Pioneers Set To Host Opening Rounds Of NCAA DIII 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 fifth time in eight years at Bo Ryan Court this Friday and Saturday. The Pioneers will welcome Calvin, Grinnell, and Wisconsin Lutheran to Platteville.

Calvin and Wisconsin Lutheran will get the madness started on Friday, March at 4:40 p.m. followed by UW-Platteville and Grinnell at 7:10 p.m.

UW-Platteville (25-2), ranked second in the latest D3hoops.com poll, will make its 16^th overall NCAA appearance after winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) tournament championship for the second consecutive season. Grinnell (20-7) earned its first NCAA Tourney berth since 2001 after beating Lake Forest in win the Midwest Conference (MWC) title.

Wisconsin Lutheran (25-3) makes its second straight NCAA appearance after collecting an at-large bid. The Warriors, ranked 22^nd in the latest D3hoops.com poll, fell to St. Norbert in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) championship game. Calvin (21-6) enters the tournament as one of the hottest teams in DIII. The Knights, the 11^th-ranked team on the D3hoops.com poll, have won 20 straight games, including the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Tournament championship against Hope to earn the automatic bid.

Team Notes

Calvin

Calvin bounced back after starting the year 1-6, winning 20 straight games including the MIAA Tournament title for the first time since 2017. Making their third tournament appearance in the past four years and 24^th overall in program history, the Knights are led by sixth-year head coach Bill Sall, who was recently tabbed MIAA Coach of the Year. Uchenna Egekeze earned MIAA Most Valuable Player as well as his third straight Defensive Player of the Year honor, becoming the first player in conference history to earn both awards. First Team All-MIAA selection Owen Varnado led the team with 16.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. The Knights rank 12^th nationally in scoring defense (62.7 points against per game) and third in field goal defense (36.8%).

Grinnell

Grinnell will dance for the first time since 2001 after beating Lake Forest 95-82 on Saturday to win the MWC Tournament title. With the victory, the Pioneers improved to 20-7 on the season, breaking the school record for wins in a single season in the process. Head coach David Arseneault Jr., who is in his ninth year with the program, leads a team that is averaging 111.1 points per game, second-most in NCAA DIII. Kai Te Huki averages a team-high 20.4 points per game with 93 three-point makes, which ranks fourth nationally. Gabe Garcia is fifth with 154 free throws, fueling a 19.0 scoring average, while Jackson Leone sits third in the country with 88 steals.

Wisconsin Lutheran

Wisconsin Lutheran makes its second consecutive tournament appearance and third overall after posting a 25-3 record and earning an at-large bid despite falling in the NACC Championship game this past weekend. Eighth-year head coach Aaron Aanonsen leads a veteran group that features four graduate students and a fifth-year senior in the starting lineup. Three-time NACC Player of the Year Ryan Broeckel (17.8 points per game) and four-time All-NACC selection Jacob Stoltz (16.9) headline the lineup that also includes Grayson Goetz (15.8). The Warriors rank sixth in NCAA DIII in turnover margin (6.6) and ninth in scoring margin (15.4).

UW-Platteville

UW-Platteville rolled to its second straight WIAC Tournament championship this past weekend with an 89-68 win over fourth-ranked UW-La Crosse, earning the conference's automatic bid in the process. Head coach Jeff Gard leads an efficient group that is fifth in NCAA DIII in turnovers per game (8.9) and sixth in free throw shooting (77.90 percent). Two-time WIAC Player of the Year Logan Pearson averages a team-high 19.5 points per game and is joined in double figures by Ben Probst (10.4) and Max Love (10.1). On the defensive end, Brady Olson headlines a stingy unit that has held opponents to just 28.9 percent from three-point range this season.

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