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Can it get any tougher than this?  The Carthage College men's basketball team (7-7, 1-2 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) plays two of the top-three teams in the nation this week.  Both at home, if that helps any.  On Wednesday, Jan. 13, Carthage plays host to No. 2 Elmhurst College (13-1, 3-0 CCIW) in a 7 p.m. game at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis.  This Saturday, Jan. 16, the Red Men entertain No. 3 Augustana College (Ill.), also in a 7 p.m. contest.
 
Elmhurst, ranked No. 5 last week by "D3hoops.com," knocked off then-No. 1 Augustana College (Ill., currently 14-1, 2-1 CCIW), 77-75 in overtime, last Wednesday at R.A. Faganel Hall in Elmhurst, Ill., in what one observer dubbed "an instant classic."  In front of a standing-room-only crowd of 1,900, the game  featured 19 lead changes, 13 ties, a pair of on-court celebrations by Elmhurst fans, a video review at the end of regulation and eventually, a two-point overtime win by the Bluejays.  Elmhurst fans flooded the court after regulation thinking they had a 71-69 win over the Vikings, but Will Nixon's tip-in at the buzzer was ruled off by the officials following the first-ever video review in the CCIW.
 
The Bluejays upped their league record to 3-0 last Saturday with a 73-65 road win at Millikin University, while Augustana (Ill.) bounced back with a 79-66 decision at North Park University.  The Vikings play host to No. 25 North Central College (10-4, 3-0) on Wednesday before traveling to Carthage on Saturday.
 
Elmhurst is led by guard Kyle Wuest, (6-1, Sr., Edinburgh, Ind.), who averages 17.3 points per game (third in the CCIW) and 3.8 rebounds, along with a .494 field-goal percentage, a .478 three-point field-goal mark and an .839 free-throw percentage.  Wuest, a first-team All-CCIW selection last year, was named this week's CCIW "Men's Basketball Player of the Week" for the second time this year.  Forward Erik Crittenden (Sr., 6-7, Crete, Ill./Chicago Heights-Marian Catholic) averages 12.9 points and 6.7 rebounds, while guard Bryant Ackerman (6-2, Sr., Loogootee, Ind.) averages 11.1 points and 3.7 rebounds.  Ackerman was named third-team all-conference last season. 
 
The only blemish on the Elmhurst record is a 94-86 loss to nationally-ranked Benedictine University (Ill.) on Nov. 25.  The Bluejays are second in the league with a 17.0 scoring margin.
 
John Baines (47-20, 3 years at Elmhurst/104-58, 6 years overall thru Jan. 12) coaches the Bluejays, who went 20-9 last year (9-5, 3rd CCIW) before losing to Illinois Wesleyan University, 80-67, in the semifinals of the CCIW Men's Basketball Tournament.  Elmhurst received an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship and advanced to the second round before losing to Northwestern College, 84-75.  Carthage leads the Elmhurst series, which dates to a Jan. 23, 1932 game in Chicago, 82-52.
 
Grey Giovanine (325-122, 17 years at Augustana/405-207, 23 years overall thru Jan. 12) is the Augustana (Ill.) coach.  The Vikings went  27-5 last year (11-3, 1st CCIW) and won the conference tournament with a 78-74 decision over Illinois Wesleyan.  Augustana (Ill.) won four games in the national tournament before falling to Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 70-54, in the title game.  The Red Men trail the series with the Vikings, which dates to Jan. 27, 1912, 116-55. 
 
Guard Hunter Hill (5-9, Sr., Byron, Ill.) leads the team in scoring with a 14.9 per-game mark, along with a .524 field-goal percentage, a .488 three-point mark, an .875 free-throw percentage and 3.6 assists per game.  Forward Ben Ryan (6-5, Sr., Washington, Ill.) averages 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds.  Augustana leads the league with a 17.7 scoring margin.
 
Guard Tony Pierce Jr. (6-1, Sr., Evanston, Ill./Skokie-Niles West), leads the Red Men with a 19.5 points-per-game mark, along with a .500 field-goal percentage and a .725 free-throw percentage.  Pierce joined the team in late-December after transferring from Robert Morris University (Ill.).  Guard Jordon Kedrowski (6-3, Fr., Bolingbrook, Ill./Downers Grove-North) averages 15.4 points per game and forward Mike Stevenson (Jr., Burlington, Wis./Wilmot-Union) 10.6 points and 5.5 rebounds.  The Red Men are coached by Bosko Djurickovic (314-191, 20 years at Carthage/510-270, 30 years overall thru Jan. 12).