Bryan Moore Associate Executive Director | College Conference Of Wisconsin And Illinois
Bryan Moore Associate Executive Director | College Conference Of Wisconsin And Illinois
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Men's Basketball Tournament is set to commence on Tuesday night, with the top six teams from the regular-season standings competing for an automatic berth in the national postseason. The tournament will kick off with two quarterfinal matchups: North Central will face North Park, and Elmhurst will take on Augustana, both games scheduled for 7 p.m.
The semifinals are slated for Friday in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Illinois Wesleyan, the second seed, will play against the highest remaining seed at 5 p.m., followed by a game between Carthage and the lowest remaining seed at 7:30 p.m. The championship game is scheduled for Saturday evening.
Admission prices are set at $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and children aged six and above. Children under five can attend for free, while students from CCIW institutions can enter without charge upon showing a student ID.
Carthage has secured the top seed in this year's tournament and will host the final four teams for the first time since 2017. They finished their regular season with a record of 14-2, marking their first outright title since 2010. Carthage aims to advance past the semifinal round after previous quarterfinal wins but no further advancement since their last tournament victory in 2010.
Illinois Wesleyan's appearance in this year's tournament marks their eighth consecutive participation, having reached the semifinal round seven times during that span. They concluded their conference schedule with a record of 12-4 and enjoyed a nine-game winning streak earlier this year.
In one of Tuesday's quarterfinals, Elmhurst and Augustana will meet again after last playing each other in the tournament in 2022 when Elmhurst emerged victorious. Augustana enters this game following a win over Illinois Wesleyan that improved their league record to 9-7. Elmhurst comes into the matchup as reigning champions of last year's CCIW Tournament.
North Park and North Central will face off in Chicago on Tuesday night, marking their first meeting in CCIW Tournament history. North Park tied for third place with a conference record of 9-7 and aims to secure its first-ever quarterfinal win in this tournament format. Meanwhile, North Central finished with a league record of 7-9 and looks to build on past successes where they have advanced beyond the quarterfinals twice before.
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