played five games at home or on the road in conference, but for the most part most teams have played four at home and four on the road. The rest of the way, the sites flip. So with that in mind, let's have a look at the CCIW standings and how North Central looks going into the second half.

Game Notes: Carroll University @ North Central College (12/8/15)

Final Score
NCC 109, Carroll 81

Game Summary
After a ten day layoff, the Cardinals (3-3) went unorthodox on offense, driving the lane and getting layups to take the early lead. The Pioneers (3-5) hung tough early and only trailed 21-15 after the first quarter. North Central went cold for much of the early second quarter and Carroll took advantage, eventually taking a 30-29 lead midway through the frame. The Cardinals didn't give up, continuing to attack the basket and retook control, but only led 42-39 going into the break. The Cardinals made adjustments in the second half though while also starting to hit their trees, building a 75-56 lead through three quarters and topping the century mark with under three minutes left in the game.

Key Stats

• NCC: 60 points in the paint. I was caught off guard by this strategy to start the game, but Coach Roof said afterward that Carroll was tightly guarding the perimeter and forcing the Cardinals to go inside. That seemed to suit North Central just fine; they looked quicker pretty much all game. They got a good post contribution while at the same time, they got great dribble penetration by the guards all game. It shows that this team isn't just a one trick pony.
• Therese Pettersson (NCC): 8-14 FG, 1-2 FT; 17 pts, 5 reb (3 off), 2 ast. I was worried coming into the season that we wouldn't have a go to person down low. T might have taken the torch left by Tess Godhardt officially last night, as she looked fantastic on the blocks. I'm excited for her future with this team.
• Malory Christenson (CRRLL): 12-22 FG, 6-8 FT; 30 pts, 14 reb (6 off), 4 ast, 1 blk. The forwards always seem to be the beneficiaries for opponents against this system, as Christenson took advantage of multiple layup opportunities and also hit some jumpers while having a great night on the glass.

North Central System Watch

• Carroll Turnovers: 30. Another day at the office, this total really picked up as the game went along and Carroll started to tire. The Cardinals picked up 18 steals on the night, paced by Paula Zerante's five. North Central also forced a ten second call as well as one backcourt violation.
• NCC 3PT: 11-38 (28.9%). The season average goes up a tad, though it took a while. The Cardinals hit just two of their 17 threes in the first half, some way off. They then got hot in the second half going 9-21, which was a big factor in their pulling away for the win.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 1. Anita Sterling picked up her third charge at home, though I'm not sure what happened out in Colorado. Either way I'm pretty sure she's in the lead on the team by a lot.

Final Thoughts
I need to get used to this matchup; this is the conclusion of a home-and-home series, but the Pioneers are joining the CCIW next season, so we'll be seeing them every year from here on out.

It's fun to watch for the expressions of opponents whenever they play the Cardinals. You could tell in the fourth quarter that Carroll was done. They looked absolutely gassed and maybe a tad frustrated, but they showed heart to the end. I have to tip my cap.

The Cardinals are on the road this weekend to complete a home-and -home from last year with Wisconsin-Eau Claire (that game was fun), but will be back home next Thursday in the Battle of Chicago Avenue against Benedictine. I'll have another Game Notes tomorrow though, as the North Central men complete a home-and-home from last year and take on defending national champion Wisconsin-Stevens Point.