MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

North Park 82
Carthage 62

Kolden Vanlandingham: 13 pts
Shamar Pumphrey: 12 pts, 5:1 a:to
Jalen Boyd: 12 pts
Jordan Boyd: 4 stls
Marquise Jackson: 3 stls

AJ Johnson: 24 pts (4-7 trey, 6-6 FT), 6 reb
Antuan Nesbitt: 14 pts, 7 rebs
Fillip Bulatovic: 10 pts, 7 rebs

As usual, North Park took advantage of a spurt to run up a lead, going from an 18-18 tie to a 33-20 lead over the course of six minutes late in the first half of what had been a rather stagnant, atypically low-scoring affair to establish a double-digit lead. After Carthage scored the opening bucket of the second half, NPU then went on another spurt, this one a 12-2 run that established yet another double-digit lead, one that the Vikings would maintain for the rest of the ballgame. Carthage wouldn't let the Vikings pull away, chipping what had been a 19-point lead down to 11 at one point, but the Vikings built it back up and simply wore down the Firebirds.

This was a particularly good defensive game for NPU, and not just because they forced their requisite high number of steals (11) and opponent turnovers (17). Carthage came into the game ranked fifth in the nation in FG percentage at .497. The Firebirds shot .367 from the field tonight, including a mere .250 from downtown. Carthage led the CCIW in scoring in league play this season, averaging 77.4 ppg. The Vikings held them 15 points under their average. They especially did a number on Fillip Bulatovic, who was hounded and fustrated all day. The lone Firebird who really played a dominant game for his entire stint was AJ Johnson, who should definitely be expected to step in next season as one of the CCIW's primary MOP contenders.

It was a relief to finally get that first-ever CCIW tournament win out of the way. Now it's on to -- I hope -- bigger and better things for the Park.

[Gregory Sager]

Elmhurst 76
Wheaton 58

Ocean Johnson: 18 pts, 9 rebs
John Ittounas: 18 pts (4-5 trey), 3 stls
Wesley Hooker: 12 pts, 7 rebs

TJ Askew: 12 pts, 6 rebs, 4 blks
Nick Schiavello: 12 pts
Tyson Cruickshank: 12 pts
Andrew Williams: 12 pts

Other than a 2-2 tie, Elmhurst led the whole way in this one, clearly outplaying Wheaton for all 40 minutes. Both teams continuously settled for jumpshots, as there were only 19 free throws shot by the two teams combined all night (EU didn't attempt a free throw until the second half was three and a half minutes old). Given a game of jumpshots, I'd put my money on Wheaton ... but tonight I would've lost that bet. The hosts shot a really ragged .382 from the field and only .214 from downtown, compared to .477 and .526 for the 'jays. But it wasn't just a case of Elmhurst winning a game of H-O-R-S-E; Elmhurst outhustled Wheaton all night, getting to every loose ball and racking up a decisive 14-8 advantage on the offensive glass. That was even weirder than Wheaton shooting so poorly in its own gym, since you rarely see anybody outhustle a Wheaton team.

Very impressive performance by the 'jays, who completely turned the tables on Wheaton in the space of less than a week.

Fun atmosphere. I've never in my forty-plus years following this league seen so many Elmhurst students at a road game for the Bluejays. There was as much Columbia blue in the various sections where students were seated as there was orange.

Hang a star on that one! What a time to turn in the best performance of the year.

I missed the game but saw the box score.  Did Considine get injured or anything like that?  I can't believe he only played 12 mins.

He hit the deck hard on a play at the basket, had his leg looked at by the training staff, and had to be helped off of the floor by a couple of his teammates. He wasn't on the bench in the second half, and after the game I saw him on crutches.

Tyson Cruickshank looked like he came down wrong on his foot while missing a shot in the middle of the second half. I saw him grimacing, and, at the next time out, he gulped down three or four tablets of what must've been Advil or some other pain reliever while sitting on the bench. Mike Schauer thought that his star might overcome and rally, but he was ineffective once Schauer put him back in, so the coach wisely took Cruickshank out to save him for another day.

Even if he's healthy, though, one must question Considine's condition going forward. Wheaton sorely missed his inside presence this evening.

[voxelmhurst]

Very impressive performance by the 'jays, who completely turned the tables on Wheaton in the space of less than a week.

Fun atmosphere. I've never in my forty-plus years following this league seen so many Elmhurst students at a road game for the Bluejays. There was as much Columbia blue in the various sections where students were seated as there was orange.

I have also never seen two student sections literally side by side, which was the case at one end of the arena last nite. Granted, this is not Man United vs Liverpool, but I did have to scratch my head at that decision. I suppose there was no other option given the high attendance. Anyway, it certainly made the atmosphere better, and that's all that matters.

As for the game itself, I was very happy to see Elmhurst SLOW DOWN for most of the game yesterday. For far too many possessions this season, they have rushed it into the front court to either fire off a low percentage shot or commit an unforced error. They played a much more effective possession game last nite, committing just four turnovers, which helped make sure Wheaton was never able to get back into the game.

Since 2020, Elmhurst has a 16-2 record in postseason play under John Baines, and despite a very up and down season, he has the team going head-to-head for the chance to play in another national tournament. What an incredible job he has done.

[mr_b]

Final from Wheaton: North Park 83, Elmhurst 75.  Very exciting and competitive contest from start to finish.  Congratulations to the Vikings on winning their first CCIW Tournament Championship.  Best of luck in the NCAA Tournament. 

[GoPerry]

Congrats to the NPU Vikings.  What a season - well deserved!  Accolades for Coach Sean Smith in his inaugural CCIW season.

This is a team hitting on all cylinders right now.  Just the sort of team you don't want to face in the tourney, especially if its on their home court.

Big question will be whether Wheaton will get to host.  I actually don't think it will be a terrible thing if they don't.  They have been a very fierce road team this season and have played their best basketball away from King, in my opinion.

[npbaseball40]

This feels good:
https://twitter.com/vikingsnpu/status/1629678616467451904?s=46&t=BtV67KlVdffK25-cq4Vtcg

Despite a flood of doubt and criticism, the hiring done by AD John Born and the leadership of Coach Sean Smith and his staff led the Vikings to a CCIW Tournament Championship.

Onward.

[Gregory Sager]

North Park 83
Elmhurst 75

Jalen Boyd: 23 pts (4-7 trey)
Marquise Jackson: 15 pts, 6 rebs, 3 stls
Shamar Pumphrey: 13 pts, 3:0 a:to
Jordan Boyd: 11 pts

Tagen Pearson: 18 pts (4-8 trey)
John Ittounas: 13 pts, 5:1 a:to
Matt Woloch: 12 pts
Ocean Johnson: 10 pts
Jonathan Zapinski: 9 rebs

This was about as high-intensity a game as I can remember seeing in a long time. Elmhurst played with all of the feisty desperation of a team with its back to the wall, and North Park was just plain feisty -- a little *too* feisty for the officials' taste at times. It was a game of awesome athleticism, sheer balletic moves at times, fierce and downright angry physical contact, and enough yapping and chirping for a dozen pet stores. The game went back and forth quite a bit (ten lead changes, eight ties) for the first 28 minutes, but North Park, as per its m.o., finally got that put-away run, in this case a 14-1 string over a six-minute stint in the middle of the second half, that turned a 59-58 deficit into a 72-60 lead that would hold up for the remainder of the game -- although the 'jays did whittle it down to a four-point gap in the final minute and a half, before a Jordan Boyd baseline jumper pushed the lead back out to six. It never got closer again.

The reason why the Vikings stopped the 'jays in their tracks for that six-minute period wasn't the full-court press for which they're best known. It was good, old-fashioned, don't-give-an-inch halfcourt defense, and while it seems ridiculous to say that a team that gave up 75 points played magificent defense in so doing, it's nevertheless true. Just as the Vikings shut down a top-five-in-the-nation shooting team in Carthage last night, in the second half they totally blunted the various weapons that Elmhurst has to offer. On the night, the 'jays didn't shoot too horribly (.426/.346/.778), but that six-minute stretch put them in a hole from which they were unable to extricate themselves. Meanwhile, the slashing drives to the basket of Shamar Pumphrey and Marquise Jackson and the big-money shooting of unsung hero Jalen Boyd kept the points coming for the Park while the defense was holding Elmhurst at bay.

I have all kinds of respect for the Bluejays, who certainly went down fighting tonight. How did a team that good only go 8-8 in this league, anyway? It speaks volumes about the quality of the CCIW that the 'jays were only seeded fourth in this tournament.

This is North Park's first-ever CCIW tournament championship, first-ever three-game season sweep of an opponent (every prior time that the Park has ever played an opponent three times in a season, it's come out 2-1 or 1-2), and ... best of all ... this ends a 33-year D3 tourney drought that, needless to say, was quite wearing on those of us who continued to care about NPU basketball throughout the long years in the wilderness.

No, wait. That's not even the best of all. The best of all is that this really feels like the start of something wonderful for the Vikings basketball program. And we owe that to Sean Smith.

[TheOsprey]

Congratulations NPU fans.  This is a very interesting team peaking at a perfect time.  Good luck in the NCAA.  I'm on the bandwagon. 

[kiko]

I have all kinds of respect for the Bluejays, who certainly went down fighting tonight. How did a team that good only go 8-8 in this league, anyway?

This is a question I have asked myself several times in recent weeks.  Elmhurst can beat you in a myriad of ways and has a wealth of senior experience.  Since the Vikings were already headed to the tournament through whichever door they queue up next to, I was hoping the Jays could find a way today for the simple reason that I thought that if they snuck into the tournament, they (like NPU and Wheaton) had the potential to stick around for a bit.  And there aren't a lot of conferences where an 8-8 team can bring that degree of quality.

[Koppenberg]

Wahoo! I started my Freshman year at North Park in the fall of 1990. It has been quite a wait for the next visit to the tournament. Well done, gentlemen.

[voxelmhurst]

I have all kinds of respect for the Bluejays, who certainly went down fighting tonight. How did a team that good only go 8-8 in this league, anyway?

This is a question I have asked myself several times in recent weeks.  Elmhurst can beat you in a myriad of ways and has a wealth of senior experience.  Since the Vikings were already headed to the tournament through whichever door they queue up next to, I was hoping the Jays could find a way today for the simple reason that I thought that if they snuck into the tournament, they (like NPU and Wheaton) had the potential to stick around for a bit.  And there aren't a lot of conferences where an 8-8 team can bring that degree of quality.

Elmhurst had sort of a weird season. They started and ended their CCIW schedule losing 3 out of 4, and went 6-2 in between. They were 3-5 in home CCIW games, 5-3 in road games. Elmhurst had a lot of talent, but for me they lacked cohesion, confidence, and weren't as deep as some  Elmhurst teams of recent vintage, which really affected their ability to close out some tough games. 4 of their 8 CCIW losses were by 4 or less points. I'm happy they were able to turn things around in the CCIW tournament, with two great wins vs North Central and Wheaton, but a trip back to the national tournament wasn't to be. Credit to North Park, who thrice bested Elmhurst this season, and who should do the CCIW well and proud going forward.


It's been an incredible last 4 seasons for Elmhurst. I'll be eager to see what kind of team Baines has on the floor next year.

[USee]

I am still scratching my head how North Park isn't in the top 25. Not to jinx Sager, but I would be shocked if they don't make the sweet sixteen in the tourney. I wouldn't want to play them.

[Stertorous Thunder]

I am still scratching my head how North Park isn't in the top 25. Not to jinx Sager, but I would be shocked if they don't make the sweet sixteen in the tourney. I wouldn't want to play them.

No kidding. Playing them a fourth time wouldn't be a treat, even if you were aware of some of their tendencies and weaker points (of which there are very few, of course). I pity the NPU tournament opponent that has no previous experience with a high speed game. I hope to see a matchup that produces the tournament record for steals.

[kiko]

They should be, but I threw my arms in the air on that topic about a month ago.

But I'll bet a whole lot of Manito's corn that they will be come season's end.  Draw your own conclusions about what needs to happen for an unranked team to get ranked in the final poll.

[Pat Coleman]

They should be, but I threw my arms in the air on that topic about a month ago.

But I'll bet a whole lot of Manito's corn that they will be come season's end.  Draw your own conclusions about what needs to happen for an unranked team to get ranked in the final poll.

Almost certainly won't need to wait for the final poll. There's a poll on Monday.