Titans Start WIAC Tournament Title Defense At Home Against Blue Devils

The nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team opens defense of its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship with a first round home game against UW-Stout on Monday (March 1). Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (4-1), ranked 11th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, will be facing UW-Stout (3-5) for the first time this season. The Titans, the WIAC East Division second seed, have won seven straight meetings with WIAC West Division third seed UW-Stout and 11 of the last 12 in the series, including a regular season sweep in 2020 by scores of 83-69 and 84-60. UW-Oshkosh and the Blue Devils split their only two prior league postseason matchups as the Titans won, 103-70, in the 2003 quarterfinals after UW-Stout downed the Titans by an 85-82 score during the semifinal round of the inaugural WIAC Championship in 1999.

Last season UW-Oshkosh claimed its fourth WIAC tournament title with a 78-72 home win over UW-Eau Claire. The Titans went on to reach the second round of the 2020 Division III postseason after winning the program's first national championship in 2019 and advancing to the 2018 title game.

Monday's first round of the 23rd WIAC Championship (presented by Culver's) also features East Division fourth seed UW-Stevens Point (2-6) at West Division top seed and 14th-ranked UW-La Crosse (6-2), and East Division third seed UW-Whitewater (1-6) at West Division second seed UW-River Falls (4-3). WIAC East Division top seed and 10th-ranked UW-Platteville (6-2) received a bye in the first round. UW-Eau Claire (2-3), which was forced to cancel the final two regular season crossover games against UW-Oshkosh, will not participate due to COVID-19 protocols.

The season-ending WIAC tournament continues with semifinals Wednesday (March 3) ahead of the championship game Friday (March 5).

UW-Oshkosh, which owns a 22-14 league postseason record, is seeking its fifth WIAC Championship title while UW-Stout is making its first league postseason appearance since 2017. The Titans won the conference tournament in 2002, 2003, 2016 and 2020. UW-Stout, attempting to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2013, has a 7-14 record in the WIAC Championship.

The Titans, who last played on Feb. 19, enter the conference tournament on a four-game winning streak. The Blue Devils have the second longest active win streak in the WIAC at two games after sweeping their series against UW-Whitewater.

UW-Oshkosh averages a WIAC-leading 78.4 points and allows 68.6 per game. The Titans are also the conference leaders in 3-point percentage (.451), 3-point percentage defense (.237), and per-game rebounds (37.6), assists (13.8) and made 3-pointers (11.0).

All five Titan starters are scoring more than 10 points a game on the year. Eddie Muench ranks fourth in the conference with 19.4 points per contest and a .569 field goal percentage while pacing the league with 3.8 made 3-pointers a game.

Hunter Plamann, who has shot 19 of 19 at the free throw line this year, averages 13 points a game for UW-Oshkosh, which also receives 12.8 points per contest from Levi Borchert, 12.2 from Will Mahoney and 10.2 from Eric Peterson. Borchert, the WIAC leader with a .634 field goal percentage, also grabs 10.8 rebounds per game to average a double-double. Plamann leads the league at 4.2 assists per game. Peterson is the team leader with eight steals.

UW-Stout scores 73.4 points and give up a WIAC-high 79.4 per contest. The Blue Devils average a WIAC-best +4.2 rebounding margin.

The Blue Devils have four double-digit scorers of their own as Armani Tinsley averages 15.4 points per game, Jon Ciriacks adds 12.3, and Luke Geiger and Lovell Williams chip in 11.3 and 11.1, respectively. UW-Stout starter TYreese Alexander, contributing 9.4 points per contest, ranks second in the conference with a .610 field goal percentage. Tinsley is third in the league with 13 steals.

UW-Platteville, averaging 72 points and yielding 66.8 per contest, was the 2019 WIAC tournament champion.

UW-La Crosse is scoring 70.8 points and ceding a league-low 60.6 per game. The Eagles boast a WIAC-leading .392 field goal percentage defense, 55 steals and a +4.50 assist-to-turnover ratio.

UW-River Falls is averaging 70.4 points and allowing 76.4 per contest. The Falcons lead the conference with an .809 free throw percentage. UW-River Falls' Alex Ohde is one of two conference players averaging a double-double with 19.7 points and a WIAC-best 12.6 rebounds per game.

UW-Whitewater, scoring 73.6 points and giving up 78.4 per game, paces the league with a .488 field goal percentage.

UW-Stevens Point averages 73.2 points and surrenders 76.2 per contest. The Pointers' Philip Flory, who is 36 of 36 at the free throw line this season, is scoring a WIAC-leading 21.5 points a game.

UW-Stevens Point has claimed a record nine WIAC postseason titles. Following the Pointers are UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater with four championships apiece, UW-Platteville and UW-River Falls both with two, and UW-Eau Claire with one.

Spectators will not be allowed at WIAC Championship events during the winter sports season. All contests will be conducted in accordance with NCAA Division III regulations, as well as institutional, state and local health and safety guidelines.

All UW-Oshkosh men's basketball games are streamed live online. The links will be posted on the UW-Oshkosh men's basketball schedule page when available.

2021 WIAC Men's Basketball Championship Website • 2021 WIAC Men's Basketball Championship Program