Landon Gamble provides a much-needed physical presence down low for the Cardinals. North Central (Ill.) athletics photo

By Brian Lester
D3sports.com

So many storylines have emerged during North Central College’s run through the NCAA tournament. Script writers everywhere would be filled with envy.

Take for example the Cardinals' run to the Sweet 16. They hosted national power UW-Whitewater this past Saturday but didn’t get to play one of the biggest games in program history on their own floor.

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The Division III national track meet was taking place there, so the Cardinals played their second-round game against the defending national champions at nearby Benedictine.

Everything worked out. North Central prevailed 64-60.

“It was an unusual situation, but there really wasn’t much we could do about it,” North Central head coach Todd Raridon said. “Benedictine did an excellent job of hosting the game for us. We were just glad we only had to go three minutes down the road instead of three hours.”

Here is another storyline. Derek Raridon, the leading scorer for the Cardinals at 14.6 points per game, is a senior on the team and is the son of the head coach.

He has played for his dad all four years and it’s an experience he wouldn’t trade for anything in the world, especially when that experience involves making a run in March.

“He knows so much about the game and I couldn’t ask for a better situation to be in as a college basketball player,” the younger Raridon said. “It’s special to be able to see him every day because not a lot of people get that experience in college.  I’m enjoying every minute of it.”

Todd Raridon said having his son on the team is like having an extension of himself on the floor.

“It’s been fantastic being able to coach Derek,” Todd said. “He knows me so well and what I want to do as a coach. He is like an extension on the floor and it has been a big help. It’s been a lot of fun having him around.”

The other interesting storyline for the Cardinals (26-3) as they have navigated their way to the verge of a trip to the Elite Eight --- the Cardinals knocked off Centre 66-50 in the tourney opener – is their next opponent is a familiar one.

Illinois Wesleyan, the regular season champions of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, comes back to town this weekend. The Titans (23-5) are ranked No. 10 in the nation and had their bid to run the table in the league this year ruined by the Cardinals, falling 87-83 in overtime last month in the last game of the regular season.

Familiarity helps, but it’s not really an advantage because each team knows each other all too well.

Todd Raridon expects this showdown to play out in thrilling fashion just as the previous two meetings did. Illinois Wesleyan won the first game 69-61 in January.

“Knowing each other works both ways. It’s good we know our opponent, but it doesn’t really give us an advantage because they know us just as well,” Raridon said. “They will come in ready to play and we have to be ready for it. I expect this game to be just as close as the other two were and it’s going to come down to which team executes, plays good defense and takes care of the basketball.”

Derek Raridon said he and his teammates are thrilled about having an opportunity to play in the Sweet 16 again and he is ready for the challenge of playing the Titans.

“We’re very excited about it,” Raridon said. “It’s great to have another chance to play in the Sweet 16 and two good teams will be going at it Saturday. They are a great team and we know what to expect from them. We just have to go out and play our best game.”

It isn’t a surprise that North Central is back in the Sweet 16. The Cardinals had an experienced group of players returning, including Raridon and fellow senior Aaron Tiknis, who is averaging 9.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He has drilled 31 3-pointers and Raridon has knocked down 35 treys.

“The leadership that those two seniors have provided has been a very big part of our success,” Todd Raridon said. “They understand the rigors that come with playing in our conference and they were tested last season in the NCAA tournament. Their experience has been a huge help.”

The younger Raridon said he and Tikinis have embraced their leadership roles for the Cardinals, who have won their last 10 games.

“The team looks us to be leaders and we do our best to lead by example,” Raridon said. “We know what needs to be done to be successful and we have done our best to help the younger players improve throughout the year. We are in a great position right now because we are still playing in the tournament and we want to take advantage of it.”

North Central averages 69.1 points per outing and allows 58 points per game. The Cardinals’ balance on offense and their ability to play at a high level on defense are a couple of reasons they have thrived.

Much of their success is linked to the rugged schedule they played. Their second game of the season was against No. 7 Hope and they pulled out a 60-49 won. The Cardinals also played nationally ranked foes Ramapo, Wheaton, Augustana and, of course, Illinois Wesleyan.

“Those types of games helped prepare us for what we would see in the tournament,” Todd Raridon said. “We have been challenged all year and our players have responded to it. Our game against Wesleyan will be a typical CCIW game, only with a lot more on the line. We are going to have to play our best game to have a chance to win.”

Derek Raridon is confident the Cardinals can get the job done.

“We know this game isn’t going to be easy, but we believe if we play up to our potential, we are going to put ourselves in a position to win,” Raridon said. “It’s going to take a great effort and we would love to be able to keep this tournament run going.”