FERRIS EARNS NCAA DIVISION II NATIONAL TOURNAMENT BID

Bulldogs To Face Indianapolis In Great Lakes Region Quarterfinals

NCAA Basketball The Ferris State University men's basketball team received its first NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament bid since the 1997-98 campaign Sunday (March 6) in an announcement made during the NCAA-II Selection Show live from Indianapolis.

FSU, which is presently 22-6 overall this season, is the region's third seed and will face sixth-seeded Indianapolis (19-9) this Saturday (March 12) in regional quarterfinal round play at Findlay, Ohio. Game time is set for 12 p.m. (EST). The University of Findlay earned the top seed and will serve as the tournament host with the games to be played in UF's 2,500-seat Croy Gymnasium. Ticket information will be announced in the next few days.

In addition to the Bulldogs and Findlay, two other Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) schools also received tourney berths in Wayne State and Gannon. The other quarterfinal round games Saturday feature second-seeded Southern Indiana (26-4) taking on the number seven-seed Gannon (18-10) at 2:30 p.m. (EST) along with top-seeded Findlay (27-3) squaring off against the eighth-seed Quincy (18-10) at 6 p.m. (EST). Fourth-seeded Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (23-8) will battle fifth-seeded Wayne State (19-11) in Saturday's 8:30 p.m. (EST) nightcap.

The winners of Saturday's four quarterfinal round games will advance to Sunday's (March 13) regional semifinals with the championship game set for Tuesday, March 15, at 7 p.m. (EST). The winner of the Ferris/Indianapolis game will play the winner of the Gannon/USI game Sunday at 5 p.m. (EST) with the winner of the Findlay/Quincy game facing the winner of the WSU/SIUE game following the opening contest.

The single-elimination national tournament field includes eight regions of eight teams apiece. The Great Lakes Regional champion will advance to the 49th annual NCAA Division II Elite Eight set for March 23-26 in Grand Forks, N.D. Ferris was one of 41 NCAA-II schools to receive an at-large bid with 23 others advancing by virtue of claiming their respective league's automatic berths. The winner of the Great Lakes Regional has made it to the national championship game each of the last 11 years and has produced three national champions during that span.

Ferris State, which is ranked 19th in the latest (March 1) National Association of Basketball Coaches/Division II Bulletin National Poll, had won 11 consecutive contests this campaign prior to Friday's (March 4) 68-63 loss to Wayne State in the GLIAC Tournament Semifinals at Findlay. The Bulldogs claimed their second-straight GLIAC North Division Regular-Season Championship this season.

FSU has made six previous NCAA-II National Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight showing in 1988-89. The Bulldogs' last national tournament bid came in 1997-98 after winning the GLIAC Tournament championship. Ferris holds a 5-7 all-time mark in national tournament play at the NCAA-II level.

The Bulldogs previously recorded a 110-104 overtime victory over Indianapolis earlier this season (Dec. 21) in the Lions Club Holiday Classic at FSU's Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich.

Here is the regional tournament schedule:

Saturday, March 12 (Quarterfinals)
12:00 p.m. – (#6) Indianapolis vs. (#3) Ferris State
2:30 p.m. – (#7) Gannon vs. (#2) Southern Indiana
6:00 p.m. – (#8) Quincy vs. (#1) Findlay
8:30 p.m. – (#5) Wayne State vs. (#4) Southern Illinois-Edwardsville

Sunday, March 13 (Semifinals)
5 p.m. – Indianapolis/FSU winner vs. Gannon/USI winner
7:30 p.m. - Quincy-Findlay winner vs. WSU/SIUE winner

Tuesday, March 15 (Finals)
7 p.m. – Championship Game

The official tournament bracket can be found by visiting this link: