Ryan Scott left us a time capsule in 2020. As the sports world came to a shuddering halt with the spread of COVID, he ended the 2020 Division III men's basketball NCAA Tournament the only way we could: on paper. Here's his take, as written five years ago, on who would have cut the nets down.
Todd Raridon is leaving NCAA Division III and heading back to the NAIA and his alma mater, as the longtime North Central (Ill.) coach is returning to Hastings, an NAIA school in Nebraska.
A thrilling comeback victory has the Cardinals on the verge of a second trip to the national quarterfinals, but a stout opponent with two sizable tournament wins of its own stands in the way.
Upsets, close games, and closed gyms. We seemed to have it all in the opening weekend of the NCAA DIII tournaments. Sunday night on Hoopsville, we take a look back at a wild weekend, but we also look at how next weekend is already causing problems. Tune in starting at 7:00 pm ET here.
Fighting uphill most of the night against an opponent that seemed to have the answers at every turn, the North Central College men's basketball team found a path forward at just the right time and delivered a comeback for the ages at Gregory Arena Saturday. The Cardinals wrestled an 84-82 overtime victory away from the defending national champion University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship.
The dogged defensive effort and balanced scoring output which were the hallmarks of the North Central College men's basketball team's 21 regular-season victories were presented in full view in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship on Friday, as the Cardinals opened this year's national tournament with a 69-54 victory over Adrian College (Michigan) at Gregory Arena.
Tying the program record for College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) victories in single season, the North Central College men's basketball team scored a 78-71 victory over Wheaton College on Saturday, finishing the conference regular season with a 14-2 record.
Simpson took down conference rival Nebraska Wesleyan to remain in the hunt, Jake Ross surpassed another milestone, North Central came back from six down with 14h seconds left and Eastern Connecticut's long run in the Little East is over as a result of Wednesday's Division III men's basketball games.
Forever fighting uphill throughout a second half in which its opponent seemed to have all the answers, the North Central College men's basketball team summoned a rally in the final seconds of play to snatch a 70-69 victory from the clutches of defeat over Carthage College at Gregory Arena Wednesday.
A second straight lockdown performance on defense was accompanied by a potent offensive effort for the North Central College men's basketball team on Saturday, as the Cardinals won their 11th straight game in decisive fashion over Millikin University, 90-55, at Gregory Arena.
One of the North Central College men's basketball team's finest defensive performances of the season turned out to be just enough to deliver a 10th consecutive in on Wednesday, as the Cardinals prevailed in a 54-53 nailbiter over Augustana College at Gregory Arena.
Turning back a series of comeback efforts from a stubborn opponent, the North Central College men's basketball team came through when the pressure was highest to earn an eighth straight victory Saturday, scoring the final seven points of the afternoon to defeat Carroll University, 63-55, at Gregory Arena.
A strong early run of play in the second half helped the North Central College men's basketball team break open a close game Wednesday, as the 18th-ranked Cardinals extended their current winning streak to seven games with a 82-69 conquest of the Illinois Wesleyan University Titans at Gregory Arena.
Saturday's matchup with Wheaton College delivered the fiercely-fought battle the North Central College men's basketball team has come to expect from the Thunder, as both teams threatened to seize control of the outcome before Cardinal senior forward Connor Raridon stepped forward to deliver the knockout blow in a 74-71 overtime triumph at Gregory Arena.
Returning from a 10-day break in competition, the North Central College men's basketball team used a potent perimeter attack to defeat Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Indiana), 77-54, and post a second straight victory at Gregory Arena Monday night.
Facing relentless full-court pressure from the opening tip, the North Central College men's basketball team beat a high-scoring Greenville University team at its own game Friday night at Gregory Arena. The Cardinals picked the Pioneers apart and pulled away for a 122-103 victory, their first of the young season.
It got started slowly out of the gate, but the North Central College men's basketball team closed with a flourish in its NCAA Division III Championship opener Friday evening. The Cardinals overwhelmed Chatham University (Pennsylvania) throughout the second half en route to a 77-48 victory at Gregory Arena.
Jim Calhoun's run at his first-ever trip to the D-III NCAA Tournament fell a few points short, North Central came up with a win at Augustana, Emerson clinched its first-ever trip to Division III's big dance and Emory won the automatic bid for the only conference without a conference tournament. In all, 30 bids were on the line on Saturday.
Heading into one of the most inhospitable environments for a visiting team anywhere at the NCAA Division III level, the North Central College men's basketball team made itself right at home at Augustana College's Carver Center Saturday evening, leading for nearly the entire closely-contested College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament championship game. The 21st-ranked Cardinals handed the third-ranked Vikings a second defeat in 24 days, 72-65, to win their fifth conference tournament crown and their second in the last three seasons.
Less than two weeks removed from seeing its Senior Night celebration dampened by its local rivals, the North Central College men's basketball team exacted some measure of revenge against Wheaton College on Friday, taking control down the stretch and silencing the Thunder, 94-87, in the semifinals of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament at Augustana College's Carver Center.
An impressive show of force in the early going gave the North Central College men's basketball team all the momentum it needed Wednesday evening, as the 23rd-ranked Cardinals steamrolled the homestanding Carthage College Red Men, 85-54, at Tarble Arena.
Those who braved the elements and made the trek to Gregory Arena were treated to a bit of history Thursday evening, as North Central closed with a strong stretch run and defeated No. 1-ranked Augustana.
Aaron Jones poured in 28 points to lift North Central (Ill.) to 15-3, someone not named Aston Francis poured in 47 points, and someone who is named Aston Francis scored 45 in Division III men's basketball action on Wednesday night.
On a night when the three-point shot was a dynamic weapon for both teams, one might have predicted that the team which had the ball last would be victorious in the North Central College men's basketball team's contest at Millikin University Wednesday evening.
The teams combined to sink 27 shots from beyond the arc in the game, the last of which left Cardinal guard Mike Pollack's hand from the left wing just before the buzzer sounded in overtime, lifting the visitors to a 93-92 victory at the Griswold Center.
Atoning for a slow start with an overwhelming 15-minute stretch of play which effectively ended the contest, the North Central College men's basketball team collected its fourth straight win at Carroll University on Saturday, departing Van Male Fieldhouse with a 75-52 conquest of the Pioneers.
On a night when it struggled to get untracked shooting the ball, the North Central College men's basketball team relied on a stout defensive effort to get the job done against Carthage College Wednesday evening, fighting its way to a 67-63 victory over the Red Men at Gregory Arena.
Dominating the game when the outcome hung in the balance for the second straight contest, the North Central College men's basketball team posted a victory on Illinois Wesleyan University's home floor for the fourth straight year on Wednesday, defeating the Titans, 85-83, at the Shirk Center.
Regrouping at halftime after a first period during which little went right, the North Central College men's basketball team flipped the script on the Elmhurst College Bluejays over the final 20 minutes at Gregory Arena on Saturday, surging past the visitors to post its first victory of the 2019 calendar year, 82-70.
An early second-half dry spell wound up putting Wednesday evening's game just out of reach for the North Central College men's basketball team, as the Cardinals lost a 76-59 decision to the third-ranked Augustana College Vikings at the Carver Center.
Turning the tables on the Las Vegas oddsmakers by routinely striking it rich from three-point range, the North Central College men's basketball team opened the D3hoops.com Classic with a flourish on Thursday, hammering Husson University (Maine), 93-51, at the South Point Hotel and Events Center.
Five years later: Who would have won?
March 10, 2025Ryan Scott left us a time capsule in 2020. As the sports world came to a shuddering halt with the spread of COVID, he ended the 2020 Division III men's basketball NCAA Tournament the only way we could: on paper. Here's his take, as written five years ago, on who would have cut the nets down.
