Titans Open NCAA Tournament In Michigan

UW-Oshkosh will face high-scoring North Central College (Ill.) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship on Friday (March 6) in Grand Rapids, Mich. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. (EST) at Calvin College's Van Noord Arena.

North Central College (22-5), making its first NCAA postseason appearance since 1984, leads the nation by averaging 93.7 points per game. The Cardinals rank 433rd of 434 Division III teams by allowing 81.8 points per contest.

Friday's other first-round game of the Grand Rapids Regional features Calvin College (27-0) taking on Baldwin Wallace University (Ohio) (22-6) at 7:30 p.m. (EST). The first-round winners will meet for the regional championship on Saturday (March 7) at 7:30 p.m. (EST).

The Grand Rapids Regional winner advances to the third round on March 13. Third-round venues and start times will be determined after the conclusion of regional play.

UW-Oshkosh (22-6) is making its second straight and 12th overall NCAA Division III Championship appearance. Last year, the Titans hosted a regional and advanced to the third round (Sweet Sixteen) for the first time since 1999.

This season, the Titans earned the WIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship for the second consecutive year with a 66-61 victory over UW-Superior on Sunday (March 1) in Superior. UW-Oshkosh enters the Grand Rapids Regional ranked 25thin the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com.

UW-Oshkosh owns a 23-10 NCAA Division III postseason record. The Titans won the national title in 1996, placed second in 1995 and advanced to the quarterfinal round (Elite Eight) in 1994, 1998 and 1999.

The Titans allow 53.5 points per game and have an 18-2 record when holding their opponent under 61 points. UW-Oshkosh, which averages 9.9 steals per game, is also +4.4 in turnovers per contest and +3.5 in rebounds.

Taylor Schmidt leads the balanced Titan offense with 11 points per game, 81 assists and an .825 (113-137) free throw percentage. Her 48 steals and 23 3-pointers rate second on the squad.

Katelyn Kuehl leads the team with 52 steals and averages nine points and 4.7 rebounds per game. She also shoots 48.7 percent (73-150) from the field and 78.9 percent (86-109) from the free throw line to list second on the squad

Rounding out the Titan starting five are Ashley Neustifter, Alex Richard and Marissa Selner. Neustifter averages 7.4 points per game and is second on the team with 79 assists. Richard contributes 8.9 points and team-bests of 6.2 rebounds and 1.25 blocks per contest. Selner chips in 7.3 points a game and lists second on the team with 158 rebounds.

The Titans have had the same starting lineup for 26 of their 28 games.

UW-Oshkosh head coach Brad Fischer has led his squads to at least 20 wins in each of his three seasons and owns a 68-16 overall mark, including 8-1 on a neutral court. Prior to Fischer's arrival, UW-Oshkosh endured six consecutive losing seasons and hadn't reached postseason activity since 2000.

North Central College received one of 20-at large bids to the NCAA Division III Championship. The Cardinals placed second in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin during the regular season before falling in the league's tournament final, 92-80, to Wheaton College (Ill.).

The Cardinals are making their third NCAA postseason appearance. North Central College won the 1983 national title and finished fourth in the country in 1984.

North Central College has scored at least 100 points 12 times this season, including nine against non-conference opponents. The Cardinals create 28 turnovers and attempt nearly 86 shots from the field per game.

Nearly 61 percent of the Cardinals' shots are 3-point attempts. North Central College has connected on 379 of 1,402 shots from long range for a .270 percentage. The Cardinals are shooting 36.2 percent from the floor overall.

North Central College has made more 3-pointers than all but one NCAA men's or women's team across all three divisions. Only the Division III Grinnell College (Iowa) men's team has more (548).

Eleven North Central College players have made at least 10 baskets from behind the arc and four have recorded 46 or more. Ten Cardinals score better than five points per game and no player averages 20 minutes per contest.

Tess Godhardt leads North Central College with 18.2 points per game and 65 steals while ranking second with 178 rebounds. Godhardt is shooting 59 percent (180-305) from the field, but just 3 of 24 (.125) from 3-point range.

North Central College's Jamie Cuny, Miranda Grizaffi and Corrine Rowe all have a team-best 48 3-point baskets, and Emily Zgoda has added 46. Cuny paces the Cardinals with 203 rebounds and 89 blocks.

Fifth-year Cardinal head coach Michelle Roof has a 61-67 record at North Central College after leading the Aurora University (Ill.) program to a 70-61 (.534) mark in five seasons.

Calvin College, ranked sixth in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, earned an automatic bid to the national tournament by defeating Hope College (Mich.), 77-73, in the final game of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Tournament. Calvin College captured the MIAA's regular season title with a 16-0 record.

The sixth-ranked Knights are making their 16th NCAA postseason appearance, including a run of four consecutive years from 2010-13. Calvin College's best finishes were Elite Eight showings in 2005, 2007 and 2012.

Calvin College, one of four unbeaten teams in the NCAA Division III, leads the country with nearly 21 assists per game and are in the national top 10 in field goal percentage (.450), per-game scoring (80.4), average scoring margin (+25.2) and 3-pointers per contest (8.9).

Breanna Verkaik leads four Knights in double figures with 13.9 points per game. She shoots 54.5 percent (132-242) from the field, including 46.9 percent (53-113) from beyond the arc.

Calvin College also receives 12.1 points and team high totals of 89 assists and 51 steals from Kayla Engelhard, 10.8 points off the bench from Anna Timmer, and 10.6 points and a team-high 5.7 rebounds from Hannah Acre.

Knight starters Kally Verkaik and Abby Springer contribute 7.8 and 4.1 points per contest, respectively.

Calvin College, which sports a 78-8 record in Van Noord Arena since 2009, will also host this year's NCAA Division III Final Four on March 20-21.

Calvin College head coach John Ross graduated from UW-Oshkosh in 1990 and was a volunteer assistant coach for the Titans during the 1999 season. UW-Oshkosh defeated Calvin College, 61-59, to advance to the Elite Eight. Ross has a 276-60 coaching record in 12 seasons at the school, which includes eight NCAA postseason trips.

Baldwin Wallace University earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship after defeating Capital University (Ohio), 50-46, in the title game of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament. Baldwin Wallace University placed third in the OAC during the regular season.

The Yellow Jackets are making their 13th NCAA postseason appearance, all in the last 18 years. Last season, Baldwin Wallace University advanced to the third round before falling to eventual national champion Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham (N.J.).

Baldwin Wallace University's balanced scoring attack is led by Audrey Smolik's average of 12.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

Rounding out the Yellow Jacket starting lineup are Sydney Clark with 8.9 points per game, Clara Lemmon with 7.8, Shari Mangas with 7.7 and Mackenzie Colombo with 6.9. Lemmon paces the team with a .463 (87-188) field goal percentage. Mangas has a team-best 40 3-pointers while Colombo leads the way with 65 assists.

Alissa Munro and Janaya Feaster provide 5.8 and 5.3 points, respectively, off the Baldwin Wallace University bench. Feaster also leads the team with 39 steals.

Baldwin Wallace University head coach Cheri Harrer has a 510-185 coaching record in 25 seasons.

UW-Oshkosh has a 6-2 all-time record against the three teams at the Grand Rapids Regional. The Titans have records of 4-1 against North Central College, 1-1 against Calvin College and 1-0 against Baldwin Wallace University.

The Titans defeated North Central College by scores of 95-75 in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 20, 2013; 70-63 in Naperville, Ill., on Nov. 24, 2007; 67-56 in Oshkosh on Nov. 25, 2006; and 60-44 in Madison on Jan. 3, 2003. The Cardinals won the first meeting of the series, 81-74, in Naperville on Feb. 4, 1989.

UW-Oshkosh downed Calvin College, 61-59, in Grand Rapids on March 12, 1999. The Knights beat the Titans, 67-64, in Normal, Ill., on March 6, 1975.

The Titans defeated Baldwin Wallace University, 74-59, in Rockford, Ill., on Dec. 29, 2004.

NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship Program

NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Grand Rapids Regional Website • NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Interactive Bracket