The Carthage men’s basketball team will close out the 2009 portion of its schedule when it plays Calumet College of St. Joseph 7 tonight at the Recreation Athletic Facility in Whiting, Ind.

Ranked No. 23 in the latest D3hoops.com poll, the Red Men (6-2) have been idle since knocking off then-No. 27 Hope College 83-77 in overtime before a crowd of 2,815 at Hope College’s DeVos Fieldhouse in Holland, Mich., on Dec. 5.

“That was a heck of a ball game,” Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic said while watching Buffalo Grove and Rolling Meadows battle in a high school game on Friday night. “That was really one of the more fun games that we’ve been a part of recently because the crowd was so great.”

After today’s non-conference matchup — the first-ever meeting between Carthage and the Crimson Wave (6-10) — the Red Men will be off until Jan. 2-3 when they play in the Wilkes-Barre Challenge in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

“The practices have been crisp,” Djurickovic said. “We’re as ready as you can be when you haven’t played in two weeks. You never know what to expect. We might go out there and be really good because we’re fresh. On the other hand, we might not be as good because we don’t have the timing.”

While Steve Djurickovic, Max Cary, Raul Guzman and Tyler Pierce have all shined in the first eight games, the Carthage coach has enjoyed the recent play of Adam Tolo, who received his first start of the season against Hope.

“The guy who is playing exceptionally well right now is Adam Tolo,” Djurickovic said. “Boy, has he played well. He’s going to the boards. He’s defending. He’s just become an integral part of what we’re getting done.”

The 6-foot-6 senior from Australia started in all 25 games last season and averaged 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds in over 26 minutes per contest.

His numbers have dipped this season (3.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.5 minutes), but but he is enjoying a resurgence, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds in his last four games.

“His role is just a little easier to see right now,” Djurickovic said. “From being sort of an under-strengthed inside guy where he had to battle bigger people every night, now he gets to play a little bit more on the perimeter where he has a size advantage.

“It lets him get to the boards more freely. He’s tipping and grabbing balls at both ends.”

According to D3hoops.com, the men’s NCAA Division III Tournament has increased from 60 to 61 teams with one more at-large bid at stake for the 2010 tourney.

Having expanded last year, the women’s tournament is already at the maximum of 64 teams.

There is one spot in the tourney for every 6.5 schools that sponsor the sport.

In the men’s tournament, 40 conferences receive automatic bids.

“It’s always interesting how they do business,” Djurickovic said about the NCAA. “When it was 48 teams, I understood what it was about. I was on the national committee in baseball for seven years (at North Park).

“Now, they’re just kind of draining one at a time instead of going with 64 teams. There’s over 400 teams now. They just squeeze one out every time they get a couple of new members. I imagine in two or three years it will get to the full complement of 64.”