Men's Basketball News Releases
Cornell draws No. 4 UW-Stevens Point in first round of NCAA Division III Tournament
MOUNT VERNON - Cornell College heads north to face fourth-ranked UW-Stevens Point in the first round of the 60-team NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament.
Cornell is part of a four-team regional this weekend in St. Paul, Minn., hosted by the University of St. Thomas. The Rams (21-6) play UW-Stevens Point (23-4) at 6 p.m. Friday, March 6 at Schoenecker Arena. Top-ranked St. Thomas (27-0) meets Aurora (16-12) in Friday's other first-round matchup. The winners play Saturday, March 7 for the right to advance to the round of 16.
First-round playing times will be announced later today. Click here to view the entire NCAA Division III men's bracket http://www.d3boards.com/playoffs/mbbbracket2009.pdf.
Cornell, a winner of five straight games and eight of the last nine, earned the Iowa Conference's automatic berth with a 58-56 victory over Wartburg in the IIAC Tournament championship Saturday night in Mount Vernon. The Rams, who have set the school record for wins in a season, make their seventh overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
This is Cornell's first trip to the national tournament since 1994, when the Rams fell 78-54 to UW-Platteville in the first round. Cornell also qualified in 1976 (0-2), 1970 (0-2), 1963 (0-2), 1961 (1-1) and 1960 (3-2). The Rams are 4-10 all-time in the national tournament.
Cornell's 1960 squad, led by head coach Paul Maaske, recorded a school-best fourth-place finish in the NCAA College Division Tournament, which is presently the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Rams have dropped their last eight contests in the national tournament, their last win coming in a regional third-place game against UW-Superior (83-72) in 1961.
"It's exciting to be in," Cornell's fifth-year head coach Mike DeGeorge said. "This will be a great challenge to play one of the best teams in the country on a neutral floor. UW-Stevens Point has great shooters, they're very versatile and they play in the best league in the country. We'll have to go in there fighting and battling."
UW-Stevens Point, a member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, received the league's automatic bid with a 45-42 win over fifth-ranked UW-Platteville Saturday. The Pointers make their seventh tournament appearance since 1997, claiming back-to-back national titles in 2005 and 2004. UW-Stevens Point fell 54-53 to IIAC foe Buena Vista in the second round of last year's national tournament.
Cornell and UW-Stevens Point have played one common opponent this season in 25th-ranked Lawrence. The Rams fell 80-66 at Lawrence. The Pointers dropped a 75-59 decision to Lawrence.
