FERRIS CLAIMS NCAA DIVISION II NATIONAL TOURNAMENT BID
Bulldogs To Face Saint Joseph's In Great Lakes Region Quarterfinals
The Ferris State University men's basketball team received its second consecutive NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament bid Sunday (March 5) in an announcement made during the NCAA-II Selection Show live from Indianapolis.
FSU, which is presently 18-12 overall this season, is the region's eighth seed and will face top-seeded Saint Joseph's (Ind.), which is 30-2 overall this season, Saturday (March 11) in regional quarterfinal round play at Rensselaer, Ind. Game time is set for 7 p.m. (EST). Saint Joseph's College earned the top seed and will serve as the tournament host with the games to be played in SJC's 2,000-seat Richard F. Scharf Alumni Fieldhouse.
"We're thrilled to be in the tournament for the second-straight year," said FSU head coach Bill Sall. "A bid to the NCAA Tournament is a culmination of your season and something you're always gearing towards. We made a nice run in the GLIAC Tournament and we're looking forward to making another great showing."
In addition to the Bulldogs, two other Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) schools also received tourney berths in Grand Valley State and Findlay. The other quarterfinal round games Saturday feature third-seeded Findlay (25-4) squaring off against sixth-seed Quincy (21-9) at 1 p.m. (EST), second-seeded GVSU (27-3) battling seventh-seeded Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (22-6) in a 3:30 p.m. (EST) tilt along with fourth-seeded Southern Indiana (25-6) taking on the number five-seed Drury (21-8) starting at 9:30 p.m. (EST).
The winners of Saturday's four quarterfinal round games will advance to Sunday's (March 12) regional semifinals with the championship game set for Tuesday, March 14. The winner of the Ferris/SJC game will play the winner of the USI/Drury game Sunday at 8:30 p.m. (EST) with the winner of the Findlay/Quincy game facing the winner of the GVSU/SIUE game in the first semifinal at 6 p.m. (EST). Tuesday's title game tips off at 8 p.m. (EST).
The single-elimination national tournament field includes eight regions of eight teams apiece. The Great Lakes Regional champion will advance to the 50th annual NCAA Division II Elite Eight set for March 22-25 in Springfield, Mass. The winner of the Great Lakes Regional has made it to the national championship game 11 of the last 12 years and has produced three national champions during that span.
Ferris State dropped an 80-58 decision to host Grand Valley State in the GLIAC Tournament Championship Game Saturday (March 4) in GVSU's Fieldhouse Arena at Allendale, Mich. The Bulldogs appeared in the league tournament final for the third time in school history.
FSU has made seven previous NCAA-II National Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight showing in 1988-89. Ferris capped off a banner 2004-05 season with a runner-up finish in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament (March 12-15) held in Findlay, Ohio. The Bulldogs reached the regional championship game for only the third time in school history last season and fell one game shy of advancing to the NCAA-II Elite Eight for the second time ever.
The Bulldogs dropped a 103-85 decision to Saint Joseph's in this season's opening game on Nov. 15 at Rensselaer, Ind. The Pumas are presently ranked second in the latest (March 1) National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Top 25 Poll.
Here is the regional tournament schedule (All times are Eastern):
Saturday, March 11 (Quarterfinals)
1 p.m. – (#6) Quincy (Ill.) vs. (#3) Findlay
3:30 p.m. – (#7) Southern Illinois-Edwardsville vs. (#2) Grand Valley State
7:00 p.m. – (#8) Ferris State vs. (#1) Saint Joseph's
9:30 p.m. – (#5) Drury (Mo.) vs. (#4) Southern Indiana
Sunday, March 12 (Semifinals)
6 p.m. – Quincy/Findlay winner vs. SIUE/GVSU winner
8:30 p.m. - Ferris/Saint Joseph's winner vs. Drury/USI winner
Tuesday, March 14 (Finals)
8 p.m. – Championship Game
The official tournament bracket can be found by visiting this link:
www.ncaasports.com
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