NCAA Tournament Preview: Amherst College vs. North Central College

Last evening I was already putting my NCAA Tournament bracket down to be buried. I'm not used to losing a Final Four team on Day 1. Then of course, I lost another one today. Somehow my title game and the rest of my Sweet 16 and Elite 8 were okay after 28 games save that pair of Final Four teams. Fortunately, these things are healed by my alma mater advancing to the Final Four!

NCC has had different guys step up all postseason long, and tonight it was Vince Kmiec, who according to a friend from my WONC days who works at NCTV, was hitting shots from a ways away. His 31 points helped get the Cardinals the space they needed to close the game out and pull within a game of Atlanta. Another NESCAC looms tomorrow night.

Amherst College vs. North Central College
Salem Civic Center (Salem, VA)- Sat. March 23, 2013- 7:30pm

About Amherst College
From Amherst, MA
28-2, NESCAC Champions
Defeated Plattsburgh State 89-72 in the second round, defeated Randolph-Macon 93-76 in the third round, defeated Cabrini 101-82 in quarterfinals

At the outset of the tournament, there was talk about how no one really wanted the bye's and the week off they gave. Amherst got one, and it obviously hasn't hurt them (Mary Hardin-Baylor got the other and they're also still playing). This team scores in bunches, averaging almost 85 points a game, and it starts with junior Aaron Toomey, who leads the team with 17.6 points a game on about 12 shots. He can shoot from just about anywhere (44.6% from the field, including 42.9% from deep) and put up 17 points in the win over Cabrini. I think the bigger threat though is senior Willy Workman. He scored 21 points tonight (up from his 12.4 season average) and he's not quite as good of a deep shooter (36%, though he shoots 46.6% overall), but averages 7.7 rebounds a game plus a combined 3 steals/blocks per contest. Peter Kaasila is the team's anchor in the middle, averaging 13 points a game on over 64% shooting with 6 boards to go with it. Three other players average at least 9 points a game, so there's depth here.

In a very similar note to thinking about North Central's game against Middlebury though, it doesn't seem like this Amherst team has played a defense the caliber of North Central's. The Cardinals played a tough game for most of a tight first half, then came out and played lockdown defense for much of the second half. You worry a bit about fatigue, but what continues to be so great about this Cardinal team (and is essential at this time of the year) is just how deep this Cardinal team is and how so many different guys have stepped up to be heroes in each game. Tonight it was Vince Kmiec, and that takes a lot of pressure of NABC's Midwest District Player of the Year Derek Raridon. With 19 points in the win over Middlebury, I'm convinced Landon Gamble is the best offensive post player in the nation.

The one thing that scares me about this Cardinal team is their struggles from the free throw line. The Cardinals were 19-29 from the stripe tonight and has stayed around that number all season long. However, this team can go on some scary runs from time to time and you have to guard every single guy on the floor at all times. Amherst may be ranked higher (#2 to NCC's #3), but the Cardinals can definitely pull out this one.

Winner goes to Atlanta to play for a national title. I don't know about you, but I'm not ready for this run to end yet. Go Cardinals!

Moving the Friendly Confines?

Photo from a game I went to in 2009.

As an 8 year old I made my first pilgrimage to Wrigley Field. It was 1998, and I remember kind of being in awe of the entire trip there. The ride on the L was something special especially once we were above ground on the Red Line and saw the ballpark in the distance. Even with the troughs in the men's bathrooms, the concrete that wasn't quite as bad as it is now, and the posts blocking view of the game, Wrigley and the area around it has a certain charm you can't really get anywhere else. It's part of what has kept me coming back at least once every year since, along with my love for the Cubs.

And yet even with all that, I'm starting to find myself more in favor with ideas of relocation to a nearby town than I would have guessed. Monday saw a Comcast Sportsnet report about Rosemont mayor Brad Stephens offering a tract of land for the Cubs to use if they wanted to make the move. Right now no one seems to be taking the offer very seriously, but a Tribune writer did entertain the thought in an editorial.

The biggest obstacle I see here obviously lies with cost. Right now owner Tom Ricketts has a $500 million plan to renovate the park, including a complex built across the street on Clark. A brand new one is probably going to cost a lot more than that (probably in the neighborhood of a billion) and I understand and agree with the reluctance of taxpayers to want to foot the bill for a new stadium despite owners nationwide pulling the same fast one over on their neighbors (random biased note that is semi-related: this is why more teams should have similar ownerships to those of the Green Bay Packers, but legally we can't. This should change).

If the cost of a new place is not an issue (and since the land wouldn't cost anything), then I think it's worth it to at least publicly flirt with the idea and see if you can force the city's hand. The Cubs are the only team in the bigs with the issues of needing to cooperate with rooftop vendors across the street as well as having landmark restrictions limiting advertising. As much as I like not being bombarded by advertising everywhere, I'm also not actively looking for it as I'm usually paying attention to the game, so it's not really an issue for me there. That's more of a TV revenue thing, and would allow for more money to stream in.

The trickiest part is with some of the fans who go to Cubs games for the experience of going to Wrigley Field or for the "yuppies" as a lot of people call them who go just to get drunk (which is a waste of money... just saying). Just the prospect of a new ballpark is usually enough to get people to come. Putting it in a decent spot like Rosemont where you have O'Hare in the neighborhood, plus tentative access to public transportation there makes it a pretty attractive and not terribly inconvenient destination (assuming traffic doesn't end up awful because of this, which it usually is in that area during the evening rush anyway).

I'm not saying the Cubs absolutely have to move out there or absolutely have to stay. Whatever Tom Ricketts decides is the best course of action for the club is good enough for me, and hopefully the decision helps the club in the long run (and brings titles. Those are important). Either way, anyone who says they will stop being a Cubs fan if they move is not a true Cubs fan and should stop claiming as such. Yes, Wrigley is a part of the mystique of the Cubs franchise, but true Cubs fans will support them whether they're at Clark and Addison or in Rosemont. If you can get the city of Chicago to go along with renovation plans mostly unhindered and modernize Wrigley into less of a crumbling old relic, go for it. If not, and you can get a deal good for the franchise elsewhere in Chicagoland, don't be afraid to pull the trigger.

I love Wrigley Field as much as any Cubs fan. But if Chicago wants to play hardball, why not try to beat them at it?

ALL of the Brackets

I have a love and passion for pretty much all things sports, but absolutely nothing compares to the first 4 days of the NCAA Tournament. My work schedule aligns such that I have Friday off and can catch several games that day, and needless to say, shortly after the brackets came out I pored over them in trying to figure out how to fill everything out. I do think I got an answer though.

Like last year, I am hosting a tournament pool on Yahoo for anyone who is interested. Nothing special to be offered this time other than the ability to lord over me that you picked winners better than I did. Odds are you probably will; I have a tendency to do well on the Thursday, stumble a little on the Friday without too much damage done, then see everything get destroyed on Saturday. Probably a good thing that I only have a single 1 seed advancing to the Final Four, but I'm sure it will be more chaotic than a Final Four of Louisville, Georgetown, Miami and New Mexico.

If you think you're better at picking this stuff than I am, the group can be found here and it is free to join (both for Yahoo and because I'm not putting money on this... again, the whole "gambling is illegal" thing.) I would love to see this thing fill up!

Good luck!

NCAA Tournament Preview: Middlebury College vs. North Central College

When you are a fan of a Division III school, there's one mecca that you want your school's sports teams to reach: Salem, Virginia. It's the site of the Stagg Bowl, D-III's football championship game (unofficially named the Purple Bowl after seven straight Mount Union/Wisconsin-Whitewater battles there) and in previous years the site of the D-III Final Four. This year they're showcasing twice as many games as they get the quarterfinals and semifinals. And for the first time, North Central is crashing the party at the Salem Civic Center.

I made it 0-3 on tournament games this season and wasn't tracking the game, but fortunately the Cardinals were able to put enough distance between them and the Titans late to secure a berth in the Elite 8. You knew whichever team made it out of the Bracket of Death was going to have a good shot at winning the whole thing, and I certainly believe the Cardinals can. But this is another Bracket of Death the Cardinals will have to navigate. For all the praise the CCIW gets, you certainly have to include the NESCAC as another of those elite conference in Division III with all 3 of its entrants surviving to this point. The Cardinals get one of them on Friday.

Middlebury College vs. North Central College
Salem Civic Center (Salem, VA)- Fri. March 22, 2013- 7:30pm

About Middlebury College
From Middlebury, VT
25-3, At Large team from NESCAC
Defeated Curry 68-66 in the first round, defeated Cortland State 67-63 in the second round, defeated Ithaca 73-72 in the third round.

What really scares me about this Middlebury team looking at their schedule is that of their 3 losses, only one came in regulation, and it was by one point. The others needed at least one overtime to decide (one game needed 3). On the other hand, 2 of those losses were to Williams (sitting on the other side of the bracket facing #1 St. Thomas) and the 3OT loss was to Amhert (#2 seed, possibly looming in the semis). We could be looking at North Central storming through the elite of New England depending on how those other games play out.

At hand though is a very tough team, looking at the numbers and given how many close games they've had to play. Middlebury boasts a better scoring average at 78.5 points a game but also gives up a little over 65, compared to North Central's 69.6/58.5 splits. If anything, if this game gets slowed down it plays more into the Cardinals' favor because they're used to stifling defense.

Individually, the guy who scared me most based on season numbers was big man Peter Lynch, who at 6'6" is like Middlebury's version of Landon Gamble, scoring 15 points a game on 63% shooting. However, he's only averaged 11.7 in the tournament and was held in check by Ithaca last night (8 points on 2-7 shooting). However, the Panthers had their backcourt step up. Guys like Joey Kizel (14.2 on the season, 16 in the tournament) and Nolan Thompson (12.6, 13.7) have stepped up their games to make up for it. They are a streaky outside shooting team (shot 3-18 from deep in the first round and 14-25 last night) but that can be dangerous if they're on. The key is for their role players to step up.

That's what makes me really believe the Cardinals can come through and win the title. Derek Raridon isn't scoring quite as much (13.7 points per game in the tournament, averaging 14.6 on the year), and Gamble hasn't done as much since his 17 point game in the first round (19 in the past 2 games), but other guys have stepped up. Charlie Rosenberg had 11 off the bench in the first round. Last week Brandon Williams was perfect from the field with 13 points en route to knocking off the defending champs, and last night it was Jack Burchett dropping 18. Meanwhile Vince Kmiec has evolved into a great two-way player, setting a new school single-season record for steals with 64 so far, and will probably break the school's all time record before CCIW play begins next season. This team just seems to have an aura about them that seems like they are destined to end up in Atlanta. If the Cardinals win Friday, the winner of the Amherst-Cabrini game would loom on Saturday and hopefully I'll have a couple most posts about this team to come, including one about a victorious return to Naperville with trophy number 31! Go Cardinals!

NCAA Tournament Preview: Illinois Wesleyan University @ North Central College

I didn't make it to Benedictine on Saturday for, from what I heard, was a fun game in a playoff atmosphere. Fortunately the Cardinals held on and made plays late to knock off the defending champs. And for whatever reason, it left some Whitewater folks a little salty. (Kudos to whoever was in charge of the @NCC_Athletics Twitter at the time for a genius response.)

So for the second straight year, the Cardinals have advanced to the Sweet 16, but they weren't the only one to advance from the CCIW. Wheaton got knocked off, but a familiar and deadly foe awaits in the next round.

Illinois Wesleyan University at North Central College
Gregory Arena- Sat. March 16, 2013- 7pm

About Illinois Wesleyan
From Bloomington, IL
23-5, At Large team from CCIW
Defeated Transylvania 80-71 in the first round, defeated Washington (Mo) 71-67 in the second round
1-1 vs NCC this year (won 69-61 at IWU, lost 87-83 in OT at NCC)

With no track championships to tie up parking spots, Merner Fieldhouse can come to life again. The Cardinals remain unbeaten in games where they're considered the "home" team and have not lost in Naperville so far this year, but Illinois Wesleyan is no small task.

The Titans lead the conference in scoring at 72.5 points a game (for the record, NCC is 4th at 69.1) and boast an incredibly balanced attack. Andrew Ziemnik and Brady Zimmer are tied for the team lead with 11.1 points per game apiece, along with 4 other guys who average between 8 and 11 points a contest. Ziemnik has 32 points in the 2 games between these schools so far, and is the key guy to watch out for.

The Cardinals still haven't played a "perfect" game in a while, surviving bad free throw shooting (11-20 Saturday) and an off shooting night in general by everyone not named Brandon Williams or Landon Gamble. But that's been the beauty of this team: they take opponents' best shots and have had different guys step up to make plays throughout the game and the leaders finish it off at the end.

Given the season split between these teams combined with NCC's unblemished record at home, I would find it hard to believe that the Cardinals don't make it to Salem, Virginia and the Elite 8 for a shot at heading to Atlanta in April. If it doesn't happen, it will be because a very good Titan team made the plays and earned their way to Salem and the CCIW should be honored to have one of these teams making it this far.

Get to Merner early on Saturday. Given the rivalry, the gym is bound to be packed, even if NCC will be on Spring Break. We need the support again. Go Cardinals!

Play Fair, Win With Humility, Lose With Integrity

I know most of my posts on here deal with major sports stories about who's who and what's going on in the world of sports (I even said so myself in a Beacon News article posted last week), but I do need to come to the forefront when things unfold like they did in Peoria yesterday.

At work this morning I saw an article on the Tribune's website about the Class 2A Boys' Basketball Championship game and took note of a peculiar headline about the losing team, Seton Academy, refusing its second place trophy. Based purely off the headline, I wasn't quite sure what to think, though reading the article answered a lot of questions. More on that in a moment.

As a sports fan who has maybe too much of a competitive nature (thankfully not to Michael Jordan's extent), in and of itself I don't necessarily mind seeing a team refuse to accept a trophy that isn't for a championship, though the context does somewhat override this. I'm personally not a big fan of the "Everyone gets a trophy!" mentality that seems prevalent in society today, though this isn't the case in the IHSA. You get a plaque for winning smaller tournaments at regional and sectional sites, and then if you make the Top 4 you get a trophy. In order to get one though, that requires 5 or 6 straight wins, and it's hard. In my four years at Aurora Christian, we only won one regional (my senior year, the year I predicted we'd at least get that far) and fell just short against Byron for a sectional title. It was very disappointing, given that I was a senior and that was the end of my direct involvement in ACS basketball, but I was proud to be part of that group of guys that added to ACS lore (as head coach Don Davidson put it, "Good teams play in March," and the sectional title game was in March. We fit the bill.) Had we advanced beyond that, I would have been more than happy to hold a trophy of some kind had we made it to state, even if it was only a 4th place trophy.

Then I read the Tribune article.

What's a Regulation Loss?

I've been largely quiet on the hockey front here, a lot of it due to the fact that of the four major sports, hockey is the one I know the least about. But when a team goes halfway through a season without a loss in regulation, it deserves attention.

I've been home for a lot of these games and have gotten to see chunks of a lot of them, so I've been able to see a lot of the dramatics unfold before my very eyes. And really, this is an incredible run that is (deservedly) getting a lot of national media attention. This is a run the likes of which has only been seen once before (the '79-80 Flyers, who registered 35 straight games with a point) though not in a condensed season like this with back-to-backs and 3-games-in-4-nights throughout schedules. It's not worth comparing that to, say, the Heat's 16 game winning streak as both are impressive in their own ways.

What really impresses me with this Blackhawks team though is how deep they are. In 21 victories, 15 different guys have registered game-winning goals. During their slide last year, the Hawks' stars couldn't get anything going and there was no one left to pick up the slack. This year it's not an issue. The defense has gotten a lot better on all 3 pairings so it's not just Keith and Seabrook doing all the heavy lifting. Most impressive though has been the play of Corey Crawford and Ray Emery. Crawford was much maligned last year for not playing too well, especially in the playoffs against Phoenix. Maybe it was the infamous sophomore slump, but whatever the case, the Hawks are the most complete team in the NHL right now, and it's insane to think about.

Talking heads like Stephen A. Smith seem to think that a streak like this in hockey isn't as impressive as one in basketball, but on the whole, there's so much more parity in hockey. Of the 24 games so far, a majority have been decided by one goal, and the Hawks are not only unbeaten in regulation, they're also unbeaten in the 5-minute overtime. All 3 losses have come in shootouts... which is even more incredible.

Purely based on the Law of Averages, a regulation loss is bound to happen sooner or later and my hope is that it doesn't deflate this team. Of course, a lot of teams and their fans have been saying that the streak is going to end when they take on the Hawks, and it has yet to happen. I don't expect it to still be intact, but I would be beyond thrilled if this stretch is still running come April 19th when I cross "catch a Blackhawks game" off my sports bucket list. I'm sure the second half of this season will be full of as many amazing moments as the first, and hopefully it all culminates in a parade downtown this summer celebrating another Stanley Cup.