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2021 WIAC Men's Basketball Championship (Presented by Culver's)
 
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team will face UW-River Falls this Monday in the first round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship (Presented by Culver's) starting at 6 p.m.

Links to watch Monday's game will be posted to the UW-Whitewater men's basketball schedule page as soon as they become available.
 
The Warhawks are the No. 3 seed from the East Division, while the Falcons are the No. 2 seed from the West Division.

The winner of Monday's game advances to take on No. 1 seed UW-Platteville in the semifinals, which are scheduled for Wednesday.
 
UW-Whitewater in 2021
 
The Warhawks (1-6) enter the postseason coming off back-to-back losses against UW-Stout. After splitting a pair of games against UW-Stevens Point during the first week in February, UW-W was defeated by nationally-ranked UW-Oshkosh on Feb. 12 and in consecutive games against nationally-ranked UW-Platteville on Feb. 17 and Feb. 19.
 
UW-Whitewater's last three contests have been decided in the final minute, including Friday's 87-80 setback at UW-Stout.
 
The Warhawks own the WIAC's No. 2 scoring offense, averaging 73.6 points per game while allowing 78.4 per game on the other end, good for seventh in the league.
 
UW-Whitewater is shooting a conference-best 48.8 percent from the floor. On the other end, the team ranks second in the WIAC in blocked shots per game (3.71).
 
Gage Malensek (Brookfield, Wis./Central) leads the Warhawks and ranks second in the conference in scoring, averaging 21.0 points per outing. Malensek also ranks among league leaders in field goal percentage (50.0), assists (2.29 per game), free-throw percentage (81.8), steals (1.14 per game), 3-point field goal percentage (48.3), 3-pointers made (2.00 per game) and minutes (35.57 per game).
 
Trevon Chislom (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) also averages double figures in scoring with 12.9 points per contest on 52.9 percent shooting. Both figures rank among the top 15 in the league. Chislom leads the Warhawks and enters the postseason third in the WIAC with 1.29 blocks per game.
 
Breontae Hunt (Milwaukee, Wis./Bay View) and Jack Brahm (Bayside, Wis./Glendale Nicolet) are averaging 8.6 points and 8.3 points per game, respectively. Hunt grabs a team-best 5.6 rebounds per game, while Brahm averages 4.9 boards per contest, shoots a team-leading 53.5 percent from the floor and ranks among the top five in the conference with 0.71 blocks per game.
 
Derek Gray (Madison, Wis./La Follette), JT Hoytink (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) and Will Schultz (Brookfield, Wis./Chicago Hope Academy) have each played in all seven games for UW-W as first-year players. Gray is averaging 5.9 points per gem, while Hoytink averages 4.9 points per game on 43.8 percent shooting from 3-point range. Schultz is shooting 45.8 percent from the floor and averaging 4.1 points per outing.
 
UW-River Falls in 2021
 
The Falcons have alternated wins and losses since the start of the 2021 season, splitting two-game sets against UW-Stout, UW-La Crosse and UW-Stevens Point while winning its lone match-up against UW-Eau Claire.
 
UW-River Falls ranks seventh in the league in scoring offense (70.4 ppg) and sixth in scoring defense (76.4 ppg) while shooting a conference-best 80.9 percent from the free-throw line.
 
Alex Ohde leads the Falcons and ranks third in the WIAC in scoring with 19.7 points per contest. He is also the league's top rebounder, pulling in 12.6 per game. Ohde is shooting 55.2 percent from the field.
 
Austin Werdin also averages double figures in scoring with 10.9 points per affair. He is shooting 54.2 percent from the floor, including a 50 percent clip from 3-point range.
 
UW-Whitewater vs. UW-River Falls All Time
 
UW-Whitewater owns a 77-48 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams, including a 26-16 edge under head coach Pat Miller.
 
The two teams have not played in 2021, but last season, UW-River Falls swept the two-game season series by a combined eight points. In the most recent meeting, the Warhawks were held to 36.4 percent shooting in a 63-60 loss on Feb. 8, 2020, in River Falls.
 
UW-Whitewater in the WIAC Championship
 
The Warhawks have now qualified for 22 of the 23 contested conference tournaments. The team is 22-17 all time in the WIAC Championship, tied for the second-most wins by any program in the tournament's history.
 
UW-Whitewater is 1-3 in the tournament against UW-River Falls. The most recent game was played in the first round in 2018 in River Falls, a 79-68 loss for the Warhawks.
 
UW-Whitewater claimed league tournament championships in 2006, 2008, 2013 and 2015.
 
The winner of this year's conference tournament will be declared the WIAC champion.