Men’s basketball takes CIT title for fourth straight year with 88-45 win against Ann Arbor
Senior forward Tristan Smith (22) begins to rush toward the ball to help out his teammates (photo from previous game).
Photo credit: Maddy Peters
By Maddy Peters
Sports Editor
For the fourth time in a row, the Concordia men’s basketball team has won the Concordia Invitational Tournament championship as they faced the Concordia Ann Arbor Cardinals Saturday evening in Ann Arbor, Mich. winning 88-45.
Seniors Tristan Smith and Noah Schutte were named to the all-tournament team following the game and Smith was selected as the MVP of the tournament after dominant performances over the Cardinals and Concordia University Chicago.
Nebraska was able to take an early lead in the game and take the wind out of any offense Ann Arbor could muster. The Cardinals struggled heavily with turnovers in the first half allowing the Bulldogs to create such a wide lead. Ann Arbor recorded 15 turnovers in the half while Nebraska had only two.
The Concordias went to the locker room with the score at 47-23 in favor of the Bulldogs.
The second half did not show promise of an Ann Arbor comeback. Nebraska immediately went on an 11-0 run that ended after the starters left the game and the bench filed out. Players off the bench combined for a total of 37 points for the Bulldogs.
Smith was the top scorer for Nebraska with 14 total points. He was also the team leader in assists with five. Schutte had 12 points to his name by the end and led the team in assists with seven. Senior Bradley Bennett also hit double digits with 12 points.
Concordia is now 17-4 on the season and returns to conference action against Midland University on Jan. 29 in Fremont.
Nebraska’s win capped off the 72nd annual tournament and the last for Ann Arbor and Concordia University Wisconsin. In late 2023, the president of CUWAA, Dr. Erik Ankerberg, announced that the joint Wisconsin and Ann Arbor universities would be withdrawing from the event following the 2025 tournament.
“We recognize that this news may disappoint many,” said Ankerberg in his release, “CIT has held a special place as a beloved Concordia tradition for over 70 years. We cherish our relationship with our sister schools and will continue supporting initiatives and collaboration opportunities going forward.”
Concordia University Nebraska president Bernard Bull subsequently released a statement promising that the university was looking into alternate arrangements.
“Our administration is working diligently to pursue means of continuing CIT beyond 2025,” said Bull, “Additional details will be shared once a revised plan for CIT has been developed and agreed upon.”
Bull, himself a Wisconsin graduate, has long held the event in high esteem and does not wish to see it canceled entirely. The cross-Concordia interactions were incredibly important to him in his undergraduate years and have taken on a whole new meaning becoming president of the university.
“We believe strongly that a continuation of CIT is in the best interest of our university and our student-athletes and alumni, and we value it as an opportunity to gather with those who share our commitment to Christ-centered higher education,” said Bull.
