Men's Postseason Basketball Returns To Albee Hall
Men's postseason basketball returns to Albee Hall when UW-Oshkosh hosts UW-Eau Claire during the semifinal round of the WIAC Championship on Friday (Feb. 26). The opening tip is set for 7 p.m.
Albee Hall will be the venue for a men's postseason basketball contest for the first time since UW-Oshkosh captured the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) District 14 title with a 124-113 double-overtime win over Lakeland College on March 6, 1968. The Titans then went on to secure third place among 32 teams at the NAIA Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.
UW-Oshkosh will be playing in Albee Hall for the first time since falling, 52-46, to 10th-ranked Lawrence University on Dec. 18, 2004.
UW-Eau Claire (17-9), seeded third in the WIAC Championship, advanced to the semifinals by virtue of its 72-66 victory over sixth-seeded UW-Stevens Point (14-12) in a first-round contest held Wednesday (Feb. 24) in Eau Claire.
Second-seeded UW-Oshkosh (16-9), which received a first-round bye, and UW-Eau Claire exchanged a pair of lopsided wins during the regular season. UW-Eau Claire defeated the Titans, 67-50, on Jan. 27 in Eau Claire, while UW-Oshkosh avenged that loss with a 71-49 rout of the Blugolds on Feb. 10 in Oshkosh.
In the first meeting this season, UW-Eau Claire held a 37-20 advantage at intermission after shooting nearly 58 percent during the first half. In the most recent matchup, UW-Oshkosh never trailed and led by as many as 24 points in the second half.
The Titans, who earned their best seed since winning the 2002 championship as the top seed, will be hosting their first league tournament game since defeating UW-Eau Claire by a 75-60 score in the 2009 quarterfinals.
UW-Oshkosh owns a 9-3 home record in the history of the WIAC Championship, and the three losses were by a combined seven points. The Titans and Blugolds have split their four previous meetings in the league tournament.
Both UW-Oshkosh and UW-Eau Claire are led offensively by a trio of players scoring better than 10 points per game.
Alex Olson is the Titans' team leader with 12.4 points per contest and 62 assists, while Charlie Noone and Ben Boots are averaging 11.3 and 10.1 points per game, respectively. Noone's 60 3-pointers lead the WIAC, and Boots is the league leader with a .831 (74-89) free throw percentage.
Jack Martinek leads the Blugolds with 14 points per game. He is followed by George Diekelman at 13.7 per contest and Tyson Kalien at 10.5. Diekelman has registered a team-high 63 assists, while Jared Schneidermann paces UW-Eau Claire with 6.6 rebounds per game.
In Friday's other league tournament semifinal, top-seeded UW-La Crosse (16-9), which claimed its first WIAC regular-season title since 1965, will host fourth-seeded UW-River Falls (16-10). The Falcons advanced with an 80-66 victory over fifth-seeded UW-Whitewater (16-10) on Wednesday.
The semifinal winners will play at the higher seed on Sunday (Feb. 28) for the WIAC's automatic berth into the 62-team NCAA Division III Championship. If UW-Oshkosh hosts the league championship game, it will be contested in Kolf Sports Center at 2 p.m.
UW-Whitewater won last year's WIAC Championship with a 71-57 decision over UW-Oshkosh in the title game. The Titans reached the final with two straight road wins, including a 50-47 triumph over eventual national champion UW-Stevens Point in the semifinals.
Ticket prices for Friday's semifinal round game are $9 for adults, $7 for senior citizens, $3 for college students (with valid ID card) and $3 for students (K-12). Children under the age of five are free.