by Alan Babbitt
The Hope College men's basketball team is headed to Washington University in St. Louis for the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament this weekend.
The Flying Dutchmen are joined by host WashU, Cornell College (Iowa), and Wheaton College (Ill.).
The pod winner will advance to the sectional round on Friday-Saturday, March 11-12, on campus sites. Winners from four sectional sites will advance to the national semifinals on Friday-Saturday, March 18-19, at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
WashU Tournament Page
SCHEDULE
Friday, March 4
3:20 p.m. Central. Hope (22-6) vs. Wheaton (20-6). Video | Radio 92.7 The Van | Live Stats
5:50 p.m. Central. WashU (18-7) vs. Cornell (19-8). Video | Live Stats
Saturday, March 5
5:50 p.m. Central. First-round winners. Video | Live Stats
TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased at the door — cash sales only. The cost is $15 for adults and $10 for students, military, seniors and children ages 3-12. Children 2 and under are free.
COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
As of Friday, March 4, Masks are optional inside the building at Washington University in St. Louis. Visitors must fill out the Visitor Screening each day prior to show at the entrance.
WashU's concession stand will be closed.
MEET THE TEAMS
Cornell
The Rams are making their seventh NCAA Division III Tournament appearance all-time and their first since 2009. Cornell earned the Midwest Conference's automatic bid after defeating Ripon College (Wis.), 82-79, in double overtime in the MWC final. Head coach Dave Schlabaugh is in his fifth season as head coach. Forward Cooper Kabela leads Cornell in scoring at 16.7 points per game. Other Rams in double figures are guard Jordan Magnani (16.1) and forward Marcus Quick (13.7).
Hope
The Flying Dutchmen earned their 28th postseason appearance by winning the MIAA Tournament for the 20th time last weekend on their home court at DeVos Fieldhouse. Led by MIAA MVP Evan Thomas and fellow All-MIAA First Team selection Clayton Dykhouse, Hope was also the regular-season league champion with a 12-2 record. Head coach Greg Mitchell is in his eighth season as head coach; this is his fourth NCAA Tournament appearance.
WashU
The Bears claimed an at-large berth after finishing third in the University Athletic Association regular-season standings. The UAA does not have a conference tournament. Four UAA teams made the NCAA Tournament field: Case Western Reserve University (Ohio), Emory University (Ga.), and the University of Rochester (N.Y.). Head coach Pat Juckem is in his fourth season as head coach. Guard Jack Nolan tops WashU in scoring at 21.1 points per game. Other double-digit scorers for the Bears are forward Justin Hardy (11.1) and guard Hayden Doyle (10.6).
Wheaton
The Thunder received an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament for their 12th NCAA Division III Tournament appearance. Wheaton lost to College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin champion Elmhurst College (Ill.) in the semfinals. This is head coach Mike Schauer's 13th season as head coach and his sixth postseason appearance with the Thunder. Guard Nyamaye Adom tops Wheaton in scoring at 21.3 points per game. Others scoring in double figures are guard Tyson Cruickshank (18.2) and forward Cade Alioth (15.8).
