ELMHURST, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team will compete in the first round of the CCIW Tournament on Tuesday, February 22 when they take on the No. 19 ranked Elmhurst Bluejays on the road.
The Vikings clinched the No. 6 overall seed last week following a North Park loss to Wheaton on Wednesday. Augie has never missed a CCIW postseason tournament since it was introduced, now making it 17 years in a row qualifying. In the team's last outing, the Vikings fell at home to the No. 6 ranked Illinois Wesleyan Titans on Senior Night by a score of 70-64. Neither a win or loss would have changed the final standing of either team, but Augustana battled tough against the CCIW regular season champions. Augie posted a higher shooting percentage (45%) than the Titans (43%), but saw eight fewer attempts as they were -8 in the in the turnover category.
Luke Johnson scored 11 of his game-high 16 points in the second half to spearhead the offensive attack for the Vikings.
Dan Carr notched another double double, his 17th of the season, tallying 10 points and 19 rebounds.
Elmhurst earned the No. 3 seed following an 11-5 record in league play. They currently sit 19-6 overall and are coming off a 79-66 road win over Carthage to close out the regular season. The Bluejays are winners of eight of their last nine games and average just under 82 points per game on the year. Senior Jake Rhode is leading Elmhurst with 18 points per game and has scored 25 or more in two of their last three outings, including 25 on February 9 against Augustana.
The Bluejays won both regular season meetings over the Vikings this season. Elmhurst defeated Augie in mid-January in Rock Island by a score of 86-66, followed by a 99-72 triumph at home on February 9. The Bluejays have won four of the last five encounters, but the Vikings are 12-5 against them since 2014. Augustana owns a record of 98-49 in the all-time series.
Tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Game coverage at Elmhurst
