LINCOLN, Neb. – Webster University will make a return to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament for the first time in six years here Friday evening as the Gorloks will face seventh-ranked Nebraska Wesleyan University in the first round of the 2020 NCAA Tournament. Tip-off for Friday's game is set for 7:30 p.m. at Snyder Arena on the campus of Nebraska Wesleyan.
The Gorloks, who are sporting a 19-8 overall record and earned the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament after earning a 121-112 win this past Saturday at Grant Gymnasium over Greenville in the championship game of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, will be making the program's fifth all-time NCAA Tournament appearance when it steps on the court Friday evening and its first tournament appearance since 2014. Overall, Webster is 0-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and the SLIAC has never won a men's NCAA Tournament as the league is 0-23 all-time in tournament games, including Eureka falling 101-75 last season at Nebraska Wesleyan.
In its most recent NCAA Tournament appearance in 2014, Webster fell 71-70 in the first round at Illinois Wesleyan. In fact, that one point loss by Webster to Illinois Wesleyan in 2014 is the closest a league school has come to winning an NCAA Tournament game.
"It means a lot for this group of guys to get to go and play in the NCAA Tournament," Webster Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Bunch said. "It is big for the program and really big for our guys and we're excited to get the chance to play in an outstanding venue against an outstanding team."
Webster comes into the tournament as one of the hottest teams in Division III as the Gorloks have won 12 consecutive games and 17 of its last 18 games with its lone loss being an 85-79 setback at Eureka College on Jan. 18. The 12 game win streak is currently tied for the sxith longest streak in Division III men's basketball and the longest streak among the four teams competing this weekend in Lincoln.
While Webster has won 12 straight games and 17 of its last 18 entering play on Friday, the Gorloks are also 16-1 since the beginning of the 2020 calendar year. In addition, Webster opened the season winning just two of its first seven games, but has now won 17 of its last 18, including claiming its second consecutive SLIAC regular season championship after posting a 16-2 mark in league play.
Meanwhile, Webster's opponent on Friday, Nebraska Wesleyan, comes into the NCAA Tournament sporting a 24-3 overall record as the Prairie Wolves, who were the Division III National Champions in 2018, have won three straight games and 14 of its last 15 games overall with the lone loss being an 86-59 setback on Feb. 19 at Simpson. Eight days later, though, NWU extracted some revenge on Simpson as the Prairies Wolves picked up a 91-77 win the semifinals of the American Rivers Conference Tournament.
Along with winning 24 of its 27 games this season, the Prairie Wolves, who earned the automatic bid from the A-R-C after posting a 76-50 win over Coe College in the championship game last Saturday of the A-R-C Tournament. NWU has also won 14 straight games at home since suffering a 70-58 setback to the University of St. Thomas in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Over the past three seasons, NWU has posted a 31-3 record on its home court, including being 14-0 at home this season.
Webster enters the NCAA Tournament with a defense that is one of the best in the SLIAC as the Gorloks are allowing 77.1 points per game and are limiting foes to 42 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent shooting from the 3-point line, including holding its last seven opponents to under 37 percent shooting from the 3-point line. In addition, Webster is 16th in Division III in fouls per game as they are committing just 14.2 per game and have shot 52 more free throws than their opponent (447-395).
While its defense has been Webster's calling card since the arrival of Bunch as Webster's coach in 2002, the Gorloks offense has really been clicking this season as entering Friday's NCAA Tournament opener, the Gorloks are averaging 83.3 points per game and have scored 80 or more points in seven straight games and 13 times overall, including topping the century mark three times. On the season, Webster leads the SLIAC and is 19th nationally in field goal percentage (48.8 percent) and is second in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (36.6 percent) and during its current 12 game win streak, Webster's offense is averaging 94.8 points per game and is allowing 82.1 per game and the Gorloks are shooting 53 percent from the field, 44 percent from the 3-point line and 73 percent at the free throw line, while is defense is holding their foes to 42 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent shooting from long distance.
Leading the way for the Gorloks coming into the NCAA Tournament is senior guard Josh Johnson (St. Louis, Mo./Clayton), who is averaging a team best 18.6 points per game and is shooting 44 percent from the field, 42 percent from the 3-point line and 85 percent from the free throw line. Entering the NCAA Tournament, Johnson, who was named the SLIAC Player of the Year, has scored in double figures in 23 of 25 games and has tallied double-digits in scoring in 10 consecutive games and has had a team-leading eight games of scoring 20 or more points, including three games of scoring 30 or more points on the year. Johnson is fifth on the school's all-time scoring chart with 1,237 points and is one of eight players in school history to record 1,200 or more career points.
In addition to Johnson, three other Gorloks are averaging in double figures on the year – junior forward Rodson Etienne (West Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach), senior forward Enrique Tankins (Wentzville, Mo./Timberland) and freshman guard Wynne Brown, Jr. (Memphis, Tenn./Bartlett).
Etienne is second on the team in scoring at 16.4 points per game and is third in rebounding at 4.8 boards per game and is shooting 61 percent from the field, which is second in the SLIAC and 24th nationally in Division III and he has scored in double figures in 11 consecutive games and 16 times in his last 18 games, while Tankins, who was named the SLIAC Defensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-SLIAC selection, is averaging 13.9 points and a team-best 9.4 rebounds per game and has recorded a team best 12 double-doubles, including closing the regular season with five consecutive double-doubles and Brown, Jr., who was named the SLIAC Newcomer of the Year and earned MVP of the SLIAC Tournament after scoring 34 points in the championship game win over Greenville, is averaging 11.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and is shooting 49 percent from the field, 44 percent from downtown and 87 percent at the free throw line and has tallied double digits in 16 of his last 19 games, including five games of scoring 20 or more points.
Much like Webster, Nebraska Wesleyan counters with a strong game on both ends of the court as the Prairie Wolves average 87.6 points per game and have tallied 90 or more points in 11 games, including topping the century mark three times and on defense, they are allowing 71.8 points per game and are holding their foes to 43 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent shooting from the 3-point line. NWU, though, is third in Division III in field goal percentage at 51.5 percent and is fifth nationally in scoring margin (+15.7).
"Nebraska Wesleyan is very good basketball team that is well coached and shoots the basketball extremely well. We are going to have to be ready to get after it defensively on Friday against a really good opponent," Bunch said when asked about Friday's game.
The Prairie Wolves, who are making third consecutive and 17th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, are paced by the play of senior guard Nate Schimonitz, who is eighth in Division III in scoring at 26.1 points per game and is also averaging 5.8 assists per game and has a 2.0 assist/turnover ratio on the year. Schimonitz, who missed NWU's ARC Tournament championship game with an injury, is expected to play on Friday. Schimonitz, who is one of the 13 active men's college basketball players at all three NCAA levels to record 1,500 points and 300 career assists and this year's A-R-C Player of the Year, is shooting 58 percent from the field, 38 percent from the 3-point line and 82 percent at the free throw line.
Along with Schimonitz, three other starters are averaging in double figures as senior guard Jack Hiller is averaging 14.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and is shooting 46 percent from the field, 41 percent from downtown and 83 percent at the foul line, while senior center Clay Reimers is averaging 14.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 60 percent from the field and 37 percent from the 3-point line and senior forward Nate Bahe is averaging 10.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and is shooting 48 percent from the field and 37 percent from the 3-point line.
Nebraska Wesleyan is coached by Dale Wellman and his six years with the Prairie Wolves has compiled a 134-37 record and in 11 years as a collegiate coach has posted a 201-123 record.
NWU is 31-17 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and along with winning the Division III national title in 2018, the Prairie Wolves finished as national runners-up in 1997 and finished third in back-to-back years in 1985 and 1986.
Friday's game will be the fifth all-time meeting between Nebraska Wesleyan and Webster in men's basketball and the first since the Gorloks fell 81-55 to NWU in the 2011 Snyder Classic on the Prairie Wolves' home court.
Prior to the Webster-Nebraska Wesleyan game on Friday, the first game of the Nebraska Wesleyan pod of the NCAA Tournament will feature 16th-ranked WashU (20-5) meeting Bethany Lutheran (21-6) at 5 p.m.
WashU, who earned an at-large selection to the tournament, is making their 22nd all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and is 33-19 all-time in the tournament, including winning back-to-back national titles in 2008 and 2009 and making three straight Final Four appearances from 2007-09, while Bethany Lutheran earned the automatic bid from the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) after earning a 92-82 win over St. Scholastica in the championship game of the UMAC Tournament title game. The Vikings, who have won a school record 21 games this season, is making its second all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2018 when they advanced to the second round.
The winners of Friday's first round games at Snyder Arena will advance to a second round game at 7:30 p.m. The winner of that game will advance to the third round next weekend against the winner of the pod of four teams hosted by North Central (Ill.) College.
Tickets for the 2020 NCAA Division III Tournament games at Nebraska Wesleyan are $12 for adults and $7 for senior citizens, students and youth ages 3+. Students with NWU digital ID will be admitted free entering the northwest corner of the building. Ticket sales will open one hour before tip-off on Friday and 90 minutes before on Saturday.
All three games wil be broadcast live locally in the Lincoln area on LNKTV Education (Allo 23, Spectrum 1303, Kinetic Windstream 1080). The games are also being streamed live on the NWU Sports Network and the NWU games can be heard on KFOR 1240 AM/103.3 FM or online at kfornow.com.
