KENOSHA — The Carthage College men's basketball team is headed to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in 15 years, marking the program's fifth all-time appearance. This will be the first NCAA Tournament trip under fifth-year head coach
Steve Djurickovic. The Firebirds hold a 9-4 record in tournament history, highlighted by a run to the national semifinals in 2002.
Djurickovic, recently named College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Coach of the Year, guided Carthage to a 21-6 overall record, securing the program's first outright CCIW regular-season championship since 2010. The Firebirds finished 14-2 in conference play and reached the CCIW Tournament Championship game for the first time since 2010. The 14 conference wins set a program record. Djurickovic became the fourth coach in program history to earn CCIW Coach of the Year honors, following in the footsteps of his father, Bosko Djurickovic, who won the award in 2017.
Firebirds at a Glance
The Firebirds ranked No. 25 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, averaging 79.1 points per game. They excelled at Tarble Arena, posting a 12-3 home record and recording a season-high 95 points against Knox on Dec. 7. Carthage topped the 90-point mark multiple times, including 93 points in a victory over North Central (Ill.) on Jan. 15 and barely missed the 90 mark scoring 89 in a win over Wheaton (Ill.) on Feb. 15.
Carthage displayed strong offensive efficiency throughout the season, shooting a season-best 62.0% (31-50) against North Central (Ill.).The team made 35 field goals in wins over Spalding (Dec. 20) and Alma (Nov. 16). At the free-throw line, the team recorded 34 makes against Knox and shot a perfect 20-for-20 against North Central. The Firebirds' best three-point shooting performance came on Jan. 15, when they hit 64.7% (11-17) from beyond the arc against North Central. They also converted 96.3% (26-27) from the free-throw line in a win at Elmhurst on Jan. 8.
Defensively, Carthage held Millikin to a season-low 55 points on Jan. 11 and limited Alma and IIT to 56 points in non-conference matchups.
Frequent High Flyers
Ryan Johnson (CCIW Fred Young Most Outstanding Student-Athlete, First Team) averaged 14.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He recorded 10 double-doubles, including a standout performance against Wisconsin-Whitewater (Nov. 30). Johnson grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds against Spalding and 14 against North Central and Augustana (Ill.).
AJ Johnson (CCIW First Team) totaled a season-high 32 points at IIT (Nov. 12), going 6-for-6 from three-point range. He also had perfect free-throw performances, going 12-for-12 at IIT and 10-for-10 at Elmhurst. Johnson averages 15.9 points per game.
Riley Brooks (CCIW Second Team) posted a season-best 29 points at Illinois Wesleyan (Dec. 4) and 26 against Carroll (Wis.) (Jan. 22), making a season-high 12 field goals. He averages 15.6 points per game.
Griffin Daun averaged 10.3 points per game. He shot 83.3% (5-6) at Wisconsin-Platteville (Nov. 20) and 8-for-10 against North Central (Jan. 15). Daun tallied a season-best 25 points against North Park (Feb. 1), 12 rebounds against Carroll (Jan. 22), and five assists against North Park (Feb. 1).
NCAA Tournament Matchup
Carthage will face St. Norbert in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, marking the 15th all-time meeting between the programs. The teams last met during the 1997-98 season when St. Norbert won 70-66. This will be their first matchup in the NCAA Tournament, though they previously met in the 1974-75 NAIA District 14 Playoffs.
Carthage has not played an overtime game this season, while St. Norbert holds a 1-1 record in overtime matchups. The Firebirds are 82-37 all-time against Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) opponents in the regular season and have met two NACC teams in NCAA Tournament play, earning victories over Aurora (84-70) in 2009-10 and Marian (Wis.) (83-65) in 2000-01.
Scouting St. Norbert
St. Norbert enters the tournament with a 22-6 record after winning the NACC Championship. The Green Knights, the No. 2 seed in the NACC Tournament, defeated Aurora (83-72), MSOE (76-73), and Wisconsin Lutheran (70-52) to claim their second conference title in three seasons. St. Norbert is making its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance, holding a 6-10 all-time record, including a 5-5 mark in first-round games. The Green Knights last made the tournament in 2023, advancing to the second round.
The Stage is Set
Carthage and St. Norbert will tip-off on Friday, March 7, at 4:20 p.m. at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wis. The winner will advance to face the victor of the Wisconsin-La Crosse vs. Greenville matchup on Saturday, March 8, at 6:50 p.m.
