Posted: Mar 02, 2020
Gorloks to Face Nebraska Wesleyan in Opener
For the first time since 2014, Webster University will make a return to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament as the regular season and tournament champions from the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference will travel to Lincoln, Neb., to face 10th-ranked Nebraska Wesleyan on Friday, March 6 at Nebraska Wesleyan's Snyder Arena. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
The Gorloks, who are the No. 4 seeded team in Nebraska Wesleyan's four-team pod, are making its fifth-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2014 when they fell 71-70 in the first round at Illinois Wesleyan. Webster also played in the NCAA Tournament in 2011, 2002 and 2000. Overall, Webster is 0-4 all-time in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
"We talked last year after we lost to Eureka (in championship game), we started in the locker room talking about it and those guys have talked about it all year about how they wanted the opportunity to get back and get another chance to go and not having been in the last few years, it means a lot of this group of guys to get to go and we're happy to be going anywhere," said Webster head coach Chris Bunch about making the NCAA Tournament this season. "It is big for the program and really big for our guys."
Webster, who is sporting a 19-8 overall record this season and enters the NCAA Tournament having won 12 straight games and 17 of its last 18 games overall, earned its spot in the 2020 NCAA Tournament thanks to claiming the automatic bid from the SLIAC after earning a 121-113 on Saturday over No. 2 seeded Greenville University in the championship game of the SLIAC Tournament at Webster's Grant Gymnasium.
In addition to Webster facing Nebraska Wesleyan in Friday's first round, the other first-round game at Snyder Arena will feature Bethany Lutheran (Minn.) taking on 13th-ranked Washington University in St. Louis at 5 p.m.
The winners of Friday's first-round games will meet on Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. with a chance to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, which is scheduled for the weekend of March 13-14. The final eight teams will then meet in Fort Wayne, Ind. on March 20 and 21, with the two semifinal winners meeting for the national championship on April 4 in Atlanta, Ga., during the weekend of the NCAA Division I Men's Final Four.
Nebraska Wesleyan, who were the NCAA Division III National Champions in 2018 and are making its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 17th overall in program history, is sporting a 25-3 record and earned the automatic bid from the American Rivers Conference after defeating Coe College, 76-50, in the ARC Tournament championship game on Saturday on its home court. NWU is 31-17 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and along with winning the national title in 2018, the Prairie Wolves were national runners-up in 1997 and finished third in both 1985 and 1986.
Webster and Nebraska Wesleyan have met four times previously with the most recent meeting coming in Lincoln, Neb., on Nov. 26, 2011. In that game, the Gorloks fell to NWU, 81-55. NWU leads the all-time series 3-1 with Webster's win coming in 2010 at Grant Gymnasium as the Gorloks defeated NWU, 74-60.
Meanwhile, WashU, who picked up an 80-59 win earlier this season against the Gorloks, enters the NCAA Tournament sporting a 20-5 overall record and is making its 22nd all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Bears earned one of the 21 at-large spots in the tournament after finishing second to Emory (Ga.) in the University Athletic Association regular season. WashU has claimed two national titles and is returning to the national tournament for the first time since 2018 as they missed last year's tournament.
Bethany Lutheran comes into the NCAA Tournament sporting a 21-6 overall record and earned the automatic bid into the tournament after collecting a 92-82 win over the College of Saint Scholastica in the championship game of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. Bethany Lutheran is making just its second all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament as they advanced to the second round in 2018.
The complete schedule for the Nebraska Wesleyan Pod of NCAA Division III Tournament
The Gorloks, who are the No. 4 seeded team in Nebraska Wesleyan's four-team pod, are making its fifth-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2014 when they fell 71-70 in the first round at Illinois Wesleyan. Webster also played in the NCAA Tournament in 2011, 2002 and 2000. Overall, Webster is 0-4 all-time in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
"We talked last year after we lost to Eureka (in championship game), we started in the locker room talking about it and those guys have talked about it all year about how they wanted the opportunity to get back and get another chance to go and not having been in the last few years, it means a lot of this group of guys to get to go and we're happy to be going anywhere," said Webster head coach Chris Bunch about making the NCAA Tournament this season. "It is big for the program and really big for our guys."
Webster, who is sporting a 19-8 overall record this season and enters the NCAA Tournament having won 12 straight games and 17 of its last 18 games overall, earned its spot in the 2020 NCAA Tournament thanks to claiming the automatic bid from the SLIAC after earning a 121-113 on Saturday over No. 2 seeded Greenville University in the championship game of the SLIAC Tournament at Webster's Grant Gymnasium.
In addition to Webster facing Nebraska Wesleyan in Friday's first round, the other first-round game at Snyder Arena will feature Bethany Lutheran (Minn.) taking on 13th-ranked Washington University in St. Louis at 5 p.m.
The winners of Friday's first-round games will meet on Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. with a chance to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, which is scheduled for the weekend of March 13-14. The final eight teams will then meet in Fort Wayne, Ind. on March 20 and 21, with the two semifinal winners meeting for the national championship on April 4 in Atlanta, Ga., during the weekend of the NCAA Division I Men's Final Four.
Nebraska Wesleyan, who were the NCAA Division III National Champions in 2018 and are making its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 17th overall in program history, is sporting a 25-3 record and earned the automatic bid from the American Rivers Conference after defeating Coe College, 76-50, in the ARC Tournament championship game on Saturday on its home court. NWU is 31-17 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and along with winning the national title in 2018, the Prairie Wolves were national runners-up in 1997 and finished third in both 1985 and 1986.
Webster and Nebraska Wesleyan have met four times previously with the most recent meeting coming in Lincoln, Neb., on Nov. 26, 2011. In that game, the Gorloks fell to NWU, 81-55. NWU leads the all-time series 3-1 with Webster's win coming in 2010 at Grant Gymnasium as the Gorloks defeated NWU, 74-60.
Meanwhile, WashU, who picked up an 80-59 win earlier this season against the Gorloks, enters the NCAA Tournament sporting a 20-5 overall record and is making its 22nd all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Bears earned one of the 21 at-large spots in the tournament after finishing second to Emory (Ga.) in the University Athletic Association regular season. WashU has claimed two national titles and is returning to the national tournament for the first time since 2018 as they missed last year's tournament.
Bethany Lutheran comes into the NCAA Tournament sporting a 21-6 overall record and earned the automatic bid into the tournament after collecting a 92-82 win over the College of Saint Scholastica in the championship game of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. Bethany Lutheran is making just its second all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament as they advanced to the second round in 2018.
The complete schedule for the Nebraska Wesleyan Pod of NCAA Division III Tournament
Friday, March 6 - First Round
Game 1 – WashU (20-5) vs. Bethany Lutheran (21-6) - 5 p. m.
Game 2 – Webster (19-8) vs. Nebraska Wesleyan (25-3) - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 7 - Second Round
Game 3 - Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner - 7:30 p.m.
STORY COURTESY OF WEBSTER UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
