The 12th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball team received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament and will play in the Midwest Regional, which is scheduled for March 11-14 in Louisville, Kentucky. The regional is being hosted by fourth-ranked and top-seeded Bellarmine University. Ticket prices and information will be released on Monday.
The Screaming Eagles (25-4) return to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time since 2014 and are making their 20th regional appearance in the last 25 seasons. USI, the 1995 NCAA II National Champion, has appeared in the NCAA II Tournament 25 times in the history of the program and has a record of 31-27 in tournament play.
The Eagles are the third seed in the regional and start national tournament action Saturday at 1:30 p.m. (CST) when they take on sixth-seeded University of Findlay (23-6). USI has played Findley in the NCAA II Midwest Regional twice in the history of the program, going 1-1 (win in 2003-04, 75-67; loss in 2008-09, 81-59). The Eagles are 2-1 all-time against Findlay.
In addition to the USI-Findlay match-up, the top half of the bracket features second-seeded Ferris State University (27-4) against seventh-seeded Truman State University (22-9) with an 11 a.m. (CST) tip off Saturday.
The bottom half of the regional bracket includes Bellarmine (28-3) hosting eighth-seeded University of Wisconsin-Parkside (22-7) at 5 p.m. (CST). The final first round game has with seventh-ranked and fourth-seeded Kentucky Wesleyan College (28-2) playing fifth-seeded Quincy University (24-6) at 7:30 p.m. (CST).
The semifinals will be played Sunday (March 12) at 4 p.m. (CDT) and 6:30 p.m. (CDT), while the regional championship game is scheduled for March 14 at 6 p.m. (CDT).
