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

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Feb. 23: CCIW Men's Basketball Tournament Semifinals: North Central (18-7) vs. Illinois Wesleyan (19-6); Wheaton (17-8) vs. Augustana (20-5)

Video: portal.stretchinternet.com/augustana/
Radio: 89.1-FM WONC
Live Stats: www.augustana.net/athletics/mbasketball/xlive.htm

Setting the Scene: The Cardinals carry a two-game winning streak into their 10th appearance in the CCIW Tournament, looking to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.

Tournament Schedule:
Friday
Illinois Wesleyan vs. North Central, 5pm
Augustana vs. Wheaton, 7pm
Saturday
Championship game, 7pm

National Rankings: Augustana is No. 9 and Illinois Wesleyan is No. 15 in the most recent D3hoops.com National Top 25 Poll. 

North Central in the CCIW Tournament: The Cardinals own a record of 8-5 in nine previous conference tournament appearances, winning the championship four times (2006, 2012, 2013, 2017). Augustana is the only team with more CCIW Tournament championships (5). North Central became the first CCIW team to win the tournament as the No. 4 seed, defeating Carthage (87-85) and Augustana (69-64) in last year's event at Carthage.

The tournament has been won by a team other than the No. 1 seed five times. North Central has three of those five titles (2006, 2012, 2017).

North Central vs. the Tournament Field: The Cardinals went 3-3 against the other three teams in the tournament this season. The Cardinals lost twice to Augustana (79-72 and 71-65), posted two wins over Wheaton (75-66 and 72-55).

North Central split its series with IWU, losing by a 68-66 count in December before scoring a 83-74 win on the Titans' home floor Tuesday.

Single-Season Team Records: North Central has made 226 three-point field goals this season, breaking the single-season school record of 210, which was set last season. With 487 assists, the Cardinals are six short of the record of 493 set by the 2005-2006 team.

Career/Single-Season Rankings: Alex Sorenson blocked 54 shots last season, second in North Central's history only to the 59 blocks he recorded the previous year. He has blocked 143 shots in his career,  breaking the previous North Central record of 74 held by Anthony Simmons '07. Sorenson also ranks sixth in North Central's history in career points per game (17.3) and rebounds per game (8.6). 

Connor Raridon became the Cardinals' all-time leader for assists on Jan. 27 against Elmhurst, and has extended his record totals to 173 this season and 323 in his career. He set the Cardinals' single-game record of 13 assists in a win at Aurora Dec. 12.

Mike Pollack's 72 made three-pointers this season ranks second in the Cardinals' history. Jayme Moten set the North Central record with 82 three-pointers in 2014-15.

Sorenson became the Cardinals' 25th 1,000-point scorer on Dec. 6 at Augustana and currently ranks seventh all-time in scoring (1,400). Erwin Henry eclipsed the 1,000-point mark Jan. 6 at Carroll and currently ranks 22nd all-time (1,082).