Roosevelt Looks To Match Up Men's Basketball Regular-Season Crown With Tourney Title
CHICAGO --- After claiming its first-ever Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season men's basketball title, NAIA No. 11-ranked Roosevelt University will now set its sights on the CCAC Tournament crown when the eight-team event begins on Wednesday night at four different locales.
The Lakers (24-3) captured the regular-season crown in convincing fashion with the next-closest challengers each being three games back. Nonetheless, Indiana University Northwest, the No. 2 seed in the field at 20-8 overall, closed out the regular season being one of only two league teams to solve the Lakers this year in an 81-70 triumph this past Saturday.
Calumet College of St. Joseph, the only other CCAC club to defeat Roosevelt (69-64 on Jan. 27), did not make the tournament.
Roosevelt, Indiana Northwest, No. 3 seed Olivet Nazarene University (21-7) and No. 4 seed and defending tournament champion Indiana University South Bend (20-8) will all host quarterfinal-round matchups on Wednesday.
The first-round slate of games has No. 8 seed Judson University (12-16) gaining the first crack at Roosevelt with Indiana Northwest hosting No. 7 University of St. Francis (10-15). The other two contests have No. 5 Saint Xavier University (16-12) traveling east to face Indiana South Bend and No. 7 seed St. Ambrose University (14-14) at Olivet Nazarene, which is the hottest team coming into the tournament having won five straight games.
The four winners of Wednesday's matchups square off on Friday in semifinal-round action with the championship game to be played next Monday. The higher seeds in each round host.
At stake is the conference's second automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round, which goes to the tournament champion. Should Roosevelt also capture the tourney crown, Indiana Northwest would gain the other bid as the regular-season second-place team.
The complete schedule follows:
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Game #1: No. 8 seed Judson (12-16) at No. 1 seed Roosevelt (24-3) --- 7 pm CT
Game #2: No. 5 seed Saint Xavier (16-12) at No. 4 seed Indiana South Bend (20-8) --- 6 pm CT
Game #3: No. 7 seed St. Francis (10-15) at No. 2 seed Indiana Northwest (18-10) --- 7 pm CT
Game #4: No. 6 seed St. Ambrose (14-14) at No. 3 seed Olivet Nazarene (21-7) --- 6 pm CT
Friday, March 1, 2024 (at site of highest remaining seed)
Game #5: Winner-Game #1 vs. Winner-Game #2 --- TBA
Game #6: Winner-Game #3 vs. Winner-Game #4 --- TBA
Monday, March 4, 2024 (at site of highest remaining seed)
Game #7: Winner-Game #5 vs. Winner-Game #6 --- TBA
For the complete bracket, go to Bracket.