The UW-Whitewater men's basketball team will travel to Salem, Va. for the NCAA Division III Final Four Friday and Saturday, March 21-22. Click
here to visit the UW-Whitewater championship website for the latest information including ticket prices, directions and links to live video, live audio and live stats.
UW-W has advanced to the Final Four four times in program history finishing fourth in 1983 and following with the program's first national title in 1984. Whitewater repeated the performance in their next two Final Four appearances winning the national championship in 1989 and 2012. The Warhawks (27-4) will face Illinois Wesleyan (27-4) for the fourth time under Head Coach
Pat Miller. The Warhawks are 2-2 against the Titans in the Miller era. UW-W has won the last two contests against IWU, each regular season contests. The last time the two teams met in the postseason, the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament in Whitewater, Wis., Illinois Wesleyan advanced defeated Whitewater 85-71.
Tickets can be purchased in advance for both days only
. Prices are $12.50 for students and $25 for adults and can be purchased by calling the UW-Whitewater Ticket Office at 262-472-2222. Single session tickets can only be purchased at the door.
A fan bus will be available for the trip to Salem for all interested parties. Click here for more information.
A pre-game social will be held at the Salem Civic Center in Parlor C Friday, March 21 from 4:00-5:00 pm. Food and drinks (non-alcoholic) will be provided free of charge to all Warhawk fans.
UW-W's NCAA journey began with a first round game against Northwestern-St. Paul.
Reggie Hearn (Milwaukee/Marshall) posted 16 points on 7-14 from the field and
Quardell Young (Kenosha/Bradford) went 7-12 from the floor for 14 points adding seven assists and three steals to lead Whitewater to an 85-79 win over the Eagles. In the second round, the Warhawks topped Augustana 87-68.
KJ Evans (Beloit/Beloit Memorial) notched his tenth double-double of the season with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Young added 18 points on 6-8 from the field with three assists and two steals in the contest.
The Warhawks traveled to Stevens Point, Wis. for sectional play opening with their first meeting against the University of Texas-Dallas for the first time in program history. Evans' 22 points on 10-13 from the floor and Hearn's double-double performance (16 points, 10 rebounds) propelled Whitewater to a, 81-63 win to advance to the Elite Eight. Odegaard added 18 points on 5-7 from behind the arc for one of his top games of the season. UW-W advanced to the Final Four with a 74-51 win over Emory University. Evans provided the stand-out performance with 27 points shooting 10-17 from the field and 7-10 from the free throw line. Young posted 12 points on 6-9 from the floor in the game.
The Warhawks average 80.2 points per game in NCAA tournament games this season shooting 55.3% from the floor, 41.1% from three-point range and 74.1% from the free throw line. UW-W has out-rebounded their opponents 145-96 in the four NCAA games last weekend. The starting five for Whitewater average 62 points and are on the court over 30 minutes per game in the postseason. Defensively, the Warhawks have held their opponents to 40.6% from the floor and 59.2 points per game.
Evans leads Whitewater in tournament play with 21.3 points per game shooting 59.6% from the field adding 9.0 rebounds per game. Young averages 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Hearn adds 12.8 points and 7.3 boards in NCAA play. Four of UW-W's starting five average double figures this season led by Evans' 16.8 and 8.3 rebounds. Young orchestrates the offense with over 120 assists this season and an assist-turnover ratio of 3.0.
Whitewater finished second in the WIAC with a 13-3 record and were the league's tournament runner-up after a loss to top-ranked UW-SP in the final, 74-57. UW-W earned an at-large bid into the NCAA DIII Tournament for the program's 19th appearance and seventh under head coach
Pat Miller. The Warhawks are 15-0 at home, 8-4 away and 2-0 at neutral sites this season.
Illinois Wesleyan punched their ticket to the Final Four with a 79-66 win over Dickinson College in the sectional final. IWU hosted all the way through NCAA competition opening with a first round, 71-70 win over Webster. In the second round, the Titans topped St. Norbert College 84-68 and defeated Calvin 78-64 in the Sweet 16.
Warhawk Snapshot (NCAA games only)
Record: 27-4 || WIAC Finish: 2nd, 13-3 || Players Earning All-WIAC Honors: 6
Points per Game: 78.8 (80.2)
Rebounds per Game: 35.8 (36.2)
Assists per Game: 11.8 (12.8)
Steals per Game: 7.9 (6.0)
Points off Turnovers per Game: 18.4 (13.3)
2nd Chance Points: 12.1 (13.3)
Largest Deficit Overcome this Season: 6 (vs. St. Norbert, won 73-62; vs. UT-Dallas, won 81-63)
Category Leaders
Points per Game: Evans 16.8 (Evans 21.3)
Rebounds per Game: Evans 8.3 (Evans 9.0)
Assists per Game: Young 3.9 (Young 4.5)
Steals per Game: Young 2.0 (Young 2.8)
Blocks per Game: Young 0.6 (Young 1.0)
AK
