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The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team opens NCAA Division III Tournament play Friday against Northwestern (Minn.) at 7:30 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.
The Warhawks earned an at-large, or Pool C, bid to the national tournament, while the Eagles claimed an automatic bid by winning the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament championship. UW-Whitewater is making its 21st NCAA appearance, while Northwestern is appearing in its seventh national tournament, all in the last seven years.
Tickets for the games can be purchased at the door and cost $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, students and youth. All children age 3 and younger are free. Complimentary tickets are currently available for UW-Whitewater students. More information can be found here.
Last Time Out
The Warhawks dropped their semifinal game in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, falling 75-61 at UW-Oshkosh on Feb. 23. UW-Whitewater fell behind early and was unable to recover, and was held to a season-low 33.3 percent shooting from the floor. The Titans shot 24-of-32 from the free-throw line compared to 11-of-19 for the Warhawks.
In The Rankings
The Warhawks enter the week ranked 22nd in the D3hoops.com Men's Top 25 poll. The team was third in the latest NCAA Central Region rankings. UW-Whitewater posted its best start to a season since 2009-10 with 11 straight wins to open up the 2016-17 campaign. The team dropped its first three conference games before rattling off eight straight wins in league play and was ranked as high as No. 11 in the nation. The Warhawks wrapped up the regular season at 21-6 overall and 9-5 in WIAC play to finish tied for second in the league standings.
Friday's Opponent
In a four-overtime thriller, Northwestern defeated St. Scholastica (Minn.) by a 112-108 score in the UMAC Tournament championship game last Saturday. Four players scored 20 or more points for the Eagles, who shot 54.5 percent from the floor and held leads late in the second half and at the end of the first and third overtimes before closing the game out in the fourth overtime on a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left. Four of the team's five starters played 56 or more minutes in the contest.
Series
Friday's meeting is the fourth between the two programs. UW-Whitewater owns a 3-0 advantage in the all time series, including NCAA Tournament first-round victories over Northwestern in 2012 and 2014. The Warhawks downed the Eagles 79-55 on March 7, 2014, at Kachel Gymnasium en route to the program's fourth national championship. Current UW-Whitewater seniors Drew Bryson (Elkhorn, Wis./Elkhorn), Alex LeGault (Green Bay/Southwest) and Cole Van Schyndel (Kaukauna, Wis./Wrightstown) each appeared in that contest.
Up Next
The winner of Friday's contest advances to Saturday's second round against the winner of Friday's other first round game featuring Augustana (Ill.) and St. Thomas (Minn.). Tipoff of Saturday's affair is scheduled for 7 p.m.
For the complete UW-Whitewater Men's Basketball NCAA First and Second Round game notes, click here.
