North Central College men's basketball opens its 2026-27 season Wednesday, Nov. 11, at Aurora University with a roster that looks little like last year's squad.

Head coach Vince Kmiec enters his fourth year leading the Cardinals. He returns four starters from a team that went 4-12 in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play last season, according to the CCIW preseason poll. That record landed North Central ninth in the nine-team league. CCIW coaches picked the Cardinals eighth heading into this season.

The rebuild starts with new faces. Two transfers and seven freshmen join the returning core, according to the program's season preview. Eli Podoll, a transfer from Hastings College, and Will Horton, a transfer from Carthage College, bring experience from other programs. The freshmen class includes Lukis Bir, Blake Evans, Faisal Mohamud, Avery Lee, Nathan Palmer, Daniel Seeley and Noah Therapos.

Several roster members have local ties. The NCC roster lists Yousef Mateen, a sophomore guard from Naperville who attended Islamic Foundation School. Noah Therapos hails from Darien and played at Hinsdale South. Justin and Daniel Sveiteris, also from Darien, attended Downers Grove South.

"The CCIW is one of the deepest leagues in the country. We were in ninth place last year, and we beat the No. 1 team. That doesn't happen in most conferences," Kmiec said in the season preview. "I think the conference is fairly open this season. I expect every game to be a dogfight."

Elmhurst University was named the CCIW preseason favorite with 62 points and six first-place votes. Defending regular-season and tournament champion Illinois Wesleyan landed second with 59 points. Wheaton College came in third.

North Central received 22 points and no first-place votes.

After Wednesday's opener, the Cardinals host Hope College on Nov. 17 at Gregory Arena for their home opener.

North Central then heads to the Webster Classic before returning to Naperville to face Benedictine in the Battle of Chicago/Maple Ave., a trophy the Cardinals have won the past two years. CCIW play begins Dec. 2 against Augustana. The conference schedule features 12 league games.

"You're going to see a different team than what you saw last year, a little bit different level of confidence and teamwork," Kmiec said. "I'm excited. I think some great things are on the horizon."

This week in Naperville sports

  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: NCC men's basketball at Aurora University (season opener)
  • Tuesday, Nov. 17: NCC men's basketball vs. Hope College, Gregory Arena, 310 E. Benton Ave. (home opener)