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 (WBK): Millikin University @ North Central College (2/13/21)

Final Score
NCC 68, Millikin 55

Game Summary
Celebrating Senior Day on Saturday, it was the seniors who led an early Cardinal (1-6) surge to build a 10-4 lead. The Big Blue (5-3) responded with a 10-0 run and seemed poised to take a narrow lead into the second quarter, with a late Cardinal layup making it 16-14 Millikin ten minutes in. The Big Blue followed that up with an 8-2 run to open the second quarter to build an eight point lead, but the Cardinals fought back, scoring nine straight to retake the lead, then trading threes with Millikin. A late jumper cut the Cardinal lead to one, but a late three gave North Central a four point cushion going into the locker room. The Cardinals were able to push their lead to double digits briefly late in the quarter, but a late Big Blue surge cut it to five going into the final frame. An immediate layup made it a one possession game again, but the Cardinals responded with a three, and after five straight from the Big Blue cut it back to one, North Central closed it out with a decisive 13-2 run over six and a half minutes to claim their first victory of the season.

Key Players

• Haydn Braun (NCC): 5-11 FG (1-4 3PT), 9-10 FT; 20 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl. I feel like in a lot of games, layups are this team's Kryptonite, but they hit on Saturday, led by the senior point guard. Her one three came at a critical time, and she was able to get to the basket almost at will. Her 20 points are a season high, and aren't far off her career high of 23 from a year ago.
• Bekah Foley (NCC): 6-14 FG (3-5 3PT), 4-6 FT; 19 pts, 3 reb (2 off), 1 blk, 2 stl. Bekah's defense has been really good this season, but she brought it at the other end of the floor on Saturday. Her outside shot was falling, including at some critical moments as well, and she still provided some excellent defense too. A fitting Senior Day for her.
• Jordan Hildebrand (MIL): 2-9 FG; 4 pts, 9 reb (3 off), 5 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl. It could be argued that this line should go to Millikin's phenom freshman Elyce Knudsen (15 points on 6-16 shooting), but Hildebrand has been the top player for the Big Blue the past couple years... and the Cardinals completely shut her down offensively. Hildebrand didn't score until getting the lone basket during the Cardinals' late clinching run, and she added one more in what was effectively garbage time. She still found ways to get involved, leading her team in rebounding and distributing the ball effectively, but this was probably her worst shooting night in recent history.

Key Stats

• NCC: 20 points off 18 Millikin turnovers. Millikin did not take good care of the ball on Saturday; they threw a handful of passes out of bounds, got whistled for a few traveling calls and such, while the Cardinals only recorded five steals. But the Cardinals capitalized on their chances, while Millikin managed just eight points off 12 Cardinal giveaways.
• MIL: 4-21 3PT (19.0%). The Big Blue have been struggling to shoot the ball of late; they've been below 36 percent shooting on the whole from the field each of the past three games (Saturday included), but it was the three point shooting that really killed them. For the season, Millikin is at 29 percent from beyond the arc, and Saturday didn't help.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ WHE 47 (7-1), CAR 40 (0-6)
• @ ELM 78 (2-5), CRL 51 (4-2)
• AUG (3-1) @ IWU (3-1)- PPD
• BYE: NPU (3-3)
• MBK: @ MIL 59 (1-6), NCC 45 (4-3)

Final Thoughts

Photo by Steve Woltmann

The Cardinals have been in every game thus far this season, with the exception of the Illinois Wesleyan game the week before, and should have more wins than just the one they have now. But they finally put together a full, complete game, and it was great to see them pull out a win, especially against a Millikin team that was ranked 13th in the country. That it happened on a Senior Day with some of the parents in attendance was even better.

The Cardinals have five games left this season, including a makeup date with Illinois Wesleyan down in Bloomington to be played in about a week. That is sandwiched between home-and-homes with Carthage (this week) and Wheaton (next week). The Carthage matchup is against a team that is the only winless one in the conference, but they're also better than what their record says they are, especially with as well as they played Wheaton on Saturday. Speaking of the Thunder, NCC gets another crack at ending the long drought against them to close out the year.

Game Notes (MBK): Millikin University @ North Central College (2/11/21)

Final Score
NCC 62, Millikin 58

Game Summary
The Big Blue (0-6) got off to a pretty good start in this one, scoring the game's first five points, before the Cardinals (4-2) woke up with a 10-0 run to take the lead. Millikin managed to keep it close for much of the half, and even took a three point lead with about eight and a half to play, but after a North Central timeout to stop the bleeding, the Cardinals scored 13 unanswered to take command, and a late three gave the Cardinals a nine point halftime advantage. The Cardinals took a game-high 11 point lead less than a minute into the second half, but again the Big Blue fought back with a 7-0 run to keep it close, pulling within three once before another Cardinal surge got the lead back to double digits with seven and a half to play. Still Millikin refused to give in, as they fought back to keep it close, but would get no closer than three with just four seconds remaining, and a split of a pair of free throws in the final seconds sealed the deal for the Cardinals.

Key Players

• Blaise Meredith (NCC): 7-14 FG (2-8 3PT), 2-3 FT; 18 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast. Blaise has bounced back nicely from his second half sitdown a couple weeks ago, and while his night from deep wasn't great, he hit a couple big threes in the first half, and did make the most of his drives to the hoop, with the Big Blue having a tough time defending him. He could have easily had more had he not settled for some stepback threes early in the shot clock. Alas.
• Will Clausel (NCC): 4-7 FG (2-4 3PT); 10 pts, 5 reb (2 off), 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl. Will got his first start of the season in this one after missing the first couple of games. He did his usual good defense against some pretty talented interior guys for Millikin, but he saved his scoring chops for the end of the game. All ten of his points came after halftime, and he more or less capped the night off with back to back drives for layups that each time pushed the Cardinal lead back to seven points and all but sealed the deal.
• Andy McLaughlin (NCC): 2-5 FG, 3-4 FT; 7 pts, 4 reb. There were a couple Millikin guys who scored in double figures, but I wanted to touch on NCC's newest toy. After spending basically the past season and a half more or less playing small ball (and being able to get away with it because Connor Raridon is his own type of once-in-a-generation player) the Cardinals finally trotted out some size in the form of the 6'7" transfer from Augustana. McLaughlin made his Cardinal debut in this one, and played pretty well in 15 minutes of action to the delight of the entire Cardinal bench. He used his size well down low, hit a couple layups, played some solid defense, and ultimately gave the Cardinals a dimension that will help them going forward.

Key Stats

• NCC: Outscored MIL 10-7 in second chance points. I could have gone a number of different ways here. The Cardinals won the battle in the paint 26-20, 9-7 off turnovers, and 16-13 off the bench. But I highlight second chance points because the Cardinals made the most of their chances. They had five offensive rebounds leading to ten points. The Big Blue had ten offensive rebounds, and had fewer points off those rebounds. In a tight game like these, these types of points matter, and the Cardinals won every category.
• MIL: 7-25 3PT (28.0%). Millikin didn't shoot great as a whole (36.2% from the field), and free throws were about even (low 60's for both teams), but this to me seems like the major difference. Calvin Fisher went 2-9 from deep for the Big Blue, and he's probably their best guy, and while he still led the way with 16 points, an off night from deep meant his team couldn't get over the hump.

CCIW Scoreboard/The Belt^TM Watch

• CRL 72 (2-2), @ ELM 70 (0-1)
• Carroll takes possession of The Belt^TM
• @ WHE 69 (6-0), NPU 59 (1-6)
• IWU (2-0) @ AUG (3-2)- PPD
• BYE: CAR (3-2)
• WBK: @ MIL 74 (5-2), NCC 62 (0-6)

Final Thoughts

Photo by Mark Black

First of all, it's great to have The Belt^TM back in action, even though it was in another game being played a few miles away. For the first time in 349 days, It^TM changes hands, too. Carroll gains possession for the first time in the Modern Era. For full history of The Belt^TM, you'll have to check out D3Boards (or something of a Cliffnotes version I wrote a year ago).

As for this game, I'm a little torn. The Cardinals had control for most of it, but didn't really dominate in the sense that you'd think of, especially against a team they've now beaten 11 times in a row. But the Cardinals made enough plays down the stretch, including a decent performance at the line, to hang on and stay unbeaten at home.

Credit this Big Blue team, though: they're way better than their 0-6 record indicates, and I think they'll be up for the rematch on Saturday down in Decatur. And when fans are allowed again, I need to make a road trip to the Griswold Center; their new floor is awesome.

2020 CCIW Women's Basketball Tournament Preview

I'm trying to get these out a little earlier this year. For one thing, North Central is playing Tuesday, so I need to preview that. For another... the fact that this is now a six team tournament means I want to get with the program a little quicker.

This is actually the second year that the CCIW has used the expanded tournament; in prior years this was a four-team affair, but the six team group gives more teams a chance not only for an automatic bid, but also to bolster their resumes for at large selection into the NCAA Tournament.

So below I'm going to preview the entire CCIW Tournament field. I'm only putting the weekend site on here; the weekend part of the tournament hasn't changed in that the conference champion hosts the semifinals and finals, but the past couple years the Tuesday play-in games have had higher seeds host.

One More to Go: A CCIW Update

The regular season concludes tomorrow for the CCIW... which means we have to look at how the CCIW Tournament races are shaping up.

This is an annual feature for me where I look at all the different clinching scenarios. Earlier this week I had thought about trying to crunch numbers with two games to go for odds of each team getting certain tournament seeds. The math proved to be a little too much for me, but I will include the numbers here now that there's just one game to go and the math becomes much more simple.

As usual, a lot of the tournament spots have been claimed already, but seeding is all still well up for grabs. I consider it the advantage in Year Two of having a six team tournament instead of only four. Let's have a look.

Game Notes: (MBK) Millikin University @ North Central College (1/25/20)

Final Score
NCC 90, Millikin 55

Game Summary
This was a contest for maybe the first ten minutes or so as, despite giving up the opening basket, the Big Blue (4-14, 1-8) got out to an early 9-4 lead. But The Belt^TM-holding Cardinals (15-3, 8-1) retook a two point lead at 16-14, and after Millikin tied the game at 16 with 10:24 to play, we figured we'd be in for more of the same the rest of the half. But then the Cardinals went on an 8-0 run, forcing a Big Blue timeout, and after a couple free throws by them, a 12-0 Cardinal run put North Central in total command, as they took a 41-21 lead into the locker room. The Big Blue scored the first basket of the second half, but then never trailed by less than 20 after that point. A second chance dunk with just under seven to play served as the dagger, allowing Todd Raridon to call off the dogs, and the guys on the end of the bench got into the party as well.

Key Players

• Connor Raridon (NCC): 4-7 FG (1-1 3PT), 5-5 FT; 14 pts, 8 reb (3 off), 8 ast. Ho hum. Connor did a majority of his damage (8-4-3) before halftime, with all eight of his points coming late in the half as the Cardinals were putting the Big Blue away early. His eight rebounds were a game-high, as were the assist numbers (more on that shortly).
• Blaise Meredith (NCC): 4-6 FG (3-4 3PT), 1-1 FT; 12 pts, 2 reb (1 off), 1 ast, 2 stl. If Wednesday against Augie was Meredith's coming out party for the year, Saturday was a confirmation that he is indeed back, which might spell trouble for the rest of the CCIW. Other than his 5-8 day up in Kenosha back in December, this might have been Blaise's best outside shooting performance of the season to date, and he continued to wreak havoc on the defensive end as well. If he's truly back... look out.
• Sam Stichnote (MIL): 7-8 FG (1-2 3PT), 0-1 FT; 15 pts, 5 reb (1 off), 1 ast. The Big Blue freshman had himself a pretty good game in this one. He hit one three early in this one, then went off in the second half as the only real offensive threat for Millikin. His five rebounds were also a team high. He gives the Big Blue a good piece to help build around for the future.

Key Stats

• NCC: 25 assists. I could have gone a few different ways here: the Cardinals shot 50 percent from both the field (30-60) and beyond the arc (16-32), but the assist numbers have to be mentioned. That's 25 assists on 30 field goals, which is a ridiculous level of efficiency that was really only topped by assisting on 40 of 47 against Greenville earlier this year... which of course comes with an asterisk. That 25 assist number also needs to be put in the context of the Cardinals committing just five turnovers all game. That's a 5:1 ratio, which is absurd.
• MIL: 14 turnovers. In context, 14 turnovers isn't a ton for a 40 minute men's basketball game. It's a little high, but I usually wait to criticize it when you get closer to 20. But when those 14 turnovers lead directly to 24 Cardinal points... that's a problem. And of those 14 turnovers, eight came off Cardinal steals, which also didn't help.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• ELM 98 (17-1, 8-1), @ NPU 73 (3-15, 1-8)
• AUG 69 (12-6, 6-3), @ CRL 65 (9-9, 2-7)
• WHE 67 (12-6, 6-3), @ CAR 65 (11-7, 3-6)
• Bye- IWU (11-6, 5-3)
• WBK: MIL 74 (12-6, 5-4), @ NCC 73 (8-10, 4-5)
• WBK: @ NPU 57 (15-3, 8-1), ELM 38 (7-11, 2-7)
• WBK: AUG 69 (9-9, 4-5), @ CRL 56 (6-11, 2-7)
• WBK: WHE 68 (13-5, 6-3), @ CAR 57 (8-10, 3-6)
• WBK: Bye- IWU (12-5, 6-2)

Final Thoughts

I didn't really touch much on The Belt^TM in this one. I almost feel like I'm taking It^TM for granted, now that it's taken up residence in Naperville for almost three weeks. But It^TM seems to have taken a liking here for now, as the Cardinals have won 11 in a row, including four straight Belt^TM defenses.

This game was kind of a must-win with Elmhurst routing North Park earlier in the day, so the Cardinals keep pace in the race for the top of the conference. It was actually a day full of chalk, so things stay more or less the same as we come to the end of January. The Cardinals still hold the tiebreaker over Elmhurst at the moment with a head-to-head victory, which means that February 8th is getting furiously circled on my calendar as that's when the Blue Jays come calling.

But we can't look ahead too far yet. The Cardinals are off to Bloomington on Wednesday to take on Illinois Wesleyan. The Cardinals won the first matchup between the two, taking The Belt^TM in the process, and have won four straight down at the Shirk Center, including a thrilling comeback last season. Elmhurst, for its part, is off to Rock Island for a rematch with Augustana, so if there's ever a chance to get a little breathing room... this might be it.

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.

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: (MBK) Millikin University @ North Central College (12/1/18)

Final Score
NCC 75, Millikin 64

Game Summary
The Big Blue (4-2, 0-1) got their lineup in on time this year, so they started infinitely better than they did in last season's matchup. They even stayed in it despite the Cardinals (5-0, 1-0) scoring the game's first four points. North Central seemed in control early, leading by as many as eight at 16-8 before the Big Blue climbed back into it with a couple threes, and they even grabbed a 21-20 lead with 6:45 to play. But the lead lasted all of 17 seconds as a couple free throws gave North Central the lead back, and they wouldn't look back, pushing the lead to 38-29 at the break. The Big Blue pushed the deficit down to five early in the second half, but a 9-2 Cardinal run gave control firmly back to the hosts, with the lead stretching as high as 17 a few times before the final buzzer sounded.

Key Players

• Connor Raridon (NCC): 7-9 FG (1-2 3PT), 3-4 FT; 18 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl. It was another pretty good floor game for Raridon, as he had a very efficient day shooting the ball, mostly on fallaways, but he also did a great job sharing the ball and played solid defense all game.
• Matt Cappelletti (NCC): 5-14 FG (0-5 3PT), 4-6 FT; 14 pts, 9 reb (4 off), 5 ast. Cap didn't have his best shooting game in this one as he missed all his outside looks, but he found a way to still have an impact, getting to the basket, making some free throws, and distributing the ball. The fact that he was the leading rebounder from both teams helped, too.
• Elijah Henry (MIL): 5-9 FG (1-1 3PT), 5-6 FT; 16 pts, 6 reb (3 off), 1 ast, 1 stl. Henry was probably the best guy on the floor for the Big Blue tonight with an efficient 16 points, 11 of which came in the second half. He was also their leading rebounder, but did commit three turnovers in the losing effort. Even so, a solid game all-around for him.

Key Stats

• NCC: 5-18 3PT (27.8%). This team continues to have some struggles occasionally shooting the ball, but it didn't hurt them tonight. It was just odd to see Cap go 0-5, Mike Pollack go 0-2, and no player make more than one. The shots will fall as the season goes on, so I'm not too worried here.
• MIL: 21-24 FT (87.5%). This was really what kept Millikin in the game, especially in the first half. They went 7-8 at the line in the first 20 minutes, and while they didn't really get anyone from North Central in foul trouble in that half, that was what helped keep the game close. Even late in the contest, they were able to keep it a respectable margin based on a good night at the line.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ IWU 75 (7-0, 1-0), CAR 67 (3-4, 0-1) (OT)
• @ NPU 68 (2-6, 1-0), WHE  65 (5-2, 0-1)
• @ AUG 68 (5-1, 1-0), CRL 56 (2-4, 0-1)
• Bye: UW-Oshkosh 68, @ ELM 57 (2-3, 0-0)

Final Thoughts

Millikin, on the whole, looked pretty good tonight, all things considered. They definitely showed they're deserving of their record. North Central, meanwhile, continues to go possibly under the radar a little bit. They're undefeated, albeit against not the strongest schedule, but wins are wins, and you take them how you can get them (ask Illinois Wesleyan tonight; they'd agree). But the Cardinals gritted this one out with good defense and making some easy shots inside.

North Central continues its homestand on Wednesday as they welcome Carroll back to Merner for the first time since the Cardinals blew a 20 point lead to the Pioneers last year. They'll follow that up with North Park at home a week from tonight, who you can't sleep on since they beat Wheaton.

Game Notes: (WBK) Millikin University @ North Central College (12/1/18)

Final Score
Millikin 73, NCC 69

Game Summary
The Cardinals (1-4, 0-1) got the early jump in this one, scoring the game's first three points, but the Big Blue (2-5, 1-0) got their offense going into high gear, following that up with a 13-2 run to take control of the game and led 18-9 after one. North Central fell apart, committing some mind-boggling turnovers while Millikin took advantage, leading 37-15 late in the half before the Cardinals scored the quarter's final five points. North Central came out invigorated in the second half though, scoring eight straight to get back into the contest. Millikin would push the lead back as high as 15, but the Cardinals fought back to make it a 54-48 game after three. The Big Blue would push the lead back as high as 12 in the final frame, but the Cardinals went on a 13-2 stretch spanning five minutes to get the lead down to one, though a missed free throw kept the Big Blue in front, and Millikin made enough shots in the final two minutes to escape with a road victory.

Key Players

• Aubrey Staton (MIL): 4-9 FG (3-6 3PT), 6-8 FT; 17 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk, 1 stl. There were a few key players I could have gone with for the Big Blue, but Staton led the team in scoring, and she had three of the four Millikin blocks in this game. The fact that she was able to hit outside shots was a big help for Millikin.
• Alanna Newsome (NCC): 9-22 FG(3-9 3PT), 3-6 FT; 24 pts, 2 reb, 1 stl. Newsome was a spark plug off the bench, especially in the second half, when she scored 18 of her game-high 24 points. The free throws are a little concerning, but it's still early in the season.
• Tyonne Howard (NCC): 5-18 FG (1-3 3PT), 1-2 FT; 12 pts, 1 reb, 6 ast, 6 stl. Howard was a mixed bag tonight; the shooting numbers weren't great, as she missed a few looks at the rim, but hit some shots when the team needed her to. She committed eight turnovers, which is high, but she's a freshman, and she makes up for it by distributing the ball well and wreaking some havoc defensively.

Key Stats

• NCC: 17-25 FT (68.0%). This mark is a little higher than their season average coming in, and shooting at this mark is an acceptable number in a vacuum. But when you lose by four, I can't help but look at these numbers. Even making three or four of these changes how the game ends to some degree.
• MIL: 31 turnovers. This is an absurd number, reminiscent of the System years. They were actually pretty evenly distributed (15 in the first half, 16 in the second half), but this is a mind-boggling number for a team that won. Maybe even more mind-boggling: senior guard Yanni Sadler had 14 of these turnovers. The Cardinals got 12 of these off steals, while there were a number of travels called in this one.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ IWU 85 (5-2, 1-0), CAR 71 (3-2, 0-1)
• WHE 81 (4-2, 1-0), @ NPU 32 (3-4, 0-1)
• @ AUG 69 (4-3, 1-0), CRL 56 (3-4, 0-1)
• Bye: Chicago 73, @ ELM 54 (3-3, 0-0)

Final Thoughts

My dad attended tonight's game, and at halftime we agreed that the first half was probably the worst half of basketball we'd ever seen. For me, it was a matter of context too: I would have expected to be losing that badly against the Wheaton's or Illinois Wesleyan's of the world, but not against Millikin. Both North Central coach Maggie McCloskey-Bax and Millikin coach Olivia Lett after the game noted that it was "a tale of two halves," which it absolutely was.

Coach Bax's general thought about it was that it turned into an exciting game, but being down 22 was too much. But she followed that up with "We're young, we'll get there," which is absolutely right. This team has some good pieces; they just need to put a complete game together.

It doesn't get much easier this coming week, with a trip to Augustana on the docket. But the Cardinals follow that up with another home Saturday date, this time against North Park.

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) Millikin University @ North Central College (1/24/18)

Final Score
NCC 75, Millikin 49

Game Summary
This game had a very unique start, as the Big Blue (8-10, 1-8) were assessed an administrative technical foul before the opening tip due to their failure to submit their starting lineup on time. Mike Pollack sank the technical free throw to put the Cardinals (13-5, 6-3) on top from the very get-go, and it was all North Central from there. The Cardinals opened the game on a 12-0 run, technical free throw included, and kept it up defensively en route to a 17-2 lead eight minutes in. The Big Blue started to get some offense going after that stretch but couldn't survive an all out barrage from beyond the arc, as the Cardinals pushed the lead as high as 21 before taking a 44-25 lead into the break. Millikin came out of the locker room reasonably strong, cutting North Central's lead to 13, but the Cardinals pulled away again, pushing the lead back to 20 about six minutes later. The Cardinals would lead by as many as 27, with Todd Raridon calling off the dogs in the final couple minutes.

Key Stats

• NCC: 17-40 3PT (42.5%). This was the major storyline of the game for the Cardinals. Faced with a changing zone defense from Millikin (they started with a 3-2, went to a 1-3-1 for a while before returning to that base 3-2), the Cardinals opted for a long range barrage from beyond the arc. It was incredibly effective, as the Cardinals finished the first half 11-20 from deep. They cooled off in the second half, but it was still an effective weapon. Their 17 threes set a new program record.
• Matt Cappelletti (NCC): 7-13 FG (5-10 3PT), 0-1 FT; 19 pts, 7 reb (2 off), 2 ast. On a night where Alex Sorenson was held in check (8 points on 3-8 shooting, but a game high 9 rebounds), Cap was the main offensive force for the Cardinals, burying multiple corner threes to help the Cardinals pull away early in this one. He also did a good job on the glass, with the second highest rebounding total on the team and matching Millikin's best rebounder.
• Korbin Farmer (MIL): 5-5 FG; 10 pts, 3 reb (1 off), 1 ast, 1 blk. Farmer had an excellent game off the bench for the Big Blue, doing a good job defensively down low on guys like Alex Sorenson while also contributing a perfect shooting day on the offensive end. He had a good blend of jumpers and post moves to get to double figures.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• AUG 86 (15-3, 7-2), @ WHE 84 (13-5, 6-3)
• IWU 93 (15-3, 8-1), @ ELM 76 (11-7, 4-5)
• CRL 84 (6-12, 2-7), @ NPU 66 (4-13, 1-8)
• Bye: CAR (10-7, 5-3)
• WBK: @ IWU 108 (16-2, 9-0), NCC 54 (4-14, 2-7)

Final Thoughts

As I mentioned up in the Game Summary, I've never seen a start to the game like last night's. Per the NCAA rulebook, rosters and starting lineups must be entered into the official scorebook by the ten minute mark of warmups. Our official scorer always gets the rosters in in time, but we make sure the coaches get the lineups in by that time. At about the 16 minute mark, he asked their head coach, who said he was still thinking about it. Granted, Millikin was missing its top scorer Elijah Henry last night, and that threw a monkey wrench into things, but you have to be aware of that rule. The scorer even went to check outside their locker room to see if an assistant was out there to come mark starters down in time, but no one was there. As such, they were assessed an administrative technical foul before the opening tip, which resulted in one free throw. Mike Pollack came out to take that free throw and immediately went back to the bench, which is allowed by the rule. I've only worked one other game where an administrative tech was called (a women's game a few years back where I think NCC didn't have correct uniform numbers for some of the players), so this is pretty rare.

Big picture wise, this was a game the Cardinals needed to win after a tough loss at Elmhurst this past Saturday. Millikin hasn't been very good this season, and you have to defend your home court, especially against an inferior team. The Cardinals did this last night, although they did commit more turnovers than they probably should have. They could get away with it last night, but they won't on Saturday, as they welcome Elmhurst to Gregory Arena for a revenge game.

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.

Game Notes: (WBK) Millikin University @ North Central College (1/10/18)

Final Score
NCC 91, Millikin 78

Game Summary
This was a little nerve wracking at the very beginning as the Big Blue (5-10, 0-6) jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but the Cardinals (4-10, 2-3) had an answer with a 12-2 run to grab the lead. It was fairly back and forth from there, with the Cardinals leading 20-18 after one. North Central led for a chunk of the second quarter but couldn't pull away, and the Big Blue took control in the latter part of the frame, leading by as many as five before taking a 39-37 lead into the locker room. Millikin opened the second quarter strong with an 8-2 run to push their lead to eight and got it as high as nine with 4:14 left in the stanza. But the Cardinals answered with an 11-0 run to get back into the contest, though they would trail 56-55 after three due to a foul at the buzzer. The teams traded the lead a time or two early in the frame, with Millikin grabbing its final lead with 6:36 to play before a 13-2 Cardinal run effectively sealed the deal. The Big Blue padded the final score with a ton of fouls in the final two and a half minutes but were unable to mount a comeback.

Key Stats

• Mayson Whipple (NCC): 11-19 FG (5-11 3PT), 9-10 FT; 36 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl. Mayson's had some decent games this year after coming back from that knee injury, but this was far and away her best. She was able to get to the basket with ease and added an excellent stepback game from beyond the arc. She ended up padding her final totals thanks to Millikin going foul happy late en route to a tie for the third-highest scoring game in program history.
• Michaela Reedy (NCC): 6-6 FG (5-5 3PT), 2-2 FT; 19 pts, 7 reb (1 off), 1 ast, 1 stl. Fun background story in this one: apparently Michaela's boyfriend bet her ice cream depending on her scoring output last night; ten points and it was his treat. Needless to say, he's paying up after one of the best outputs I've ever seen. She hit three in the early going of this one and put me on record watch, but she only played 20 minutes in this one and didn't get a ton of opportunities, but she made the most of them.
• Yanni Sadler (MIL): 9-14 FG (0-3 3PT), 5-7 FT; 23 pts, 4 reb (1 off), 4 ast, 3 stl. Sadler did a good job getting to the rim and running Millikin's offense last night, while also wreaking some defensive havoc with the three steals. She couldn't really stop Whipple on the other end, but all in all had a good game.

North Central "System" Watch

• Millikin Turnovers: 23. North Central's full court pressure did its job in this one as they harassed Millikin into a fair number of turnovers. This total includes a shot clock violation early where Millikin failed to get a shot off when inbounding with three seconds to go, an inexcusable ten second count in the backcourt, and a five second inbounding call. Of the remaining 20, ten came on steals, with Mayson Whipple and Jessica Dahle each posting three.
• NCC 3PT: 14-33 (42.4%). After an abysmal shooting performance four days ago up at Carroll, the Cardinals absolutely caught fire in this one. Michaela Reedy was a big part of this, but you had Whipple's excellent game combined with pretty good performances from other players as well. You're going to have games like this here and there, and if they can keep it up, they can get back into a competitive race.
• NCC FT: 19-27 (70.4%). I think it's very important to note here that these numbers are somewhat skewed. The Cardinals were around their season average through three quarters with a 4-7 night, a 57.1 percent clip. But with Millikin fouling a ton in the final couple minutes, in particular fouling players on the Cardinals who are good free throw shooters, brought this number up significantly. The Cardinals' season clip improves greatly as they're almost up to 60 percent for the year, but they need to keep this up.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• ELM 65 (8-7, 4-2), @ NPU 53 (8-6, 3-2)
• @ WHE 73 (10-4, 4-2), AUG 56 (9-5, 2-3)
• CAR 66 (9-5, 2-3), @ CRL 53 (5-9, 2-3)
• Bye: IWU (12-2, 5-0)
• MBK: NCC 71 (10-4, 4-2), @ MIL 54 (8-7, 1-5)

Final Thoughts

I talked with Michelle Roof after the game, who lamented the lost opportunity this past Saturday up in Waukesha (the Cliff Notes: NCC fell behind by a bunch early but fought back, held Carroll to three second half field goals but missed their last 11 field goals and lost by eight). She said they needed this one, which they absolutely did, and while it wasn't necessarily pretty at times, they got the job done. Mayson Whipple looked like her old self and Michaela Reedy got free ice cream, as the Cardinals took care of business. They've lost both of their road conference dates but are 2-1 against CCIW opponents in Gregory Arena.

The win puts them in a four way tie for fifth place, just one game back of North Park for the fourth and final CCIW Tournament spot. I feel like this team is starting to figure things out and they're going to be a tough opponent the rest of the way, but it's not easy coming up. The Cardinals welcome in Wheaton on Saturday, a team that's won 16 straight against the Cardinals. I keep saying it every year, but hopefully this time things will be different.

Game Notes: (WBK) Millikin University @ North Central College (2/8/17)

Final Score
NCC 89, Millikin 73

Game Summary
The outcome of this game wasn't in a ton of doubt, as the Cardinals (11-10, 5-7) caught fire from beyond the arc early, hitting three straight threes to open up a seven point lead. But the Big Blue (9-13, 3-10) hung around a bit, narrowing the gap to four before the Cardinals caught fire again, leading by as many as 13 before finishing the quarter up 28-20. The Cardinals scored the first three points of the second quarter, but went on a little dry spell as Millikin pulled back within six before the Cardinals pushed the lead back to double digits. The Big Blue scored the final five points of the half to make it 47-39 going into the break. Millikin actually made it a one possession game at one point at 49-46 before going on an extended 17-4 run to break the game open. The Big Blue got the lead down to five early in the fourth quarter, but would get no closer as the Cardinals pulled away late.

Key Stats

• Anita Sterling (NCC): 6-15 FG (5-11 3PT), 4-6 FT; 21 pts, 7 reb (1 off), 2 blk, 3 stl. On the night of a rare start, it looked early on like it was going to be a record breaking night for Anita, as she was absolutely unconscious from outside. She hit her first four looks from deep, missed one, then hit another late in the opening quarter. I looked up the school records in the second quarter to prepare to mention a record night in terms of made threes, but Anita struggled the rest of the night from deep. Fortunately, she did some damage driving and at the line, and was a force on defense and on the glass as well.
• Jamie Cuny (NCC): 5-13 FG (3-10 3PT), 3-3 FT; 16 pts, 7 reb (4 off). Jamie wasn't able to block a shot last night, but she picked up Anita's slack when she got cold from deep. She struggled early on, but started to hit her shots as the game went on, and was a relatively steadying force at the free throw line, something this team has lacked much of the year.
• Emily Schultz (MIL): 14-21 FG, 1-2 FT; 29 pts, 8 reb (3 off), 1 blk. Schultz pretty much singlehandedly kept the Big Blue in the game. She was able to consistently get good looks out of traps, and despite some contested shots, was constantly hitting 10-foot jumpers. I do think she started to tire a little as the game went on as she started to miss a little bit, and eventually fouled out with about a minute and a half to play.

North Central System Watch

• Millikin Turnovers: 35. This was one of two keys that kept Millikin from being able to get over the hump. They struggled all night against the press, getting a bunch of unforced turnovers, but the Cardinals were able to log 16 steals, led by three apiece from Sterling and Selena Juarez, while Natali Dimitrova and Maddie McHugh each recorded two. Millikin also turned the ball over on a pair of five second calls and a ten second call (though they probably should have had more five second calls; one of the baseline officials was ridiculously slow in his five count). This number is also a little padded by a backcourt violation on the Big Blue that was an atrocious call, as the Millikin player stole the ball and successfully navigated the time line.
• NCC 3PT: 16-52 (30.8%). Given the team's struggles for significant stretches this season, I'll take a 30 percent night. This was actually the other factor that ensured the Cardinals emerged victorious last night. With Anita Sterling shooting incredibly well early on, the Cardinals got out to that early advantage, and they were able to hit some timely threes as the game went on.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 1. Guess who? Anita Sterling drew one in the second quarter that drew some ire from Millikin coach Lori Kerans, who wanted the same calls down at the other end of the floor, where North Central was able to get to the line a couple times on plays that could have possibly been called charges against the Cardinals.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ Wheaton 67 (17-4, 10-2), Augustana 63 (15-7, 8-5)
• @ Elmhurst 75 (17-5, 9-4), Carthage 58 (12-9, 6-6)
• Illinois Wesleyan 89 (15-6, 10-2), @ North Park 62 (11-11, 4-9)
• North Park is eliminated from the CCIW Tournament.
• BYE: Carroll (1-19, 1-11)
• MBK: @ Augustana 72 (18-4, 11-2), NCC 66 (13-9, 7-6) (OT)
• Augustana clinches a berth in the CCIW Tournament.

Final Thoughts
This one wasn't my best performance on the microphone, nor was it necessarily the best effort by the Cardinals, but they did a great job in the two key areas they need to to win games: three point shooting and forcing turnovers. Millikin never led despite keeping the game close for much of the night, and despite a sizable rebounding advantage, was only able to score seven second chance points. Credit the Cardinals for being able to lock things down defensively when they needed to.

This was a big win, but time is running out for the Cardinals, and the schedule doesn't get easier from here. There's still a home date with Carroll on Wednesday, but otherwise it's matchups with three tournament teams, with two of them coming on the road. The Cardinals need to win out and get a ton of help if they want to steal a tournament berth; they can't catch Wheaton or Wesleyan, and can tie Elmhurst, but they could make that regular season finale with Augustana end up as a fourth place game if they can step up. It starts on Saturday as the huge rivalry with Elmhurst is renewed on Senior Night.

Game Notes: (MBK): Millikin University @ North Central College (1/25/17)

Final Score
NCC 63, Millikin 44

Game Summary
The outcome of this one was never really in doubt as the Cardinals (10-8, 4-5) started the game on an 11-0 run as the Big Blue (3-15, 1-8) missed their first nine shots. The Cardinals continued to press the advantage, building a 20 point lead with about six minutes to play in the first half, and it took just over 17 minutes before the Big Blue hit double figures as the Cardinals took a 32-12 lead into the locker room. Millikin made some second half adjustments and was able to keep the margin around that mark for a few minutes before making a mini run to narrow the gap to 14 points with 11 minutes left. But the Cardinals answered with a three to retake the momentum and pushed the lead as high as 28 with about three minutes left, at which point both teams emptied their benches, and Millikin's end of the bench guys were able to trim the deficit.

Key Stats

• NCC: Outrebounded Millikin 50-28. When I was going through the starting lineups, I noticed that Millikin's guards were a little undersized, though their forwards had decent height. But they were completely outmatched on the glass, as the Cardinals held a 31-11 edge at halftime. Everyone got in on the action for North Central, with only three players failing to notch at least one board.
• Alex Sorenson (NCC): 9-18 FG (0-2 3PT), 1-3 FT; 19 pts, 12 reb (4 off), 2 blk, 2 stl. I mentioned on Tuesday that Sorenson has been struggling a bit this year, but having a game to feast on an inferior opponent inside is a nice cure-all. Sorenson was easily able to get to the basket for some open looks, and he dominated the glass at both ends. It's a good stat booster, and hopefully a confidence booster going forward.
• Matt Cappelletti (NCC): 2-8 FG (1-4 3PT); 5 pts, 14 reb (3 off), 2 ast. Cappelletti has gotten a lot of run since Connor Raridon's hand injury, and Todd Raridon rewarded his freshman with a starting role. Last night snapped a two game double-double streak, but it is the third straight game Cappelletti has notched double-digit rebounds. In a year that has been pretty disappointing in terms of team success, Cappelletti has been a bright spot for the Cardinals.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ North Park 96 (14-4, 7-2), Illinois Wesleyan 86 (12-6, 4-5)
• @ Augustana 87 (15-3, 8-1), Elmhurst 76 (6-12, 2-7)
• Carthage 69 (12-6, 5-4), @ Carroll 60 (10-8, 5-4),
• BYE: Wheaton (8-9, 4-4)
• (WBK): @ Carthage 106 (9-8, 4-5), NCC 95 (10-8, 4-5)

Final Thoughts
The Cardinals needed this one. After dropping five of their last six going back to the Stevens Point game, they needed something to try and get their confidence back and momentum going their way. Facing the last place team in the conference in your building is a good way to do that, and the Cardinals took advantage. They took their foot off the gas a little bit in the second half, but stepped on it again when they needed to. They're still a game out of a tournament berth, but there's still plenty of time.

I think last night had to have been the quickest college basketball game I've ever worked. The officials who worked the game let the players play, which kind of frustrated Sorenson, who picked up two early fouls in kind of ticky tack fashion while he was also looking for some calls that he didn't get. But it allowed for a 35 minute first half as neither team reached the bonus. Both did in the second half, but just barely. All told, we were done by 8:30. It was fantastic.

The Cardinals will try to keep their momentum rolling on Saturday as they continue their three game home stand by welcoming Wheaton College to Gregory Arena. It's a crucial game for both teams as they fight for a tournament spot, and it's Wheaton. That's also not counting the preceding women's game where the Cardinals are also fighting for their tournament lives as well as an end to a long drought.

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: (WBK) Millikin University @ North Central College (1/27/16)

Final Score
NCC 104, Millikin 65

Game Summary
The Cardinals (10-9, 4-4) got off to a quick start with a Jamie Cuny three on their first possession, but they followed that up with allowing six straight points to the Big Blue (7-12, 0-8). The Cardinal offense picked right back up, using a three-heavy attack to take a 28-13 lead after one quarter. The barrage continued into the second quarter as Millikin had a little more success on offense, but not much, and the Cardinals took a 48-28 halftime lead. The Big Blue never threatened in the second half, but the Cardinals kept draining their threes, and earned Big Macs with just over four minutes to go in the game.

Key Stats

• Jamie Cuny (NCC): 4-6 FG (3-5 3PT), 2-2 FT; 13 pts, 12 reb (4 off), 2 ast, 3 blk. Just another night at the office, but it's good to see Jamie hitting her threes again. She's had a down year shooting from outside, but has had good games the last two outings, and she's also become a dominant rebounder. With six games left, she's probably not challenging her single season blocks record from last year, but she's already got the second highest single season total in school history.
• Anita Sterling (NCC): 5-11 FG (4-9 3PT); 14 pts, 8 reb (4 off), 3 ast, 3 stl. Her two offensive fouls for lowering her shoulder while driving notwithstanding, this was a pretty good night for Anita. She's also been struggling from outside lately, but hit her shots last night while helping to lead the charge on the offensive glass. She spent a sizable chunk of the second half with four fouls, but played smart from there to stay in the game.
• Alyssa Saklak (MIL): 6-14 FG, 0-2 FT; 12 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl. Saklak is Millikin's best player, and after she put up a 23-15 line in Decatur, the Cardinals did a phenomenal job holding her in check last night. She struggled to finish around the rim at times, got into some foul trouble, and was a non-factor on the glass. To her credit, she only turned the ball over twice after coughing it up 11 times in the first meeting (including a whopping six or seven travels).

North Central System Watch

• Millikin Turnovers: 24. Millikin took much better care of the ball than they did last time (they had 37 in their home matchup), but still coughed it up a lot. The Cardinals had 13 steals, with Lauren Hernandez and Anita Sterling leading the way with three apiece. North Central also forced a ten second call in the opening quarter, though it wouldn't have mattered because Anita Sterling picked off the desperation heave to get the ball across the time line right at the whistle.
• NCC 3PT: 23-61 (37.7%). In one of the better totals for the season, the Cardinals shot very well in the opening frame, hitting nine threes. They were at the 23 mark about halfway through the final quarter before Coach Roof called off the dogs. Their season high is 25, and they are tied for the NCAA record of 26 in a game, achieved last year.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 1. For the second straight game, Anita Sterling failed to draw a charge, which is weird. Fortunately, Therese Pettersson was right there for one in the second quarter. Sterling still far and away leads the team in this category though.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• North Park 59 (14-5, 5-3), @ Carthage 57 (7-12, 3-5)
• Wheaton 69 (14-4, 6-2), @ Illinois Wesleyan 53 (11-8, 6-2)
• @ Elmhurst 69 (11-8, 5-3), Augustana 48 (8-11, 3-5)

Final Thoughts
Coming back home has been a boon to the Cardinals, who have won the last two games pretty handily. The win also bumps them up to fifth in the CCIW and keeps them just one game back of a tournament berth. All in all, this was a great win, with the shooting coming to life once again and the press doing its job.

North Central has a tough test coming up, and I personally have revenge on my mind with Wheaton coming to town on Saturday. The Thunder came into our house last year and despite my and the team's best efforts, put on a beat down of epic proportions. The Cardinals hung tough with the Thunder at Wheaton a few weeks ago, and home court definitely means something, so I'm hoping that we can finally get a win against the only CCIW school the Cardinals have yet to beat in the System Era.

Another Run Through The Gauntlet

It's an annual tradition for Confessions of a Sportscaster, in addition to covering all NCC basketball games I work, to take a look at the conference standings at the halfway point.

The CCIW, like most college basketball conferences, plays a double round robin regular season schedule, with every school playing each other twice: once at home and once on the road. Through seven games, every team will have played each other once with either four home games and three road games or vice versa. Since everyone has played everyone, it's a good time to take a look at the standings and see where North Central is at when it comes to the CCIW Tournament looming in about a month.