The Gustavus men’s basketball team will host Carleton College in the MIAC Playoff Championship game on Saturday night at 7:30 pm on Gus Young Court. The Gusties enter the game with a 15-10 overall record, as Carleton enters with a 17-9 overall record. The winner of the game will receive an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Fans can listen to the game on 95.5 KRDS, or by logging onto the Gustavus Athletics website. Live video, audio, and stats are available through the links below.
Game Notes
Head Coach Mark Hanson
Gustavus Adolphus coach Mark Hanson, in his 20th season coaching the Gusties, has compiled a career record of 387-163 and a career winning percentage of .704. Hanson has won six MIAC championships and been named MIAC Coach of the Year seven times. He has helped guide Gustavus to the MIAC Playoffs 16 times, reaching the finals eleven times and winning the MIAC Playoff Championship seven times.
Scouting the Gusties
The Gusties have relied on a balanced scoring attack, strong defense, and solid rebounding this season. Ryan McPartland leads the team in scoring at 10 points per game, while shooting .552 from the field. Jesse Van Sickle and Phil Wirtjes are Gustavus’s other leading scorers, as they both average 9.2 ppg. Van Sickle has a .431 field goal percentage, as Wirtjes has shot .474 this season. The Gustavus bench has been a factor in many games this season, as Seth Anderson averages 6.7 ppg off the pine, while Tyler Grey scores an average of 6.4 ppg. Gustavus has given up an average of 63 ppg (3rd in MIAC) this season, while scoring an average of 66.9 ppg (9th in MIAC). Gustavus has shot .373 from beyond the arc and .703 from the charity stripe this season. Gustavus leads the MIAC in rebounding margin at +6.2 rebounds per game, and ranks second in assists at 15.42 assists per game. Gustavus Results Gustavus Statistics
Scouting the Knights
The Knights rely on the three-headed scoring attack of Jeremy Sutherland, Seth Jonker, and Bryan Rosett. All three players see the floor for an average of more that 28 minutes per game. Sutherland is currently ranked sixth in the conference in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game and shooting .489 from the field. Jonker is also ranked in the top ten in scoring (9th), scoring an average of 14 ppg, while Rosett also averages double figures at 11.6 ppg. Carter Biewen leads the team in three-point field goal percentage at .446 (45-101), which ranks him sixth in the MIAC. The Knights have scored an average of 68.6 points per game (6th in MIAC) this season, while giving up an average of 60.8 points per game (1st in MIAC). Carleton Results Carleton Statistics
The Series
Tonight’s game will be the 76th meeting between Gustavus and Carleton in men’s basketball. The Gusties currently hold the advantage with a 44-31 all-time record against the Knights. The two teams split the regular season series this year with a 55-46 Gustavus win on Dec. 2, in Northfield, and a 60-55 Carleton win on Jan 20, in St. Peter.
MIAC Tournament Notes
• Gustavus has compiled an all-time MIAC Playoff record of 26-9, while Carleton is 4-15 in the MIAC Playoffs.
• Carleton is 1-15 on the road in MIAC Playoff games, with it’s only win coming on Thursday night against St. Thomas.
• Gustavus is 6-0 against Carleton all-time in the MIAC Playoffs.
• Gustavus and Carleton have met just one time in the MIAC Playoff Championship game. Gustavus defeated Carleton on Gus Young Court to take the 1997 MIAC Playoff Championship crown.
• Gustavus is 9-5 all-time in MIAC Playoff Championships games. The Gusties are 5-2 at home in championship games.
• Carleton is 0-2 in MIAC Championship games, with the most recent loss coming at the hands of St. Thomas in 2006 by the score of 54-47.
Game Notes
Carleton
• The Knights have won 11 of their last 12 games, while the Gusties are 6-6 in their last 12 games.
• Carleton’s Jeremy Sutherland and Seth Jonker have been major factors in Carleton’s success down the stretch. Sutherland has averaged 17.2 points per game in Carleton’s last 12 games, as Jonker has averaged 16.2 points and 6.8 rebounds.
• Bryan Rosett and Seth Jonker rank sixth and 12th, respectively in the MIAC in rebounding. Rosett averages 7.4 rebounds per game, while Jonker averages 5.4.
• Seth Jonker and Ryan McPartland sit sixth and seventh, respectively, in the MIAC in field goal percentage. Jonker at .560 and McPartland at .552.
• Carleton averages 12.4 turnovers per game, while its opponents turn the ball over 13.1 times per game. Gustavus averages 12.5 turnovers per game, while its opponents turn the ball over 13.0 times per game.
• Carleton has out-shot its opponents from beyond the arc in the last 12 games.
• Carleton leads the MIAC in 3-point field goals made at 211 (7.81 per game).
Gustavus
• Paul Blacklock leads the Gusties in rebounding with a total of 140 boards this season. He is averaging 5.4 rebounds per game (14th in MIAC). Ryan McPartland has brought down a total of 138 rebounds this season, with a 5.3 rebounds per game average.
• Dan Schmidtknecht averages 3.92 assists per game, with a total of 102 on the season. Schmidtknecht ranks second in the MIAC and 25th in the nation in assist to turnover ratio at 2.49.
• Phil Wirtjes leads the team with a .459 (28-61) three-point field goal percentage, which is ranked third in the MIAC. Wirtjes has also shot 88% (45-51) from the charity stripe this season.
• Jesse Van Sickle and Tyler Grey have led the team with an average of 11.5 points per game in Gustavus’s last two wins.
• Gustavus is 298-424 (.703) from the free throw line this season, while Carleton is 261-429 (.608).