Millikin Basketball is often a team overlooked and doubted, especially in the CCIW conference. With the team made up of 11 sophomores, seven freshmen and two juniors, the Big Blue is a young team that fights to compete against seven other highly experienced teams throughout the conference. One of Millikin’s greatest achievements already this season was their win over the once ranked North Central Cardinals, which took place over the winter break on January 8.

“The game at North Central was a great team win,” Coach Blake Reynolds said, “We played 13 different guys in a close game, which is unheard of in basketball. Everybody contributed.”

Their win was a major step forward for the team known as the “New Era” as they ended North Central’s eight-game win streak in the series between the two schools. The game was another difficult challenge for both teams, as the game was tied six different times. TJ Griffin led the Big Blue with 19 points, including five 3-pointers. Tommy Pilackas and Tives Gardner were big contributors adding 17 and 14 points, respectively. Chase Robbins came off the bench to hit a couple of key buckets at crucial parts of the game, and even though his work did not show up in the box score, Brennan Coltrane played three minutes of solid defense to make sure they stayed ahead at halftime. The Big Blue continued to lead the entire second half and picked up the important win with a final score of 63-58.

“It was awesome to see everyone come ready to play,” Reynolds said. “It is always huge to win on the road in the CCIW game, but beating North Central was extra special because they were a team who made the Final Four last year.”

In 2013, North Central was an NCAA semifinal qualifier who, at the start of the 2013/2014 season, was ranked number six in the top 10 teams in the 2013 D3hoops.com Top 25 preseason poll. North Central is not currently ranked, but they were at an earlier point in the season. There are currently two teams from the CCIW who are ranked in the top 25 in the nation: Illinois Wesleyan who is number 4 and Augustana who is number 13.

The CCIW is known as the best conference in the country for Division III basketball, normally sending four teams each year to the national tournament. This year, Illinois Wesleyan is seen as a serious contender for the national championship. The Big Blue is currently 1-4 in conference, 7-9 overall. With nine conference games left, they will try to knock off the powerhouse CCIW teams their second time around. In order to make it to the CCIW tournament, the boys will need to place top four in the conference by the end of the regular season.