Titans To Host Nationally Ranked Eagles In WIAC Championship Semifinal

The defending NCAA Division III champion UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team begins its quest for the program's fourth league postseason title when the Titans host nationally ranked UW-La Crosse during the semifinal round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Championship (presented by Culver's) on Thursday (Feb. 27). The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (17-8), seeded second for the WIAC Championship, swept the regular season series against third-seeded UW-La Crosse, defeating the Eagles by scores of 79-63 Jan. 4 in Oshkosh and 79-74 Feb. 8 in La Crosse. The Titans have won six of their previous seven meetings with UW-La Crosse, including a 76-74 decision during the semifinal round of the 2018 conference tournament.

UW-La Crosse (21-5), ranked 20th in the nation by D3hoops.com, advanced to the WIAC semifinals with an 80-58 win at home over sixth-seeded UW-River Falls (12-14) in the first round on Tuesday (Feb. 25). The Eagles own a 3-1 record against UW-Oshkosh in the league postseason, defeating the Titans during the 2007 semifinals and in the first round in both 2006 and 2014.

Thursday's other semifinal features top-seeded UW-Platteville (22-3) hosting fourth-seeded UW-Eau Claire (18-8). UW-Eau Claire reached the semifinal round by virtue of a 65-59 home win Tuesday against nine-time WIAC postseason champion UW-Stevens Point (15-11). UW-Oshkosh and sixth-ranked UW-Platteville, the reigning WIAC postseason champion, both received byes in the first round of the six-team conference tournament.

The WIAC Championship semifinal winners will play Saturday (Feb. 28) for the league's automatic berth into the 64-team Division III Championship that begins March 6. UW-Oshkosh, which has appeared in the past two Division III title games, won the program's first national championship last year with a 96-82 victory over Swarthmore College (Pa.) in Fort Wayne, Ind.

UW-Oshkosh, which sports a 20-14 record in the WIAC Championship, is seeking its seventh trip to the title game. The Titans, making their seventh straight and 18th overall league tournament appearance, won WIAC postseason championships in 2002, 2003, and 2016.

UW-La Crosse, one of two current league teams without a WIAC Championship title, is attempting to reach its second final and first since falling at UW-Stevens Point in the 2007 championship game. The Eagles, who tied the school record for wins in a season during their first round victory over UW-River Falls, have a 9-16 record in the program's 17th appearance at the league tournament.

UW-Oshkosh enters the semifinals with the conference's top scoring offense at 82.4 points per game while UW-La Crosse ranks third at 74.5 per contest as both teams are riding five-game winning streaks. The Titans, allowing 73.1 points per game, also pace the WIAC in average rebounding margin (+9.2), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.19) and per-game rebounds (41.8), assists (14.1) and blocks (3.4). UW-Oshkosh, which has scored at least 80 points on 15 occasions this season, has outrebounded 24 of its last 27 opponents.

UW-La Crosse, surrendering 64.7 points per game, heads into Thursday with a WIAC-leading .392 3-point percentage and 7.6 steals per contest. The Eagles have held nine opponents to 60 or fewer points on the year, including three of the last four.

Adam Fravert is leading UW-Oshkosh this season with 18.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 blocks per game to go along with 58 made 3-pointers and 10 double-doubles. He paces the conference in rebounding, blocks and double-doubles while ranking second in made 3-pointers and third in both scoring and assists.

Seven Titans are averaging more than five points per game, including Jack Flynn at 15.4 per contest, Will Mahoney at 10.9, Eddie Muench at 9.8, Levi Borchert at 9.0, Eric Peterson at 8.1 and David Vlotho at 5.8. Borchert's .667 field goal percentage leads the WIAC while Flynn, who along with Borchert both average 6.1 rebounds per game, ranks third in the league by shooting .549 from the floor. Mahoney is fifth in the league with a .824 free throw percentage. Peterson (38), Mahoney (34), Muench (33) and Vlotho (25) have each knocked down at least 25 3-pointers on the year.

UW-La Crosse has rolled out the same starting lineup 25 times in its 26 games this season. Ethan Anderson leads four Eagles double-digit scorers with 15.0 points per game while Wyatt Cook adds 12.0 per contest, Terek Nesheim 11.4 and Zac Haese 10.0. Luke Norcia rounds out the starting five at 8.4 points per game.

Cook is the team leader with 6.0 rebounds per contest and ranks third in the conference with 30 blocks. Haese has drained a league-high 61 3-pointers. Anderson paces the WIAC with a .865 free throw percentage while ranking second with a .440 3-point percentage and third with 55 made 3-pointers. Norcia lists third in the conference with 42 steals and fourth with a .433 3-point percentage.

Key contributors off the UW-La Crosse bench include Seth Anderson and Sam Burkart, who average 7.7 and 3.4 points per game, respectively.

UW-Platteville is second in the conference in both points and points allowed per game this season, scoring 78.1 per contest and surrendering 64.5. The Pioneers, who have won seven consecutive games, lead the WIAC in average scoring margin (+13.6), made 3-pointers per game (9.5), free throw percentage (.783) and both field goal (.395) and 3-point (.299) defense.

The Pioneers have won two conference tournament titles – the inaugural WIAC Championship in 1999 and last season – on the way to compiling a 15-17 record in the league postseason. UW-Platteville, has qualified for 20 of the 22 WIAC Championships after missing the cut in 2016 and 2017, became the first third-seeded team to claim a league tournament title a year ago.

The balanced UW-Platteville offense is headlined by four double-digit scorers in Carter Voelker at 15.4 points per game, Quentin Shields at 14.4, Justin Stovall at 10.7 and Kyle Tuma at 10.6. Drew Gunnink, who paces the WIAC with a .515 3-point percentage, rounds out the Pioneers starting lineup at 7.0 points per game.

Stovall ranks second in the conference with 35 blocks, fourth with 6.5 rebounds per game and fifth with a .540 field goal percentage. Voelker is fourth in the league with 3.3 assists per game and fifth with 6.4 rebounds per contest while Shields is second with a .840 free throw percentage and fifth with 2.8 assists per game, and Tuma is third with a .435 3-point percentage.

Nine Pioneers play an average of 11 minutes or more per game, including Blake McCann, who scores 8.2 points per contest off the bench.

UW-Eau Claire scores 69.1 points per game and allows an average of 67.1. The Blugolds, the conference leaders with a .483 field goal percentage, own a 9-13 record in their 15 trips to the conference tournament. UW-Eau Claire is attempting to advance to the WIAC Championship final for the third time and first since back-to-back appearances in 2000 and 2001. The Blugolds clinched their lone league postseason championship in 2001.

The Blugolds have featured the same starting lineup on 24 occasions in their 26 games. Cole Rabedeaux leads the squad and ranks third in the league at 19.5 points per game. He also lists fourth in the conference with 43 steals.

Spencer Page, who has a team-best 52 made 3-pointers, adds 12.4 points per contest for UW-Eau Claire, which also receives 11.6 points per game from Cam Kuepers, 10.9 from Carter Brooks and 4.8 from Blake Wacholz, who paces the WIAC with 46 steals and leads the squad with 2.6 assists per game.

Brooks is the team leader with 5.6 rebounds per contest and ranks fourth in the conference with 25 blocks. Kuepers, shooting a team-leading 52.1 percent from the field, is fifth in the WIAC with a .426 3-point percentage.

The top seed has secured 11 of the previous 21 conference postseason titles. The second seed has won it all on seven occasions while the third seed clinched the title once and the fourth seed twice.

Ticket prices for Thursday's game are $8 for adults, $5 for senior citizens (62-plus) and $4 for students (K-College). Children ages 4 and under are free.

WIAC Men's Basketball Championship Website: https://wiacsports.com/sports/2020/1/8/MBB_0108204030.aspx