Four teams remain in the 2026 NJCAA MBB D1 Tournament.
The defending champion Cardinals are among them.
Boy, are they!
Yanking the slipper off the Cinderella team of the tournament, 21st-seeded Northern Oklahoma-Enid, the Cardinals cruised into the semifinals for a second straight year with an 83-44 win at Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kan.
Early on, the game was tied 9-9. That was all she wrote for NOC-Enid, as the Cardinals went on a defensive-generated 27-0 run to open a 36-9 lead before the Jets would score again. And even that was on a goaltending call against the Cardinals.
The Cardinals led 48-17 at the half and had things on cruise control in the second half.
The fourth-seeded Cardinals, now 30-5, will next face top-seeded Howard (31-4) in the semifinals Friday at 5:30 p.m. Howard survived a double-overtime thriller in the quarterfinals, outlasting Butler for a 134-128 win.
Five Cardinals scored in double figures, led by Braylon Wenger and Moussa Konare with 12 each. Najee Graham had 11 and Zati Loubaki and Armani Henderson 10 each.
Fourteen Cardinals scored in the game.
The Cardinals shot 53.7 percent from the floor and hit seven three-pointers. NOC-Enid shot 32.7 percent as a team and knocked down six three-pointers.
The Cardinals outrebounded the Jets 40-26 and forced 21 turnovers.
NOC-Enid closed the year 22-14.
There are no games today.
Wednesday's Results
Howard 134, Butler 128 (2-OT)
Southern Idaho 85, Walters State 64
TVCC 83, NOC-Enid 44
Gulf Coast 99, Northwest Florida State 91
Friday's Semifinals
5:30 p.m. – TVCC (30-5) vs. Howard (31-4)
8 p.m. – Gulf Coast (28-7) vs. Southern Idaho (33-2)
