The 22-7 Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball team, fresh from a win over defending champion and No. 1-ranked Washington U., will travel to Stevens Point, Wis., for their NCAA Division III sectional meeting with Carthage at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 12. The host school faces Texas-Dallas in the other sectional semifinal at 8 p.m. (played as a separate session).
Illinois Wesleyan NCAA Sectional Round Game Notes
Go here for UW-Stevens Point sectional web site
2010 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Interactive Bracket
Illinois Wesleyan advanced to the sectional semifinals by knocking off No. 1 Washington U., 75-70, on Saturday after dispatching Central (Iowa), 86-81, on Friday in the opening round.
This will be the fourth meeting this year between the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foes Red Men and the Titans, with Carthage winning two of three already. During the regular season, the Titans won at home, 79-69, on Jan. 9 and Carthage claimed an 80-55 decision in Kenosha on Jan. 30.
Carthage beat IWU, 70-67, in the championship game of the CCIW tournament in Kenosha on Feb. 28.
IWU was also involved the last time two CCIW teams met in the NCAA tournament, handing Elmhurst a 63-60 loss in a 2001 sectional semifinal game played at the University of Chicago. The Titans went on to finish third in the nation that season.
Carthage, 24-5 and No. 14 in the March 2 “D3hoops.com” poll, reached the sectionals with a 76-58 home win over No. 24 Anderson on Saturday. The Red Men won their first round game, 84-70, vs. Aurora.
Junior Steve Djurickovic is ranked No. 2 on the Carthage career scoring list (1,977 points thru March 11) and needs 137 points to pass Jason Wiertel (2,113 points, 1969-2002) for first place. In other school career categories, Djurickovic is seventh in field goals (618), eighth in field-goal attempts (1,238), first in made free throws (648), first in free-throw attempts (776) and first in assists (476).
His father, head coach Bosko Djurickovic, has a 14-year record of 241-123 in his 14th season at Carthage and has a career record of 437-202 in 24 years overall, including 196-79 in 10 years at North Park.
The No. 5-ranked
Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers (25-4) will take on No. 19
Texas-Dallas (24-5) in the 8 p.m. semifinal.
The Pointers, winners of back-to-back national Division III championships in 2004 and 2005, finished second in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 12-4 mark then went on to win the WIAC tournament, 63-57 win over Wis.-Whitewater.
Wisconsin-Stevens Point won its first round game, 59-58, over Carleton College and beat No. 15 St. Norbert College, 72-65, in the second round.
The Pointers are coached by Bob Semling, who has a record of 115-29 in his fifth season.
The Comets are no stranger to the NCAA Dvision III tournament, making their third all-time appearance after losing in overtime (64-59 to Guilford) in the sectional finals a year ago. UT-D won the American Southwest Conference East Division with an 18-2 record but lost to Mary Hardin-Baylor, 80-70, in the conference tournament championship game. The Comets got a first round bye in the NCAA championship and nipped CCIW-member Wheaton, 63-62, in the second round.
Terry Butterfield has a 10-year record of 149-118 as the Texas-Dallas coach.
