Less than 24 hours after a thrilling triple-overtime win over St. Norbert College, the Elmhurst College men's basketball team will take the court to face the University of Northwestern (Minn.) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at St. Norbert College, in De Pere, Wis. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
 
On the Air: St. Norbert will provide live statistics and live video streaming off every game this weekend at the following links: 
Live video: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/snc.portal# 
Live stats: http://www.snc.edu/athletics/teamfiles/livestats/xlive.htm
Live Twitter Updates at @elmhurstbluejay 

How the Bluejays Advanced: Elmhurst needed clutch buckets on three separate occasions to extend the game against fifth-ranked St. Norbert before running away from the Green Knights in the third overtime. The Bluejays erased a nine-point second half deficit, but needed a late bucket from Will Nixon to force overtime. Down by two, Eric Leonard drove in the paint but lost the handle on the ball. Nixon scooped up the loose ball and hit an uncontested layup to tie the score. 

Elmhurst needed more magic in the first overtime. The Bluejays trailed by five with just 40 seconds left. After cutting the deficit to three with 6.6 seconds left, Kyle Wuest ran the length of the floor and hit a long three-pointer from the wing to send the game to a second overtime. 

In the second OT, Elmhurst trailed by four with 43 seconds left on the clock. Erik Crittenden hit a pair of free throws and Nathan Rogers then stole the St. Norbert inbounds pass. Crittenden knocked down an off-balanced jumper in the paint to even the score. The Bluejays had to dodge a bullet as the Green Knight's D.J. DeValk ran the length of the floor, but his potential game-winning layup came just after the buzzer. 

Elmhurst took control in the third, as Wuest connected on a three-point play just 10 seconds into the contest. Leonard followed with a quick three-pointer as the Bluejays quickly pulled away while St. Norbert missed all six of its shots from the floor in the final period.

How the Eagles Advanced: Northwestern shocked third-ranked St. Thomas with a 63-62 buzzer beating victory, the Eagles first win in the NCAA Tournament in five tries. Northwestern hit nine of its first 11 shots to lead by as many as 11 points in the opening half, but the Tommies surged back and built a three-point lead late in the contest. Trailing by three with just 13 seconds left, Cody Sprenger buried a trey to even the score at 66-66. St. Thomas wasted no time recapturing the lead as Grant Schaeffer hit a contested layup with 6.2 seconds left on the clock to put the Tommies back in front. Northwestern capped the fast and furious final seconds of the game as Porter Morrell drained a game-winning three pointer as the final horn sounded. 

The Elmhurst Keys:
There was no shortage of heroes in Elmhurst's win. Six different Bluejays' reached double figures in scoring and played key roles in the win. 

G Kyle Wuest (6-1, 185, Jr., Edinburgh, Ind.)
The NFL's Marshawn Lynch may have "Beast Mode,' but the Bluejays' leading scorer unleashed "Wuest Mode" on St. Norbert. After scoring only one point in the first half, Wuest pumped in 31 points in the second half, hitting four three-pointers and also attacking the basket to go to the free throw line 15 times (hitting 13). The first-team all-CCIW pick finished with a career-high 32 points in 47 minutes in the win. Wuest leads Elmhurst in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game. 
 
F/C Will Nixon (6-7, 210, Jr., Plainfield, Ill.)
After totaling just two points and no rebounds in the opening half, the second team all-conference pick came alive after the break, finishing with a double-double of 13 points and a team-leading 11 rebounds in the win. Nixon shot 5-of-6 from the floor, scored the game-tying bucket at the end of regulation and also blocked three shots. 
 
G Eric Leonard (6-0, 180, Jr., Niantic, Ill.)
Leonard came off the bench to finish second on the team in scoring with 17 points. The junior guard shot 7-of-8 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from downtown while also dishing out three assists. 

G Nathan Rogers (6-1, 185, So., North Crawfordsville, Ind.)
After playing in just three games in the month of February, Rogers played a major role off the bench in the Bluejays' victory. He matched his entire minutes total for February by playing in 30 minutes and contributing 14 points and pulling down eight rebounds, the second-highest mark on the squad. 
 
G Bryant Ackerman (6-2, 195, Jr., Loogootee, Ind.)
A third-team All-CCIW selection, Ackerman totaled 14 points and seven rebounds before fouling out. He helped carry the Bluejays' offense in the opening half, scoring 10 points while shooting 4-of-4. He battled foul trouble in the second half, but pulled down seven rebounds after the break. Ackerman is the team's third leading scorer, averaging 10.8 points per game. 

F Erik Crittenden (6-7, 215, Jr., Crete, Ill.)
Crittenden totaled 16 points and five rebounds in the Bluejays' win. He scored 12 of his 16 after the break and scored the game-tying bucket at the end of the second overtime. He ranks second on the squad in scoring, averaging 11.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. 

Eagles Players to Watch:
G Michael Carney (6-0, Jr., Ames, Iowa)
The UMAC Player of the Year is averaging a team-leading 15.3 points per game. Carney makes a living behind the three-point arc, shooting .424 from downtown, hitting 81-of-191 attempts. Carney was limited in the Eagles' win over St. Thomas, finishing with eight points while shooting 3-of-9 from the floor. 
 
G Porter Morrell (6-0, So., Elk River, Minn.)
Morrell led the Eagles in yesterday's winning, scoring a team-best 18 points while shooting 6-of-13 from the floor. He had the game-winning three-pointer while also dishing out five assists. A second-team all-conference selection, he ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.8 points per game. 
 
F Matt Wattnemo (6-6, Jr., Moorhead, Minn.)
Wattnemo played a key role in the Eagles' win, coming off the bench to contribute 13 points and not miss a shot, finishing the game shooting 6-of-6 from the floor. His 13 points was nine points higher than his per game average (4.0). 

F Will Gisler (6-6, So., Stewartville, Minn.)
A first-team all-conference selection, Gisler averaged 9.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He scored nine points in the Eagles' win yesterday.

The Series: Elmhurst and Northwestern have never met in men's basketball and are facing each other for the first time.

Common Opponent: Elmhurst and Northwestern both faced Dubuque early in the season. Northwestern suffered a 79-67 loss to the Spartans on November 22. Gisler led the Eagles in the loss with 18 points while Carney and Morrell totaled 13 points apiece. Caleb Jansen added a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds. Elmhurst needed overtime to topple Dubuque 98-93 on December 13. Wuest exploded in the win for the Bluejays, scoring a then career-high 31 points while shooting 10-of-16 from the floor and 6-of-9 from downtown. Pat Coleman added 18 points, knocking down four three-pointers in the win. Crittenden chipped in with 17 points while Nixon totaled 11 points and nine rebounds. 

Tourney Records: With its win over St. Norbert, Elmhurst improved to 3-3 all-time in four trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Bluejays are seeking their first Sweet 16 appearance since the 2001 season. Northwestern scored its first ever NCAA Tournament victory, improving to 1-5 in five tournament appearances.

Bonus Basketbal: Elmhurst's triple-overtime win marked the seventh time an NCAA Division III Tournament games has need 15 extra minutes of playing time. It was the first triple overtime game of the tournament since the 2007 season. The three-overtimes is an NCAA Tournament record as no contest has ever needed four overtimes to be settled.

Steaking: Elmhurst snapped St. Norbert's 15-game winning streak in yesterday's victory. Meanwhile, Northwestern enters tonight's game riding a 17-game winning streak. After starting the year with a 1-8 record, Northwestern has gone 18-1 over its last 19 contests. The Eagles' last loss came on December 22, in an 85-60 loss to St. Olaf College.

Numbers Breakdown: 

Elmhurst	Team Statistics	Northwestern
77.5	Points Per Game	70.3
69.2	Points Allowed Per Game	63.6
.438	Field Goal Percentage	.454
.404	Opponent's Field Goal Percentage	.429
.352	3-Point Percentage	.374
.321	Opponent's 3-Point Percentage	.332
.747	Free Throw Percentage	.712
+7.2	Rebounding Differential	+2.9
12.9	Turnover Average	9.9
13.2	Opponent Turnover Average	10.3