Although the Gustie faithful turned out in full force for Sunday's MIAC Championship game, an even stronger student-body presence is expected to be inside UW-River Falls' Karges Center for Friday's NCAA Tournament first round game. Photo courtesy of Caleb Williams, d3photography.com.
The Gustavus men’s basketball team is set to take on Wheaton College in the first round of NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 2 at 5:30 p.m. in River Falls, Wis. The Gusties are making their first trip to the NCAA post-season since 2005, while Wheaton was in the tournament last in 2010.
Gustavus enters Friday’s game at 20-7 overall after suffering a 66-62 loss to St. Thomas in the MIAC Championship game on Sunday, Feb. 26 in St. Paul. The 2011-12 Co-MIAC Champion Gusties are making their 13th total appearance in the tournament, entering the weekend with an all-time record of 19-12 in NCAA Tournament. This year’s berth marks the 11th in the tenure of Head Coach Mark Hanson.
Wheaton, who finished second in the College Conference of Illinois Wisconsin with a record of 11-3, carries an overall record of 21-6 into Friday’s contest. The Thunder earned at at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament after falling to North Central University 75-56 in the championship game of the CCIW on Feb. 25. Wheaton, who is currently ranked No. 24 according to the most recent D3Hoops.com top-25 poll, is making its eighth appearance in the Division III Tournament.
The Gustavus vs. Wheaton game will be broadcast live over the airwaves and on the world wide web. Gustavus play-by-play broadcaster Tom Wheeler of KNUJ AM 860 will be in River Falls for the live call. Live video and live stats will also be provided through the links below. Pat Coleman of D3Hoops.com will be providing the live video coverage, while Jim Thies, Sports Information Director at UW-River Falls, will be supplying live statistics.