MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

And so it begins. Tonight the Vikings hop on the charter and head down Lake Shore Drive to Hyde Park and a season-opening showdown at Ratner with a Chicago team that has a chance to be really good this season and which has some formidable bigs that will pose an immediate challenge to the questions of whether or not NPU can rebound and defend the post effectively.

There's a palpable feeling at Foster & Kedzie that the Park is capable of great things this season. One game isn't going to decide that one way or the other, but this would certainly be an important start to realizing that capability.

I haven't been this excited for a North Park season opener in more years than I care to mention.

Go Vikings!

[Gotberg]

For me it's more than just seeing the names. 

I look at successful athletic programs and not only do they produce well on the field - they present themselves professionally through their websites - up-to-date content is one attribute.  I want NPU to have similar aspirations.   Our sports website has come a long way over the last few years, but I think there is still a ways to go.  Timely rosters before each season is just one element.

Believe me, I agree with you. But this is a coaches' thing rather than an athletic department thing.

Speaking of which, the NPU roster finally appeared yesterday.

And if that doesn't whet your appetite, this should: SID Kevin Shepke interviewed Tom Slyder for the 2016-17 season preview.

I think Slyder is a great coach and highly competitive.  I hope the new assistant coaches will be able to assist with more successful recruiting - not to suggest he hasn't found some gems thus far.

[Gregory Sager]

I think Slyder is a great coach and highly competitive.  I hope the new assistant coaches will be able to assist with more successful recruiting - not to suggest he hasn't found some gems thus far.

It's very early in the recruiting process, and neither Pete nor I are going to tip our hands, but the early indications are that you might end up being pleasantly surprised by the quality of next year's newbies.

[Gregory Sager]

Augustana (29-2) @ MacMurray (15-11)
Elmhurst (22-7) @ Loras (13-13)
Dominican (5-20) @ Illinois Wesleyan (13-13)
North Park (14-11) @ Chicago (17-8)
Benedictine (31-1) @ Wheaton (5-20)
Millikin (9-16) @ Aurora (20-6)

How fitting is it that Chris Martin's first game as a head coach should be against his alma mater?

[AndOne]

2016-2017 NORTH CENTRAL Basketball Roster

8 new faces

http://www.northcentralcardinals.com/roster.aspx?path=mbball

[lmitzel]

2016-2017 NORTH CENTRAL Basketball Roster

8 new faces

http://www.northcentralcardinals.com/roster.aspx?path=mbball

For all the talk about North Park and taking forever to post rosters, go figure we don't get the NCC one until the afternoon the season opens.

Still got it out there with time to spare (read: enough time for me to go over it with Coach Raridon so I don't sound like an idiot on my birthday when NCC opens its home schedule).

Good luck to everyone tipping off their seasons tonight!

[augiefan]

I hope Titan's preseason all conference predictions are accurate. However, I think those preseason predictions as to Augie players and the predictions of the CCIW coaches for Augie to finish 3rd are way too optimistic. You cannot expect a team that lost its entire starting lineup and several top reserves to compete in the CCIW in a rebuilding year. It will be a rough season for Augie but hopefully there will be respectable development by season's end. Still I predict this will be the first year Augie fails to make the CCIW tourney.

[Titan Q]

IWU 86
Dominican 65

* Brady Rose: 18 pts, 3 reb, 5 assists
* Andy Stempel: 17 pts, 5 reb, 4 assists
* Trevor Seibring: 15 pts, 7 reb, 3 assists
* Alec Bausch: 12 pts, 11 reb

[Titan Q]

Buzzer beater final from the south side:

North Park 88
Chicago 87

Chicago had the ball, up 2, with 5 seconds left.  They had to call timeout twice because they couldn't get it in.  On the third try they threw it long, NPU stole the ball and rushed it the other way, and Colin Lake made a left wing, high-arching 3 at the buzzer.

[Gotberg]

Buzzer beater final from the south side:

North Park 88
Chicago 87

Chicago had the ball, up 2, with 5 seconds left.  They had to call timeout twice because they couldn't get it in.  On the third try they threw it long, NPU stole the ball and rushed it the other way, and Colin Lake made a left wing, high-arching 3 at the buzzer.

Yep, that was quite a finish.

[Titan Q]

Loras 104
Elmhurst 102


Loras made a 3 to go up 1 with about 3 seconds left. 

Elmhurst freshman PG Jake Rhode had 29 points and 4 assists.  Caleb Mowry with 22 points, 11 rebounds.

Chris Martin gets his first win as a head coach.  Great game.

[Gregory Sager]

North Park 88, Chicago 87

Jordan Robinson: 27 pts (4-8 trey), 13 rebs
Colin Lake: 21 pts (4-8 trey)
Juwan Henry: 20 pts
Billy Kirby: 11 pts

Wow! What a finish!

I have to admit that there were several moments late in the game when I had NPU written off. Although it was a game of runs in which neither team ever managed a double-digit lead, Chicago took nine-point leads of 78-69 and 80-71 as the game was going into the stretch, and when your team is trailing by nine on the road against a good opponent with less than five minutes left and your star player really isn't feeling it, you kinda start mentally preparing for a bad outcome. Fortunately for me, the Vikings didn't think that way at all.

Jordan Robinson hit back-to-back treys, completing a sequence in which he drained three triples in less than a minute and a half, to cut the Maroons lead to 80-77 with 4:10 left. The Vikings were clearly not going away, but they weren't over the hump. Chicago made a basket during a long stretch in which both teams otherwise appeared to be tightening up and forcing shots, until with 1:53 left Juwan Henry, who had been struggling for almost the entire evening, took matters into his own hands, drove the lane, and drew a foul on 6'8 Chicago center Collin Barthel. However, Henry -- usually a reliable FT shooter -- missed both shots, and again I wondered if it just wasn't going to be North Park's night.

Again, the Vikings didn't think that way. Barthel returned the favor by drawing a foul out on the perimeter on Henry -- yes, Juwan spent a good deal of the night guarding a man who is ten inches taller than he is -- and sinking a free throw. But he missed the second, which is par for the course for the Maroons; they were a mess at the charity stripe last season, and it looks like they're going to struggle from there again this year (12-23, 52% tonight). Robinson made a sweet drive-and-dish that led to a baby baseline jumper for Joe Biko, bringing NPU to within four at 83-79 with 1:16 remaining.

The two teams traded fouls on their next three possessions, with Chicago getting the better of it (3-4 FTs to NPU's 1-2) to make the score 86-80 with 31 seconds left. Henry quickly drove coast-to-coast and put in a layup to cut it to four with 21 seconds left. But the Vikings mentally blanked and were slow to foul on Chicago's return trip up the floor, forcing T.J. Cobbs to foul out of the game in order to stop the clock with twelve seconds left. Again, Chicago's free-throw bugaboo struck, with Tyler Howard hitting the first and missing the second to make it 87-82 with the Vikings only having a dozen seconds left with which to work.

Here's where the Vikings went into hero mode. Henry dropped a high-arcing fadeaway trey from the left elbow with 5.8 seconds left, landing on his butt in the process. As Bob noted, the Maroons were then unable to inbound the ball. Tom Slyder didn't have his players guard the inbounder (Noah Karras), and twice Karras was forced to call timeout just a fraction of a second before being counted out for a five-second violation. On the third try, Chicago head coach Mike McGrath substituted freshman Jordan Baum for Karras as the inbounder. Waller Perez made a double move and broke long, and when the long inbounds pass sailed into the forecourt I figured that Perez, a big and gifted athlete, was going to catch it, dunk the ball, and end the game.

After watching him play for two seasons I should know better than to underestimate Jordan Robinson. He made a play that would've made any NFL cornerback proud, catching Perez from behind, leaping up in the air, and knocking the ball away towards the right-hand corner. And here's where NPU caught a major break -- the clock operator was slow to hit the start button, waiting at least a full second after Robinson had tipped the ball before getting the game clock moving again.

Jarvis Cannon, who had alertly sprinted back as well when he saw Perez motoring up the floor, fished the ball out of the corner and did the smart thing by dribbling it up the floor as fast as he could rather than fling a long pass that could've been stolen by the Maroons. He found Colin Lake on the far side of the floor, and, as Bob said, Lake sent up a high-arcer from the left elbow -- a stepback shot, I should point out, with three significantly taller Maroons running at him with arms upraised -- and buried it. The shot was still in midair when the backboard lit up and the buzzer sounded.

In other words, NPU erased a six-point deficit in the final half-minute and scored six points in the game's last six seconds to win without having to force overtime. Tremendous game, gutsy finish.

This was a good game for both teams. Chicago really killed NPU with its bigs (although Bartel did most of his damage from beyond the arc tonight, where he was 4-5), and it was great experience for NPU to have to deal with a team that has that kind of talent inside. The Maroons, on the other hand, got the benefit of going up against what will very likely be the quickest team that they'll see all year. It was a win-win in that respect.

Kudos to the Vikings for proving this doubter wrong ... not once, but several times. This team may not have size, but it has plenty of moxie.

[Gregory Sager]

Other CCIW scores:

Augustana 75, MacMurray 69
The Highlanders are developing a habit of giving Augie fits, for some reason. Jacob Johnston had 21 and 7 to lead Augie, while Dylan Sortillo added 17 and Brett Benning chipped in 15. Supersophs Chrishawn Orange and Pierson Wofford only had two points apiece for the Doggies. It's worth noting that MacMurray had multiple chances to tie or take the lead in the final two minutes. And the Highlanders did all this without their starting PG, who is out for the moment with an injury.

Benedictine 86, Wheaton 76
There's two ways to look at this home loss if you're a Wheaton fan. On the one hand, your team came within ten of the defending national runner-up. On the other hand, that defending national runner-up no longer has two key starters and the sixth man from that 31-1 team of a year ago. One of the three returning starters, however, is Tahron Harvey, and he had a 31 and 11 night at King Arena. Juco transfer Aston Francis had an impressive debut for WC with 24 points, while Ricky Samuelson contributed 22 and Reagan Jones had a 15 and 7 night. WC did manage to forge a tie halfway thru the first half, but BU otherwise led the entire way.

Aurora 87, Millikin 63
On a night in which just-retired AU coach James Lancaster had the Thornton Gym floor named after him, the Spartans steamed to an easy win over the very young Big Blue. AU jumped out to a quick 15-2 lead and never looked back, as MU never got closer than nine. Three newbies off the bench led the way for Jimmy Millikin, as freshmen Zach Fisher and Logan Bader had 14 and 12, respectively, and Michael Charles II (a junior transfer from St. John's) contributed 10.

So the CCIW goes 3-3 on opening night.

[mailsy]

North Park 88, Chicago 87

Jordan Robinson: 27 pts (4-8 trey), 13 rebs
Colin Lake: 21 pts (4-8 trey)
Juwan Henry: 20 pts
Billy Kirby: 11 pts

Wow! What a finish!

I have to admit that there were several moments late in the game when I had NPU written off. Although it was a game of runs in which neither team ever managed a double-digit lead, Chicago took nine-point leads of 78-69 and 80-71 as the game was going into the stretch, and when your team is trailing by nine on the road against a good opponent with less than five minutes left and your star player really isn't feeling it, you kinda start mentally preparing for a bad outcome. Fortunately for me, the Vikings didn't think that way at all.

Jordan Robinson hit back-to-back treys, completing a sequence in which he drained three triples in less than a minute and a half, to cut the Maroons lead to 80-77 with 4:10 left. The Vikings were clearly not going away, but they weren't over the hump. Chicago made a basket during a long stretch in which both teams otherwise appeared to be tightening up and forcing shots, until with 1:53 left Juwan Henry, who had been struggling for almost the entire evening, took matters into his own hands, drove the lane, and drew a foul on 6'8 Chicago center Collin Barthel. However, Henry -- usually a reliable FT shooter -- missed both shots, and again I wondered if it just wasn't going to be North Park's night.

Again, the Vikings didn't think that way. Barthel returned the favor by drawing a foul out on the perimeter on Henry -- yes, Juwan spent a good deal of the night guarding a man who is ten inches taller than he is -- and sinking a free throw. But he missed the second, which is par for the course for the Maroons; they were a mess at the charity stripe last season, and it looks like they're going to struggle from there again this year (12-23, 52% tonight). Robinson made a sweet drive-and-dish that led to a baby baseline jumper for Joe Biko, bringing NPU to within four at 83-79 with 1:16 remaining.

The two teams traded fouls on their next three possessions, with Chicago getting the better of it (3-4 FTs to NPU's 1-2) to make the score 86-80 with 31 seconds left. Henry quickly drove coast-to-coast and put in a layup to cut it to four with 21 seconds left. But the Vikings mentally blanked and were slow to foul on Chicago's return trip up the floor, forcing T.J. Cobbs to foul out of the game in order to stop the clock with twelve seconds left. Again, Chicago's free-throw bugaboo struck, with Tyler Howard hitting the first and missing the second to make it 87-82 with the Vikings only having a dozen seconds left with which to work.

Here's where the Vikings went into hero mode. Henry dropped a high-arcing fadeaway trey from the left elbow with 5.8 seconds left, landing on his butt in the process. As Bob noted, the Maroons were then unable to inbound the ball. Tom Slyder didn't have his players guard the inbounder (Noah Karras), and twice Karras was forced to call timeout just a fraction of a second before being counted out for a five-second violation. On the third try, Chicago head coach Mike McGrath substituted freshman Jordan Baum for Karras as the inbounder. Waller Perez made a double move and broke long, and when the long inbounds pass sailed into the forecourt I figured that Perez, a big and gifted athlete, was going to catch it, dunk the ball, and end the game.

After watching him play for two seasons I should know better than to underestimate Jordan Robinson. He made a play that would've made any NFL cornerback proud, catching Perez from behind, leaping up in the air, and knocking the ball away towards the right-hand corner. And here's where NPU caught a major break -- the clock operator was slow to hit the start button, waiting at least a full second after Robinson had tipped the ball before getting the game clock moving again.

Jarvis Cannon, who had alertly sprinted back as well when he saw Perez motoring up the floor, fished the ball out of the corner and did the smart thing by dribbling it up the floor as fast as he could rather than fling a long pass that could've been stolen by the Maroons. He found Colin Lake on the far side of the floor, and, as Bob said, Lake sent up a high-arcer from the left elbow -- a stepback shot, I should point out, with three significantly taller Maroons running at him with arms upraised -- and buried it. The shot was still in midair when the backboard lit up and the buzzer sounded.

In other words, NPU erased a six-point deficit in the final half-minute and scored six points in the game's last six seconds to win without having to force overtime. Tremendous game, gutsy finish.

This was a good game for both teams. Chicago really killed NPU with its bigs (although Bartel did most of his damage from beyond the arc tonight, where he was 4-5), and it was great experience for NPU to have to deal with a team that has that kind of talent inside. The Maroons, on the other hand, got the benefit of going up against what will very likely be the quickest team that they'll see all year. It was a win-win in that respect.

Kudos to the Vikings for proving this doubter wrong ... not once, but several times. This team may not have size, but it has plenty of moxie.

Can't wait to see that on buzzer beaters on D3Hoops!

[Gregory Sager]

Can't wait to see that on buzzer beaters on D3Hoops!

Vikings guard Billy Kirby posted the final play on his Twitter feed (he apparently had a friend high up in the stands behind me who captured it on his cellphone). I've been watching it over and over this morning.