One More to Play: A CCIW Update

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day/Singles' Awareness Day/whatever you end up celebrating on February 14th! It saw the second to last game on the schedule for every team save Carthage's men's team, who has a random game with IIT coming up on Tuesday. With it, this means we are just a couple weeks away from the CCIW Tournament.

Following those games, I'll do a preview of both conference tournaments because of the involvement I've had with North Central basketball this season, even if NCC doesn't make it (which on one side has some danger to it). We've only seen minor changes to the standings on both sides since the halfway point of CCIW play. Let's take a look at the scenarios.

Game Notes: (MBK) Carthage College @ North Central College (2/11/15)

Final Score
NCC 65, Carthage 61

Game Summary
In a defensive struggle early, the Cardinals (17-6, 7-5) needed a little time to get going as the Red Men (7-15, 3-9) were able to build an early lead. The Cardinals started going inside and took control, leading by as any as seven with five minutes left, but Carthage rallied to take a 27-26 lead into the break. The Red Men maintained that lead for a bit into the second half before the Cardinals took over and opened up a lead as big as nine with about 11 minutes left. Carthage fought back with a barrage of threes and even tied the game at 57, but timely layups and a few free throws put the game away.

Key Stats

• NCC: 27-30 FT (90%). After last week's women's game where 59 fouls were called, this was much better, with 34. Most importantly, when NCC got to the line, they made the Red Men pay. In tight games like this, you need to make your freebies, and the Cardinals did.
• Jack Burchett (NCC): 7-11 FG, 12-14 FT; 26 pts, 9 reb (4 off), 3 ast, 3 blk, 2 stl. Burchett set a new career high in scoring, largely thanks to his success at the charity stripe. Free throws have never really been one of Jack's strengths (he's a career 44.6% shooter), but he had a career day in attempts and makes, including getting a very friendly roll on the one that probably put the game away.
• Mike Kjeldsen (CAR): 3-5 FG (all 3PT), 2-2 FT; 11 pts. Kjeldsen came off the bench in the second half and keyed the Red Men rally with deadly three point shooting. He hit a wide open look from the corner to tie the game with three minutes to go and wouldn't score again. 

Around the CCIW

• @ e-Wheaton 70 (11-12, 4-8), e-Millikin 67 (8-15, 3-9)
• x-Augustana 82 (19-4, 9-3), @ x-Illinois Wesleyan 56 (17-6, 9-3)
• @ x-Elmhurst 89 (18-5, 8-4), North Park 49 (14-9, 5-7)
• x: Team has clinched a berth in the CCIW Tournament
• e: Team has been eliminated from CCIW Tournament contention

Final Thoughts
North Central's win eliminated Carthage, Millikin and Wheaton from tournament contention, but Elmhurst's win was key, in that North Park is now two back of the Cardinals with two to play. Either a Cardinal win in Elmhurst or a North Park loss to Wesleyan on Saturday makes the regular season finale mean nothing and gives the Cardinals, who are just two back of the CCIW lead, a berth in the tournament.

This was a fun game, and marks my last Wednesday night tilt of the season. The women (who couldn't overcome an early double digit deficit at Carthage last night, join the men at Elmhurst for a Valentine's Day doubleheader. A week from then, North Park comes calling for Senior Night at NCC, which is always an emotional day.

On Sunday following the penultimate games of the season, I'm going to look at both CCIW tournaments and try to piece together the scenarios, though for the men, it's all but decided. Wednesday I will update the regional rankings from the NCAA and figure out how things look for The Dance.

North Central and the NCAA Regional Rankings: Week 1 Edition

We're into the heart of February, and with it: nearing March Madness. Even at the lower levels of the NCAA, this is a big time, and Selection Monday coming up in a few weeks is a big deal.

Both Cardinal teams are in the thick of the race in the CCIW, so with that in mind, I want to take a look at both the women's team and the men's team and how their chances at making The Dance look as we approach the end of the regular season. To do this, I'm going to look at their standings in the CCIW as well as the regional rankings, which just came out today.

Game Notes: (WBK) Augustana College @ North Central College (2/4/15)

Final Score
NCC 105, Augustana 82

Game Summary
After dropping in the rankings to #24 following the bad loss to Wheaton, the Cardinals (19-2, 8-2) struggled to hit shots out of the gate. The Vikings (7-14, 1-9) ended up opening the fray a minute and a half in. The teams traded leads for much of the half before North Central took command thanks to a ton of free throws, and carried a 50-37 lead into the break. The Cardinals started hitting shots in the second half and began pulling away, topping 100 with a few minutes left, but Augie made it closer than it was with some garbage time buckets.

Key Stats

• Augie: Called for 33 fouls to NCC's 26. This stat was too important to be left as just a footnote. I don't think it was an intentional imbalance, just that the Cardinals got to the basket a ton. Augie had 18 fouls in the first half to NCC's 12. This forced 69 free throws between the two teams (NCC was 29-40, Augie 15-29). The first half was so whistle-happy that the refs even asked how many they'd called when they came to the table at halftime.
• Tess Godhardt (NCC): 9-15 FG, 9-11 FT; 27 pts, 8 reb (5 off), 3 stl. The CCIW's second leading scorer had a great game. Tess got several open looks at layups and probably had four or five "and-1's" to lead all scorers while doing a nice job on the glass.
• Marissa Pezzopane (AUG): 13-23 FG, 1-2 FT; 27 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl. The conference's third leading scorer played well, getting plenty of open looks from The System, but she was limited by foul trouble. She had three in the first half and actually started the second half on the bench, playing only 22 minutes.

North Central System Watch

• Augie Turnovers: 26. This number seems a little low, but all the fouls didn't help. Even so, they had issues taking care of the ball as a whopping 18 of the turnovers came on Cardinal steals, with Godhardt and Maryssa Cladis each notching three to lead the way while five others had two. The Cardinals also drew a ten second call, something they haven't done a ton of this year.
• NCC 3PT: 10-49 (20.4%). Overall... not the best day, but it stemmed from an ice cold start. It took almost ten minutes before Cladis finally hit one. They finished 2-23 in the first half before regressing to the mean in the second half.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 1. Anita Sterling was at it again, picking one up fairly early in the game. I'm not sure who leads the team, but she's up there.

Around the CCIW

• @ Illinois Wesleyan 83 (9-12, 3-7), Millikin 76 (13-8, 4-6),
• @ x-Wheaton 63 (19-2, 9-1), North Park 48 (12-9, 4-6)
• @ Elmhurst 64 (13-8, 6-4), Carthage 58 (12-9, 5-5)
• x- Team has clinched a berth in the CCIW Tournament

Final Thoughts

I'm sad; this is the second to last home game of the year for this team, barring Wheaton falling off a cliff in the last four games or the NCAA granting North Central the right to host the first and second rounds of the tournament. Getting to be involved with this team has been a great blessing, and this season is one I'll remember for a long time.

With this win and losses by Millikin and North Park, the Cardinals have all but locked up a bid to the CCIW Tournament, as kooky tiebreaker nonsense could wipe them out if they lose out. With either a win or a North Park loss (since the Cardinals hold the tiebreaker over Millikin), NCC is in for the second time in three years, and makes this season a resounding success no matter what happens.

The Cardinals face a tough stretch in the next couple weeks as, to quote Coach Roof before I left last night, "We have to do this on our own now!" Three straight road games await, beginning with Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday. Coach Roof said she wants to take at least two of those road games, something that's reasonable, but tough, given the nature of the Gauntlet.

Next week we'll have one final Wednesday home game as the men take on Carthage. Meanwhile, the first regional ranking should drop, and I'll analyze that as well. Good luck Cardinals on your trip to Bloomington on Saturday!

Thoughts From Super Sunday

Photo by Matt Slocum (AP)

Super Sunday delivered once again. We had a great game with some spectacular plays, and a phenomenal finish. Congratulations to the New England Patriots on their fourth quarter comeback and fourth Super Bowl title.

In the midst of all the chaos, I wanted to do a rundown of the best and worst of Super Sunday. I had the day off of work because of the North Central-Wheaton doubleheader on Saturday, though given the giant snowfall we had in Chicago, I wouldn't have made it in anyway. I got to prep for the game, watch it in its entirety, and got to spend the whole day with my wonderful wife and our two cats. So below, here are the best and worst moments from yesterday.

Game Notes: (MBK) Wheaton College @ North Central College (1/31/15)

Final Score
NCC 63, Wheaton 62

Game Summary
In a very back-and-forth game, the Cardinals (15-5, 5-4) weren't able to establish much in the way of control, but the Thunder (9-11, 2-7) couldn't take advantage of it, as the teams tied six times and traded the lead seven other times in the first ten minutes. The Cardinals finally took over a little bit, and carried a 35-30 lead into the break despite guard Jayme Moten leaving late in the half with an injury. The Cardinals pushed the lead to 48-39, but couldn't make it double digits as Wheaton started to catch fire and took advantage of foul trouble on Charles Rosenberg. Wheaton retook the lead at 52-51 with about eight minutes to go, but the Cardinals wouldn't go away. A Thunder three during a 59-all tie gave them a three point lead, but they wouldn't score again, and the Cardinals took advantage of a layup, missed Wheaton free throws, and a wide open look with just 12 seconds left to steal a win on home court.

Key Stats

• Erwin Henry (NCC): 7-13 FG (1-1 3PT), 2-4 FT; 17 pts, 5 reb (3 off), 1 ast. Erwin was the hero last night. He was able to get to the basket multiple times, but more impressively, was able to hit some key jumpers at critical moments, none bigger than late. Following a missed front end of a Wheaton one-and-one, Henry found himself wide open under the basket on a great feed from Jack Burchett and put it home to win the game.
• NCC: Outscored Wheaton in the paint 34-10. When you consider that Wheaton ran a very good 2-3 zone, this is kind of amazing. This becomes even more amazing when you see that Burchett and Rosenberg only had eight points each. It's a credit to guys like Henry being able to penetrate and get to the basket.
• Joel Smith (WTN): 8-11 FG (3-5 3PT), 5-5 FT; 24 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk. Smith was nearly the hero for the Thunder. He was hitting just about everything again, including a go-ahead three with about two minutes left to make it 62-59. He was pumped after that, and rightfully so.

Around the CCIW

• @ Elmhurst 88 (16-4, 6-3), Millikin 72 (8-12, 3-6)
• @ North Park 76 (12-8, 3-6), Augustana 69 (17-3, 7-2)
• Illinois Wesleyan 77 (15-5, 7-2), @ Carthage 65 (7-12, 3-6)

Final Thoughts

Post by North Central College Athletics.

Wow. Despite the inclement weather today, lots of fans made the trip out to Merner last night, and they were rewarded with a fantastic game. I got to talk to assistant coach and former Cardinal player Aaron Tiknis after the game, and he was very happy, saying that "We needed that one." He's absolutely right. After dropping two in a row and four of their last five, this was a much needed win. The Augustana loss was also huge, as it narrows the gap at the top of the conference. North Central is back within two games, and with Carthage and Millikin both losing, the Cardinals are two games up on both for the fourth and final spot in the CCIW Tournament.

Things get incredibly difficult this next week for the Cardinals, however. They head to Rock Island to face Augustana on Wednesday before making the trip down to Bloomington to take on Illinois Wesleyan. If the Cardinals can split those games, they'll be in good shape for the stretch run.

Game Notes: (WBK) Wheaton College @ North Central College (1/31/15)

Final Score
Wheaton 109, NCC 60

Game Summary
In the biggest women's game at Merner in 30 years, the Thunder (17-2, 7-1) came out rolling. The Cardinals (18-1, 7-1) couldn't get much going on offense, but managed to make it as close as a 15-9 deficit in the first half before Wheaton went on a 22-7 run to open up a 20 point lead. The Cardinals got some offense going, but trailed 62-31 at the break. The second half went much the same way, as the Cardinals weren't able to bridge the gap. Wheaton slowly called off the dogs as the game concluded.

Key Stats

• Wheaton: 27-46 FG (7-12 3PT) in the first half. That's... That's just incredible. There were plenty of layups to be had, but for several minutes, every jumper was falling for the Thunder. They regressed to the mean somewhat in the second half, but still. Hannah Considine finished with 26 points on 12-19 shooting, Moriah Reeves hit ten of her 13 shots (both layups and jumpers), and Chantal Meachem hit six of her nine threes for 18 points.
• Wheaton: Outrebounded NCC 69-36 (Led in offensive rebounds 25-14). That'll do it too. It was really bad at halftime; NCC was getting outrebounded 33-10, and Wheaton had 14 offensive boards. You won't win that way. Considine finished with 15 rebounds, including 9 on the offensive glass.
• Corrine Rowe (NCC): 5-11 FG (2-7 3PT); 12 pts, 2 reb (1 off), 3 ast. Rowe probably had the best night out of anyone in terms of getting to the basket and scoring, tying for the team lead with Tess Godhardt, who went 6-10 from the field.

North Central System Watch

• Wheaton Turnovers: 18. They actually tied NCC in this department, throwing a few passes away, but ultimately doing well against the press. The Cardinals only had five steals in the game, with nobody notching more than one.
• NCC 3PT: 6-44 (13.6%). The six makes are a season low, and makes it two games in a row of sub-20 percent shooting from out there. Rowe was the only one with multiple makes, and several players went 0-3 or 0-4 from outside.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 6. Bobbi Johns drew a pair early in the first half, Anita Sterling drew two in the second half, and Tess Godhardt and Therese Pettersson drew one apiece. Pettersson's (if memory serves) was an iffy one that we got away with, but it was the one area the Cardinals excelled in.

Around the CCIW

• @ Elmhurst 72 (12-8, 5-4), Millikin 49 (13-7, 4-5)
• @ North Park 66 (12-8, 4-5), Augustana 44 (7-13, 1-8)
• @ Carthage 68 (12-8, 5-4), Illinois Wesleyan 57 (8-12, 2-7)

Final Thoughts
Not gonna lie... this one hurt. I was talking to Lauren Hernandez before the game, and she said they were ready. I think they were, but Wheaton was ready as well. It makes the 14 point loss at Wheaton look more like an aberration than a sign of the tide of the CCIW turning. That said, Wheaton's game last night was about as perfectly played as possible. There really wasn't much the Cardinals could have done about it.

Big picture-wise, this loss likely means that Wheaton will end up hosting the CCIW Tournament on the 27th and 28th. The Thunder are up a game in the CCIW standings, and clinched the tiebreaker with the Cardinals, effectively making it a two-game lead. As for the national rankings, Wheaton will surely move up, while the Cardinals will probably drop a few spots for losing by this much.

I'm sure the Cardinals will be fine overall; it's just one game. They get the last place Augustana Vikings at Merner on Wednesday to try and right the ship.