Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Mar. 4: First Round - North Central College Cardinals (19-7) vs. St. Olaf College Oles (18-9)
Tipoff: 5 p.m., Schuldes Sports Center, St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wisconsin
Video: portal.stretchinternet.com/snc/
Radio: 89.1-FM WONC
Live Stats: www.snc.edu/athletics/teamfiles/livestats/xlive.htm
Tickets: tickets.snc.edu/tickets/showdates.php?s_id=998

Setting the Scene: After a two-year hiatus, the Cardinals are back in the NCAA Tournament, looking to duplicate the success of their most recent performance in the event.

National Rankings: North Central was ranked No. 17 in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.

This Weekend's Tournament Schedule
Friday, Mar. 4
St. Olaf vs. North Central, 5pm
Northwestern-St. Paul vs. St. Norbert, 7:30 pm
Saturday, Mar. 5
Friday winners, 7pm

Series History: Friday's game marks the second men's basketball meeting between the two schools. North Central won the only previous encounter in the opening game of the 1985-86 season, winning by a score of 62-51 in a neutral-site game at Wisconsin-River Falls.

This Season for the Cardinals: Despite entering the campaign with three freshmen and two transfers among its regular eight-man rotation, North Central came together quickly and finished second in the CCIW regular-season standings before earning its third NCAA Tournament berth in the past five seasons.

Last weekend's CCIW Tournament came to a disappointing end, as the Cardinals lost in the semifinals, 60-58, to then-17th-ranked Elmhurst. North Central rallied to erase a 10-point second-half deficit and had an opportunity to tie or go ahead on the game's final possession, but a last-second three-pointer was off the mark.

The Cardinals have already broken the program's single-season record for three-pointers made (194) and are seeking to become the sixth team in school history to win at least 20 games in a season. 

North Central's last loss to an unranked team came on Dec. 6 in a 67-66 setback at Alma. The Scots have gone on to earn a No. 19 national ranking and a spot in this year's NCAA Tournament.

Scouting the Oles: St. Olaf earned an automatic bid to this year's tournament by winning the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament championship. The Oles defeated then-No. 7-ranked St. Thomas, 72-66, in Sunday's championship game. St. Olaf shot 54 percent from the floor and took the lead for good with a 14-1 run midway through the second half.

After losing three times in a four-game stretch in late January, the Oles have bounced back by winning nine of their last 10 games. St. Olaf is making its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance after advancing to the round of 16 last season.

North Central in the NCAA Tournament: The Cardinals are 8-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and are making their eighth appearance overall. North Central's most recent tournament appearance was in 2013, when the Cardinals advanced to the national semifinals. North Central is making its fourth trip to the national tournament under coach Todd Raridon.

The Cardinals also made tournament appearances in 1984, 1985, 1989, 1990, 2016 and 2012. North Central advanced past the first round for the first time in 2012, making the round of 16.

North Central head coach Todd Raridon has been to the Division III Final Four twice as a head coach, guiding Nebraska Wesleyan to the national championship game in 1997.

Strength of Schedule: The Cardinals have played the toughest schedule of any Division III team in the country this season, according to the NCAA's strength-of-schedule ratings. North Central has played nine games against nationally-ranked teams, owning a 4-5 record in those contests

All-CCIW Selections: North Central has three representatives on this year's All-CCIW Teams, as announced by the conference on Feb. 22. Sorenson was a unanimous selection to the All-CCIW First Team, while Connor Raridon was voted to the Second Team and Jayme Moten made the Third Team. Raridon was also named the CCIW's Freshman of the Year, making him the first North Central player to win the award since its inception in 2013.

Career Rankings: Jayme Moten is ranked sixth in the Cardinals' history with 150 career three-pointers and needs three more to tie Mike Kulbeda '02 and Ray Vicario '06 for fourth all-time. His 82 made three-pointers last season established the current North Central single-season record.

Single-Season Rankings: Sorenson has already established a new North Central single-season record with 59 blocked shots. The previous record of 45 had been held by Louis Davis since the 2000-01 season. In just his first season with the Cardinals, Sorenson is tied for sixth on the school's career list in blocked shots and is just 15 short of the North Central record.

Raridon and Jagger Anderson currently rank fourth (106) and seventh (98), respectively, on the Cardinals' all-time single-season list for assists, while Moten ranks fifth in three-pointers made (68).

CCIW Free-Throw Record: Moten established a new CCIW record this season by leading the conference with a perfect free-throw shooting percentage. He was a perfect 33 for 33 at the charity stripe in conference play, and his streak of consecutive made free throws remains intact heading into Friday's tournament opener.

Coaching Milestone: Todd Raridon became the program's all-time leader in coaching victories on Feb. 10 with a 95-77 win at Carthage. He has presided over 207 wins with the Cardinals, breaking the previous record of 204 set by Bill Warden '55 from 1981-97. 

Raridon, who owns 475 total wins in his career, has also won a school-record 64.7 percent of his games with the Cardinals.