Titans Continue NCAA Postseason Run With Final Four Visit
UW-Oshkosh begins its first appearance in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Final Four against Ramapo College (N.J.) on Friday (March 16) in Salem Va. The opening tip between the first-time opponents is set for 4 p.m. (CDT) in the Salem Civic Center.
UW-Oshkosh (24-7), ranked 24th in the country by D3hoops.com, secured its trip to the national semifinals with a thrilling 95-88 overtime victory at ninth-ranked Augustana College (Ill.) during the quarterfinal round Saturday (March 10) in Rock Island, Ill.
The Titans, the lone nationally ranked team to reach this year's Final Four, also defeated Marietta College (Ohio) (21-7) by a 74-67 score in the first round March 2 and third-ranked Wittenberg University (Ohio) (27-3), 68-60, during the second round March 3 in Springfield, Ohio. UW-Oshkosh then downed sixth-ranked Emory University (Ga.) (23-5) with a 93-72 decision during the third round last Friday (March 9) in Rock Island.
Ramapo College (25-6) clinched the program's second Final Four berth with a 68-66 home win over 19th-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the sectional final Saturday in Mahwah, N.J.
The Roadrunners, who also advanced to the Division III semifinals in 1991, beat Moravian College (Pa.) (20-8) by an 86-61 count during the first round March 2 and fifth-ranked Williams College (Mass.) (23-6), 66-62, in the second round March 3 in Williamstown, Mass., before eliminating Franklin & Marshall College (Pa.) (22-7) by a 72-62 score during the third round last Friday in Mahwah.
The second national semifinal matchup Friday features Nebraska Wesleyan University and Springfield College (Mass.) at 7:30 p.m.
Nebraska Wesleyan University (28-3) is back in the Final Four for the fifth time and first since a national runner-up effort in 1997. The Prairie Wolves finished third at the Division III Championship in 1985, 1986 and 1988.
Springfield College (22-8) is making its initial appearance at the Final Four.
Friday's semifinal winners will meet in the national championship game at 5 p.m. (CDT) Saturday (March 17) in the Salem Civic Center.
UW-Oshkosh, making its third consecutive NCAA postseason appearance, is scoring 75.4 points per game while allowing an average of 66.9 per contest. The Titans have scored at least 80 points eight times this season and held 12 opponents to 60 or fewer points.
The Titans rank seventh in the nation with a +8.5 average rebounding margin and 27th in scoring defense. UW-Oshkosh has been out-rebounded just five times this season.
During its four NCAA postseason wins this year, UW-Oshkosh limited Marietta College to a season-low two offensive rebounds while holding the Pioneers 16 points below their season average, held Wittenberg University to a season-worst four 3-pointers while handing the Tigers their only loss in 17 home games, led Emory University by double digits the entire second half en route to dealing the Eagles their largest defeat of the season, and hit 17 3-pointers – tied for second most in program history – and committed just seven turnovers against Augustana College, the 2017 national runner-up.
Junior guard Ben Boots leads the Titans with 15.9 points, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game. An All-Central Region first team selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), Boots is averaging 20.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.3 steals in UW-Oshkosh's four NCAA postseason wins.
Boots paces the WIAC with 492 points, 141 assists and a 2.31 assist-to-turnover ratio. He also ranks second in the conference in free throw percentage (.864) and steals (42), and third in 3-pointers (67). Boots, who has led the Titans in assists 20 times this season and in scoring on 12 occasions, had a career-high 36 points and added a game-best six assists in the Titans' triumph over Augustana College. He ranks 20th in UW-Oshkosh history with 1,157 career points.
Sophomore center Jack Flynn, who leads the WIAC with a .607 (153-252) field goal percentage and ranks 18th nationally with 3.7 offensive rebounds per game, averages 13.9 points and 7.0 boards per contest for the Titans. Flynn had 13 points and eight rebounds in the Titans' victory over Marietta College in the NCAA opener.
UW-Oshkosh's Adam Fravert, a sophomore forward, is adding 12.4 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game while registering a WIAC-leading 39 blocks. He notched his seventh double-double of the season with 14 points and a career-high-tying 15 rebounds during the Titans' opening-round victory over Marietta College. Fravert is averaging 11.5 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds this NCAA postseason.
Titan guards Brett Wittchow and Charlie Noone are chipping in 10.6 and 10.2 points per contest, respectively. Wittchow, a junior, is shooting 49.7 percent (49-103) from 3-point range while Noone, a senior, has a team-leading 79 3-pointers this season and ranks second in program history with 246 during his career.
During the Titans' four NCAA postseason contests this year, Wittchow has accumulated 47 points and 21 rebounds while shooting 9-for-20 (45 percent) from 3-point range.
Noone, who scored a career-best 32 points and made eight 3-pointers during the Titans' win over Emory University last Friday, ranks 26th in the UW-Oshkosh record book with 1,111 career points. He has connected on 18 of 37 attempts (48.6 percent) from beyond the arc during the Titans' NCAA postseason run.
Key reserves for UW-Oshkosh include junior guard Kyle Beyak, freshman forward Connor Duax, freshman guard Sam Ebersold, senior guard Jake Laihinen and sophomore guard David Vlotho.
Duax contributes 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest this season while Ebersold and Vlotho have made 17 3-pointers apiece on the year.
Beyak scored a career-best eight points in UW-Oshkosh's third-round win over Emory University before Laihinen tallied a season-high eight points in the sectional final against Augustana College.
The Titans earned an at-large berth to this year's Division III Championship after placing third in the WIAC regular season and falling in the semifinal round of the league tournament.
UW-Oshkosh owns an 11-7 record in eight NCAA postseason appearances. The Titans, who lost in the first round the last two seasons, reached the national quarterfinals in 2003.
Ramapo College is averaging 76.6 points per game and yielding 67 per contest. The Roadrunners are sixth in the country by holding opponents to a .383 field goal percentage while listing eighth nationally with a +8.5 average rebounding margin.
The Roadrunners rank 414th among 416 Division III programs with just 4.5 attempts from 3-point range per game and rank 401st by committing 462 turnovers on the year.
Ramapo College, which has allowed 60 or fewer points nine times this season, is shooting 50.7 percent (741-1,459) from inside the 3-point arc on the year but just 32.3 percent (139-431) from long range.
The Roadrunners' starting lineup is comprised of five seniors, including 2018 D3hoops.com Preseason All-America First Team forward Thomas Bonacum, who leads the team with 14.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game this season.
An NABC All-Atlantic Region first team selection this year, Bonacum has recorded a total of 74 points, 39 rebounds and 11 assists in Ramapo College's four games this NCAA postseason, including 33 points and 13 rebounds in the upset win at Williams College.
Rounding out the Roadrunner starting lineup are guards James Long and Josh Ford, and forwards Christopher Mosley and Nick Stanek.
Mosley is averaging 13.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while leading the team with a .540 field goal percentage and 43 blocks. He paced the Roadrunners in scoring with 14 points during the third round against Franklin & Marshall College and 18 points in the quarterfinal round against Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Ford averages 9.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while Stanek adds 8.2 points and 4.4 boards per contest. Long is contributing 4.1 points and 2.7 assists per game.
Leading the Roadrunner reserves are sophomore guards Patrick Petersen and Rob McWilliams at 9.4 and 4.5 points per contest, respectively, junior center Rob Lewis at 4.4 and sophomore forward Jordan Zagadou at 4.2. Petersen had 16 points and 12 rebounds in Ramapo College's win over Moravian College.
Ramapo College's previous appearance in the Division III semifinals resulted in a 109-56 loss to Franklin & Marshall College in 1991. The Roadrunners went on to fall in the third-place contest by a 113-84 score to Otterbein University (Ohio).
The Roadrunners, who are making their second straight and eighth overall trip to the national tournament, are 12-8 in the NCAA postseason. Ramapo College received an automatic berth to this year's Division III Championship after winning the New Jersey Athletic Conference regular season and postseason titles.
Nebraska Wesleyan University boasts one of the most prolific offenses in Division III, ranking first nationally in field goal percentage (.514), second in average scoring margin (+18.1) and assists per game (20.5), fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.63), sixth in made 3-pointers (366) and free throw percentage (.787), seventh in scoring (96.2) and eighth in 3-point percentage (.405).
The Prairie Wolves have won their four NCAA postseason games this season by an average of 19.7 points. Nebraska Wesleyan University ousted Maryville College (Tenn.) (22-7) by a 94-70 score in the first round before defeating Aurora University (Ill.) (20-9), 82-61, in the second.
Nebraska Wesleyan University won the Platteville Sectional by eking past host and eighth-ranked UW-Platteville (24-5), 79-78, before thrashing top-ranked Whitman College (Wash.) (29-2) by a 130-97 score.
The Prairie Wolves are led by junior forward Ryan Garver, an NABC All-West Region First Team selection, the Tri-Most Valuable Player in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) and the IIAC Defensive Player of the Year.
Garver is third among five Prairie Wolves double-digit scorers with 14.1 points per game while adding 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per contest, and ranking seventh in the nation with 76 steals. He is shooting a team-best 60.2 percent (154-256) from the floor, 49.2 percent (29-59) from 3-point range and 84.2 percent (101-120) at the free throw line as each Prairie Wolves starter shoots better than 76 percent at the charity stripe.
Sophomore guard Nate Schimonitz, who missed the first 10 games of the season, leads Nebraska Wesleyan University at 17.3 points per game. He is shooting 52.5 percent (134-255) from the field and lists second on the team with 107 assists.
Nebraska Wesleyan University junior forward Cooper Cook is adding 16.5 points per game and leads the squad with 72 3-pointers on 174 attempts (.414) and 49 blocks.
Prairie Wolves sophomore guard Joe Hiller scores 13.5 points per game while senior forward Deion Wells-Ross averages 12.5 points and a team-leading 9.1 rebounds per contest.
Nebraska Wesleyan University has just seven players averaging more than nine minutes per game. The Prairie Wolves' top weapons off the bench are sophomore forwards Nate Bahe and Dylan Dirks, who score 9.8 and 6.1 points per contest, respectively.
The balanced Prairie Wolves featured four double-digit scorers during each their first three wins in this year's national tournament. Six Prairie Wolves scored at least 10 points, including a career-high 30 from Hiller, in their rout over Whitman College, which had reached the Final Four a year ago.
The Prairie Wolves, who enter the national semifinals on an 11-game winning streak, earned an automatic bid to the NCAA postseason after winning the IIAC regular season and postseason championships. Nebraska Wesleyan University has a 28-16 record in 15 trips to the Division III Championship.
Springfield College heads into its Final Four debut scoring 77.4 points per game and allowing 70.8 per contest. The Pride, who have a 10-6 record away from home this season, are averaging nearly 84 points over their last 18 games since opening the year at 6-6.
The Pride matched the feats of Nebraska Wesleyan University and UW-Oshkosh by winning each of their four NCAA postseason contests away from home.
Springfield College defeated Albright College (Pa.) (20-7), 88-86, in the first round before knocking off regional host and 22nd-ranked Cabrini University (Pa.) (25-4) by a 96-88 score in Randor. The Pride moved on with a 92-90 overtime win over 13th-ranked Hamilton College (N.Y.) (24-5) and won the sectional championship, 74-62, at 14th-ranked Swarthmore College (Pa.) (25-6).
The Pride rely heavily on sophomore guard Jake Ross, who averages a team-best 24.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game. He was named to the NABC All-Northeast First Team this season after garnering New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Men's Basketball Athlete of the Year and Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Ross had a combined 114 points, 36 rebounds and 24 assists in the Pride's four NCAA postseason wins this year. He has scored in double figures each game this season, including 24 outings with at least 20 points. Ross ranks third in the country with 747 points and 536 field goal attempts, fourth with 265 made field goals and seventh with 17 double-doubles.
Ten of the 12 players on the Springfield College roster have received more than 12 minutes of playing time per game this year, including four who average at least nine points per contest.
Springfield College starting sophomore forward Heath Post scores 12.7 points and grabs 9.3 rebounds per game while producing a team-leading 43 blocks and a .504 field goal percentage.
Pride senior guard Andy McNulty adds 12.5 points and 3.4 assists per game.
Completing the Springfield College current starting lineup are junior guard Cam Earle at 9.2 points per game with a team-high 66 3-pointers on 156 attempts (42.3 percent) and senior forward Brandon Eckles at 6.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest.
Springfield College received an at-large berth to the field of 64 teams after winning the NEWMAC regular season championship and falling in the semifinal round of the league tournament. The Pride have a 7-8 record in nine trips to the Division III Championship.
UW-Oshkosh, the fifth WIAC program to reach the Final Four, is attempting to become the league's fourth different team to claim a national championship. UW-Platteville won Division III titles in 1991, 1995, 1998 and 1999. UW-Stevens Point won the Walnut and Bronze in 2004, 2005, 2010 and 2015, while UW-Whitewater secured national championships in 1984, 1989, 2012 and 2014.
Titans head coach Pat Juckem is one win shy of 200 in his career. He has compiled a 199-151 record across 13 seasons, guiding UW-Oshkosh to a 94-72 record in six seasons since leading Coe College (Iowa) to a 105-79 mark from 2006-12.
UW-Oshkosh previously reached the 1968 Final Four in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, finishing third in Kansas City, Mo.
NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship • NCAA.com Website
NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Interactive Bracket