Titans Open Season With Exhibition Game Against Division I Badgers
Fresh off its run to the finals of last year's NCAA Division III Championship, the nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team gets the 2018-19 campaign underway with an exhibition contest at University of Wisconsin on Nov. 2 before opening the regular season against Piedmont College (Ga.) on Nov. 16 in Wheaton, Ill.
The exhibition game will be the Titans' second against the Division I Badgers and first since a 96-44 setback in Madison during the 2012-13 season. University of Wisconsin has appeared in 19 of the past 20 Division I Championships, including Final Four trips in 2000, 2014 and 2015.
UW-Oshkosh (25-8 record in 2017-18), ranked second in Division III by D3hoops.com, is scheduled to play six games against nationally ranked opponents – all WIAC foes – as the Titans return all but four players for their attempt to make another deep NCAA postseason run.
The Titans made their first national championship game appearance last season after winning five consecutive NCAA games away from home, including victories over teams ranked third, sixth and ninth in the nation. UW-Oshkosh's best season in program history concluded with a 78-72 loss to Nebraska Wesleyan University in the title contest.
Following the regular season opener, UW-Oshkosh will play a to-be-determined opponent Saturday (Nov. 17) at Wheaton College's Lee Pfund Classic before heading to Edgewood College on Nov. 20. Piedmont College (15-11) finished third in the USA South Athletic Conference last season while Edgewood College (11-16) placed sixth in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) before advancing to the semifinal round of the league tournament.
UW-Oshkosh is set to conduct its home opener Nov. 27 against North Park University (Ill.) (5-20) in Kolf Sports Center. The home opener is the first of 13 home games on the Titans' 2018-19 schedule. UW-Oshkosh will also host non-conference opponents Finlandia University (4-17) on Dec. 4, Alma College (Mich.) (8-17) on Dec. 7, Calvin College (Mich.) (10-15) on Dec. 8, St. Norbert College (19-7) on Dec. 18 and Concordia University Wisconsin (15-12) on Dec. 30. St. Norbert College placed second in the Midwest Conference last season while Concordia University Wisconsin was fourth in the NACC. UW-Oshkosh's game against Concordia University Wisconsin will be played at Menominee Nation Arena in Oshkosh.
Rounding out UW-Oshkosh's 10-game non-conference slate of games are road contests at Elmhurst College (Ill.) (13-12) on Dec. 1 and Lawrence University (11-13) on Dec. 14.
The Titans open WIAC play by hosting 10th-ranked and defending league champion UW-Platteville (24-5) on Jan. 2. The Pioneers reached the Sweet 16 before losing a one-point decision to eventual national champion Nebraska Wesleyan University.
UW-Oshkosh's remaining home WIAC games are against UW-River Falls (18-9) on Jan. 12, UW-La Crosse (13-13) on Jan. 19, UW-Eau Claire (12-13) on Jan. 23, 24th-ranked UW-Whitewater (16-10) on Jan. 30, UW-Stout (8-17) on Feb. 2 and 12th-ranked UW-Stevens Point (21-9) on Feb. 9.
Completing the Titan schedule are WIAC road contests at UW-Stout on Jan. 5, UW-Stevens Point on Jan. 9, UW-Whitewater on Jan. 16, UW-River Falls on Jan. 26, UW-Platteville on Feb. 6, UW-La Crosse on Feb. 13 and the regular season finale at UW-Eau Claire on Feb. 16.
The six-team WIAC Championship is set for Feb. 19, 21 and 23.
UW-Platteville won the league title with a 12-2 record last season. The Pioneers were followed in the standings by UW-Stevens Point in second place with an 11-3 mark, UW-Oshkosh third at 9-5, UW-River Falls fourth at 7-7, UW-Whitewater fifth at 6-8, UW-La Crosse sixth at 5-9, UW-Eau Claire seventh at 4-10 and UW-Stout eighth at 2-12.
UW-Stevens Point earned the WIAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship field by defeating UW-River Falls in the league tournament final. The Pointers advanced to the third round of the NCAA postseason a year ago as three WIAC teams combined to produce a 9-3 record in the national tournament.
UW-Oshkosh first-year interim head coach Matt Lewis, who helped the Titans to a 95-73 record as the program's top assistant from 2013-18, welcomes back 15 letter winners from last year's squad that tied the school record for wins.
Last season the Titans established new program records for points (2,482) and 3-pointers made (301) while ranking seventh nationally with a +8.4 average rebounding margin.
Headlining the returners for UW-Oshkosh are senior NCAA Division III All-Central Region First Team guard Ben Boots and junior All-WIAC selections in center Jack Flynn and forward Adam Fravert.
Boots led the Titans last season with 16 points, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steal per game. He averaged 19.7 points per contest during the team's postseason run a year ago. Boots paced the WIAC with 145 assists and a 2.20 assist-to-turnover ratio, ranked second in the league with an .856 free throw percentage and 45 steals, and listed third with 76 made 3-pointers.
Flynn was eighth in the conference last season with 12.8 points per game while Fravert ranked 11th at 12.3. The duo finished among the top three rebounders and shot blockers in the WIAC as Fravert pulled down a league-leading 7.5 boards and rejected a conference-best 39 shots. Flynn was third with 7.0 rebounds per game and 23 blocks.
UW-Oshkosh senior guard Brett Wittchow is also back after averaging 10.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game last season.