Pioneers To Host Opening Rounds Of NCAA Tournament
PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men’s basketball team will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division III Tournament for the fourth time in seven years at Bo Ryan Court this Friday and Saturday. The Pioneers will welcome Bethany Lutheran, Gustavus Adolphus, and Loras to Platteville.
PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division III Tournament for the fourth time in seven years at Bo Ryan Court this Friday and Saturday. The Pioneers will welcome Bethany Lutheran, Gustavus Adolphus, and Loras to Platteville.
Gustavus Adolphus and Loras will get the madness started on Friday, March 1 at 5:20 p.m. followed by UW-Platteville and Bethany Lutheran at 7:50 p.m.
The Pioneers (23-4), ranked 11th in the latest D3hoops.com poll, are making their 15th overall NCAA appearance after winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) tournament championship. UW-Platteville claimed national titles in 1991, 1995, 1998, and 1999. Bethany Lutheran (24-3) competes in its second consecutive tournament after claiming the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championship to earn the automatic bid.
Loras (23-5), ranked 20th in the latest D3hoops.com poll, is making its first appearance since 2019 and fourth overall after beating Nebraska Wesleyan in the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) championship. Gustavus Adolphus (18-10) heads to the tournament for the 14th time in program history and first since 2012 after winning the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) championship.
Team Notes
Bethany Lutheran
The Vikings make their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance (2017-18, 2019-20, 2022-23, 2023-24) after winning the UMAC championship over UW-Superior. Head Coach Pat Garvin, in his fourth year as head coach, has guided Bethany Lutheran to a record of 67-24 over that span. The Vikings enter having won 17 straight games, the longest winning streak in all the NCAA. Drew Sagedahl leads six players averaging double figures with 16.7 points per game. Hunter Nielsen is the program's all-time leader in points, rebounds, and blocks. His is averaging 15.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game, while his 66.1 field goal percentage leads all qualifying players in the NCAA Tournament
Gustavus Adolphus
The Gusties earned the automatic bid and will play in the national tournament for the first time since 2012 after defeating Hamline 72-71 for their first MIAC Playoff Championship since 2005. Head Coach Justin DeGrood holds a record of 27-21 across his two years atop the program after serving as the Gusties lead assistant for nine seasons. Spencer Swanson and Wyatt Olson were both named All-MIAC earlier this week. Swanson paced the team with 19.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, while Olson averaged 13.0 points and 7.0 rebounds. Gustavus Adolphus enters the tournament riding a six-game winning streak.
Loras
The Duhawks will compete in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history and first since 2019 after beating Nebraska Wesleyan to claim the A-R-C Tournament Championship. Head Coach Chris Martin is in his eighth season with the program and has a career record of 142-61. Four players earned A-R-C honors, headlined by First Team recognition for Ali Sabet. Four players average double figures per game, led by Sabet's 18.9. Jackson Molstead (12.1), Tyler Bass (12.1) and Jack Haynes (11.1) also sit in double digits on average. The Duhawks are the ninth-best free throw shooting team in the country at 78.0 percent.
UW-Platteville
The Pioneers enter the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the past seven seasons after claiming both the WIAC regular season and tournament championship in the same season for the first time since 1999. Head Coach Jeff Gard is in his 15th season atop the program with a career record of 247-137. WIAC Player of the Year Logan Pearson leads three players averaging double figures with 23.5 points per game, which is tied for the third-most in NCAA DIII. Ben Probst (12.9 points) and Max Love (12.7) join Pearson to lead a team that turns the ball over the fewest times per game in DIII (8.6). The Pioneers are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country at 38.9 percent.
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