Preview Below
STEVENS POINT – The UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team will travel for the opening rounds of the 2011 NCAA Division III Tournament, but won't have to go far.
The Pointers will head to south eastern Wisconsin and play St. Norbert College on Friday, March 4 at Concordia (Wis.), located in Mequon.
The Pointers faced the Green Knights of St. Norbert in last year's second round, defeating the Midwest Conference Champions 63-48. St. Norbert defeated Hope in the first round of last year's tournament in Stevens Point 72-65. Game time for the Pointers vs. St. Norbert is set for 5:30 p.m.
The other first round match-up will feature the host Falcons of Concordia-Wisconsin, an at-large selection out of the Northern Athletics Conference against the Norse of Luther College in Iowa, winners of the IIAC automatic bid. Game time for the second match-up on Friday is set for 7:30 p.m.
The two first round winners will meet on Saturday evening at 7 p.m.
Details on tickets, hotels and fan gatherings will be posted at athletics.uwsp.edu as soon as they are made available.
TICKETS:
Tickets for UWSP's game vs. St. Norbert are available at the UWSP Information and Ticket office. Prices are $7 for adults, $5 for student with ID and $4 for seniors (62 and over) and youth under 12.
Tickets will be available at the UWSP Information and ticket office until Thursday afternoon.
POST-GAME SOCIAL
After the game, join us at the Highland House Restaurant located at 12741 N. Port Washington Road for a post game party! Our group will gather in the Malibu room beginning at 7:30 p.m. Appetizers and beverages are on your own.
Room Reservations
There are 20 rooms blocked at the Radisson North Shore at a special rate of $85.
Radisson North Shore
7065 N. Port Washington Road
Milwaukee, WI, 53217
(414) 351-6960
Fans need to call the above number to reserve a room. The room will only be held at that rate for the next couple days and are subject to availability. To receive the special rate indicate that you are part of the "Pointer Backcourt Club. Also mention the Group Code: 0304POINTE.
STEVENS POINT – The UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team will make their fifth consecutive NCAA Division III Tournament appearance on Friday evening against St. Norbert as they try and defend last year's title when the knocked off Williams 78-73 for their third national championship in school history.
The Pointers will travel to south eastern Wisconsin on the campus of Concordia University to face the Green Knights of St. Norbert College whom they defeated in the second round of last year's tournament.
The other first round match-up will feature the host Falcons of Concordia-Wisconsin, an at-large selection out of the Northern Athletics Conference against the Norse of Luther College in Iowa, winners of the IIAC automatic bid.
Point holds an 11-1 all-time series edge against Concordia with the first meeting coming back in 1935. Against Luther College, Point holds a 2-1 series advantage with the first meeting coming back in 1939.
First Round Preview – Friday, March 4th
UW-Stevens Point (24-3, 14-2 WIAC) vs. St. Norbert College (20-5, 14-4 MWC) – 5:30 p.m.
UW-Stevens Point and St. Norbert College have a long history against one another with the Pointers holding the advantage in the all-time series 52-30. There most recent meeting came last year in the NCAA Division III's Second Round where it seen the Green Knights fall to the hands of the Pointers 63-48 en route to their national title.
The Pointers
UW-Stevens Point punched their ticket to this year's dance as they won the WIAC Tournament for the third consecutive year, the first time that has happened in the tournaments 13 year history. The Pointers have been very successful in NCAA Tournament play posting a 25-6 all-time record and a 20-3 record over the past six years. This marks the fifth consecutive year UW-Stevens Point has reached the tournament and the eighth time in nine years. In the 2003-2004 season, the Pointers defeated Williams (Mass.) 84-82 for their first national championship and followed it up in 2004-2005 for back-to-back national championships with a 73-43 pounding of Rochester (N.Y.). Point will try and pull another repeat championship as last year they took the title defeating Williams 78-73 for their third NCAA Division III Championship.
The Pointers have shot the ball exceptionally well all season and rank first in all of Division III with a 52.6 field goal percentage. They also have the second best scoring margin in the nation outscoring their opponents by 22.4 points per contest and hold their opponents to 57.6 points per game, sixth best in Division III. Point also ranks seventh in winning percentage (88.9), 14th in turnover margin (+4.6), 15th in three-point field goal percentage (39.4) and 20th in assist turnover ratio (1.25).
Louis Hurd (Portage/Portage) leads the team with NCAA Tournament experience with 10 games (10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds per game). Nick Krull (Marshall/Marshall) ranks second on the team with eight games (6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds) while Scott Hoelzel (Kaukauna/Kaukauna) (6.2 points, 4.8 rebounds) and Jerrel Harris (Milwaukee/Dominican) (9.7 points, 2.5 rebounds) have six games of experience apiece.
Four Pointers make an appearance on the 2011 All-WIAC Team this season. Seniors Louis Hurd (Portage/Portage) and Nick Krull (Marshall/Marshall) along with sophomore Jerrel Harris (Milwaukee/Dominican) were named to the first team while senior Vinny Ritchay (Wisconsin Rapids/Lincoln) was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team. Harris leads the team offensively at 15.3 points per game while dishing out a team-high 2.8 assists per contest. Senior Louis Hurd (Portage/Portage) has been coming on strong as of late averaging 11.4 points per game while grabbing 4.7 rebounds per contest. In the recent weeks he continues to move up the Pointers all-time scoring list passing Jack Krull and currently ranks 17th on the list with 1,229 points. Sophomore Tyler Tillema (Randolph, WI/Randolph) also helps the Pointers 80.0 point per game average chipping in with 9.7 points per game while Scott Hoelzel (Kaukauna/Kaukauna) and Nick Krull (Marshall/Marshall) add 7.1 and 5.3 points respectfully. Hoelzel and Krull also control the paint for Point averaging 5.0 and 4.9 rebounds a contest.
Projected Starters
4
Tyler Tillema (Randolph, WI/Randolph), G, 6-3, 170, So., Randolph/Randolph
25
Jerrel Harris (Milwaukee/Dominican), G, 5-10, 150, So., Milwaukee/Dominican
34
Louis Hurd (Portage/Portage), F, 6-5, 225, Sr., Portage/Portage
42
Nick Krull (Marshall/Marshall), F, 6-7, 205, Sr., Marshall/ Marshall
44
Scott Hoelzel (Kaukauna/Kaukauna), F, 6-6, 230, Sr., Kaukauna/Kaukauna
UW-Stevens Point Head Coach Bob Semling (143-32 overall) is in his sixth season as the Pointers Head Coach. After winning 17 games in his first season as head coach, Semling has led the Pointers to 23 or more victories in the last four seasons, winning the NCAA Division III Championship in 2010 and the WIAC regular season and tournament title each three times.
The Green Knights
St. Norbert has notched their second consecutive 20 win season and rides a four game winning streak into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Green Knights, ranked 16th by D3hoops.com, won both the Midwest Conference regular season and tournament title for their automatic bid to this year's dance. They hold their opponents to 58.0 points per game, eighth nationally, while allowing them to shoot 38.6 percent from the field, 12th nationally. This is the Green Knights fourth appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament with their last appearance coming last season where they were defeated in the Second Round by UW-Stevens Point. Their best showing came back in the 1983-1984 season where they reached the Sweet 16 and finished the season ranked fifth.
Projected Starters
3
John Taylor, G, 6-0, 195, Sr., Vernon Hills, Ill. /Stevenson
4
David Wipperfurth, G, 6-2, 185, Sr., Sauk City /Sauk Prairie
14
Steve Papke, F, 6-4, 220, Sr., Hokah, Minn. /La Crosse Aquinas
24
Chris Peterson, C, 6-5, 225, Sr., Marinette/ St. Thomas Aquanis
25
Paul Mallers, G/F, 6-3, 190, Sr., Sleepy Hollow, Ill. /Dundee-Crown
Players to Watch
David Wipperfurth leads the Green Knights offensive attack as he scores 14.9 points per game while shooting at a 42.6 percent clip from the field. He also leads the team in free throws and attempts connecting on 80.4 percent (74-92) from the charity stripe. John Taylor also scores in double figures at 10.1 points per game and is the leading distributor averaging 4.4 assists per contest. He is also their best three-point threat hitting 44 of 96 attempts for 44.1 percent. The senior posts an impressive 3.83 assist to turnover ratio, ranking him second in all of Division III. Controlling the pain for St. Norbert is Steve Papke pulling down a team-high 5.4 rebounds per game while averaging 8.8 points per contest. Chris Peterson is also a focal point of both the offense and defense, averaging 9.5 points and grabbing 4.7 rebounds with a team leading 49 coming on the offensive side of the floor.
Green Knights Head Coach Gary Grzeck (84-38 overall) enters his fifth year at the helm of St. Norbert. Last season, Grezeck piloted the Green Knights to a 23-4 record, setting the school record for wins. He also guided his team to their first NCAA Division III Tournament win in 26 years before falling to UW-Stevens Point in the second round. His Green Knights won the Midwest Conference (MWC) regular season and tournament titles and were ranked as high as No. 9 in the D3hoops.com poll. The Wauwatosa native and UW-Green Bay graduate also was named the MWC and NCAA Division III Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2010.
Concordia-Wisconsin (23-4, 18-1 NAC) vs. Luther College (18-8, 13-3 IIAC) – 7:30 p.m.
The Falcons
Concordia-Wisconsin received their tournament bid as an at-large selection out of the Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) after Edgewood College defeated the Falcons 95-89 in the NAC Semifinals.
Projected Starters
4 Mitchell Schneider, SG, 6-5, 185, Fr., Juneau/Dodgeland
12 Matt Paluchniak, PG, 6-1, 165, Jr., Oostburg/Oostburg
21 Luke Doedens, PG, 6-5, 195, Jr., Cedarburg/Cedarburg
24 Skip Newton-Kemp, G, 6-3, 190, Sr., Milwaukee/Milwaukee Vincent
31 Cory Stark, F/C, 6-8, 215, Sr., Grafton/Grafton
Players to Watch
The Falcons are lead by five All-NAC all-conference selections. Senior Edward Newton-Kemp headlines the team with a first team selection while juniors Luke Doedens and Mitchell Schneider. Cory Stark received Honorable Mention honors while another junior, Matt Paluchniak was recognized on the All-Sportsmanship Team.
Falcons Head Coach Shawn Cassidy, a former Falcon basketball player, is a '93 graduate of CUW who earned his Master's Degree from Azusa Pacific in 2001 with an emphasis in School Administration. He taught and coached at Orange County Lutheran for twelve years before returning to CUW. Shawn spent nine seasons as the head basketball coach at OCL, putting together a 144- 93 record with three league championships and eight playoff appearances. 2009-10 will be his fifth season on the CUW bench, and third as head coach. In Cassidy's first full season the Falcons finished 14- 11. Concordia also won the CIT for the first time in school history, scoring one-sided wins over CU- Seward and CU- Chicago. Despite the graduation of six top performers, the 2008-9 Falcons ended up 13-13, including 10-6 in the NAC.
The Norse
Luther, the regular season Iowa Conference champions, earned the league's automatic bid to the national tournament, after defeating the University of Dubuque 57-48 in the championship game of the conference tournament on Saturday, February 26, played in Decorah. Luther is making its first appearance in the national tournament since 1984 and third in school history.
Projected Starters
3 Dane Larson, G, 6-1, Jr., Waverly, Iowa /Waverly- Shell Rock
5 Rick Aleman, G, 6-3, Jr., Oak Brook, Ill. /York
10 Jacy Dillahunty, G, 6-0, Sr., Madison/ Royall
31 Tyler Wedemeier, C, 6-8, So., Westgate, Iowa/ West Central- Maynard
33 John Androus, G, 6-5, Fr., Lindenhurst, Ill. /Lakes
Players to Watch
Dane Larson leads the way for the Norse as he leads the team in points with 15.7 per game and assists with 2.5 per contest while connecting on 80.6 percent of his free throws. Tyler Wedemeier leads the team in rebounding at 7.2 per contest and ranks second on the team with 9.6 points per game while shooting at a 56.9 percent clip. His presence is also felt inside as he averages 2.3 blocks per game.
Norse Head Coach Mark Franzen is in his fifth season as Luther's head coach. He spent two years as head coach at Nebraska Wesleyan University prior to taking over the Norse program. Franzen was formerly an assistant coach at Wartburg College from 1998-2004 and Coe College from 1996-98. While at Wartburg, the Knights posted four 20-win seasons, captured the 2001 Iowa Conference regular season championship and tournament title, advancing to the NCAA III National Tournament. A native of Denver, Iowa and a 1994 graduate of Wartburg College, he was a member of the Knights 1992-93 Iowa Conference championship team that qualified for the NCAA III National Tournament.
