Titans Picked To Finish Second In Chase For WIAC Basketball Title
The nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team was voted to finish second in the 2022 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings in a poll conducted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
UW-Oshkosh (5-2, 4-1 WIAC record in 2021), ranked 17th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com in its 2022 preseason poll, finished third in the conference last season during an abbreviated campaign that featured games against league opponents exclusively due to the novel coronavirus that also canceled last year's Division III Championship. This season the WIAC reverts to the traditional eight team standings, a double round robin league schedule, a league postseason tournament and nonconference play.
Defending champion and fifth-ranked UW-Platteville (8-2, 5-1 WIAC record in 2021) was picked in the poll to secure the league title.
Rounding out the preseason poll were 15th-ranked UW-La Crosse (8-3, 5-1 WIAC record in 2021) in third, UW-Whitewater (1-7, 1-4) fourth, UW-River Falls (5-4, 3-2) fifth, UW-Eau Claire (2-3, 2-3) sixth, UW-Stout (3-6, 1-5) seventh and UW-Stevens Point (2-7, 1-5) eighth.
Last season UW-Platteville secured the WIAC East Division title by a half game over UW-Oshkosh while UW-La Crosse was the West Division winner over runner-up UW-River Falls. UW-Platteville went on to win the WIAC Championship with a 75-47 victory over UW-La Crosse in the title game. UW-Oshkosh and UW-River Falls both fell in the semifinal round of the league tournament.
UW-Oshkosh is seeking its 14th WIAC regular season championship after winning the league title in 2019.
UW-Oshkosh fourth-year head coach Matt Lewis welcomes back all five starters from last year's squad that paced the WIAC in scoring at 80.3 points per game while also leading the league in 3-point percentage (.418) and assists per contest (13.7).
Levi Borchert, Eddie Muench, Hunter Plamann, Will Mahoney and Eric Peterson all return for UW-Oshkosh after starting of the team's seven games a year ago.
Borchert earned 2021 D3hoops.com All-America Third Team honors and All-WIAC First Team accolades, averaging 14.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists last season while shooting a league best 66.7% (40-60) from the field.
Muench and Plamann joined Borchert on the 2021 All-WIAC First Team. Mahoney was selected to the league's Honorable Mention Team, and Peterson was chosen to the five-member WIAC All-Defensive Team.
Muench, the team's leading scorer a year ago at 18.9 points per contest, led the league with 25 made 3-pointers in 2021. Plamann, who went 30 of 30 at the free throw line and dished out a team high 29 assists last season, added 15.6 points per game. Mahoney and Peterson chipped in 13.3 and 8.6 points per contest, respectively.
UW-Oshkosh also brings back key reserves Quinn Steckbauer and Cole Booth, who both played more than 14 minutes per game last season.
UW-Platteville returns four starters from last year's team that led the WIAC with a +8.3 average scoring margin.
UW-La Crosse welcomes back all five starters, including reigning WIAC Player of the Year Wyatt Cook, from a squad that held opponents to a league leading .394 field goal percentage.
UW-Whitewater also brings back five starters from last year's team that paced the conference with a .494 field goal percentage.
UW-River Falls returns two starters from a year ago while UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout and UW-Stevens Point each welcome back four starters from their 2021 teams.
UW-Oshkosh opens the 2021-22 season at home Nov. 6 against Augustana College (Ill.) in Kolf Sports Center. The Titans commence their WIAC schedule at home against UW-Eau Claire on Dec. 1.
The Titans have appeared in each of the last five Division IIII Championships, winning the national title in 2019, advancing to the championship game in 2018 and reaching the second round during their most recent trip in 2020. UW-Oshkosh's five consecutive NCAA postseason appearances is the longest active streak in the WIAC.