ISU, Valpo, IPFW Make Postseason Tourneys
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThree NCAA Division I men's basketball programs will represent Indiana in national postseason events. Indiana State University will appear tomorrow night in the National Invitation Tournament and Valparaiso University and IPFW will play in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Editor's Note: A previous version of the story left IPFW off the list of postseason tournament teams. We regret the omission.
March 17, 2014
News Release
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – For the second consecutive season, the Indiana State basketball team has been selected to participate in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The Sycamores will travel to Arkansas on Tuesday, March 18 in a first round game that will be televised nationally on ESPN. Tip-off is set for 9:00 p.m. (ET).
The Sycamores are the No. 6 seed in the Southern Methodist regional while Arkansas is the No. 3 seed. The winner of the Indiana State/Arkansas contest will play the winner between No. 2 California and No. 7 Utah Valley between March 20-24 at a location to be determined.
The all-time series between the Sycamores and Razorbacks is tied at two but the last meeting was one for the record books. Indiana State's “Miracle Man” Bob Heaton swished a game winner at the buzzer to send the Sycamores to the Final Four on March 17, 1979. The Sycamores have not won in two previous trips to Fayetteville — with both coming in the 1970's.
The Sycamores (23-10, 12-6 MVC) are playing in the postseason for the fifth consecutive season and are making a trip to the NIT for the second straight year. Indiana State fell at Iowa in the opener of the 2013 NIT. Against the 2014 NIT field, the Sycamores are 1-1 — splitting a pair of contests against Belmont in non-conference action.
The Razorbacks (21-11, 10-8 SEC) enter the NIT after falling to South Carolina in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Under fourth-year head coach Greg Lansing, Indiana State is a perfect 2-0 against members of the SEC — winning at No. 25 Vanderbilt in 2011 and against Ole Miss in the 2012 Diamondhead Classic.
Indiana State will making its fourth trip to the NIT where they are 1-3 all-time. The Sycamores also appeared in 1977, 1978 and 2013.
Source: Indiana State University Athletics
March 17, 2014
News Release
VALPARAISO, Ind. – The Valparaiso men's basketball team's fourth straight postseason appearance will begin at the ARC against Ivy League foe Columbia in the first round of the 2014 CollegeInsider.com Tournament on Tuesday, March 18 at 7:05 p.m.
Valparaiso enters the CIT with an 18-15 record overall this season, including a 9-7 mark in Horizon League play – Valpo's fifth straight season over .500 in one of the nation's top-12 leagues. The Crusaders are led by First Team All-Horizon League selection Lavonte Dority (Chicago, Ill./Foreman [USF]), who averages 16.0 ppg and shoots 43.2 percent from the 3-point line, while All-Freshman Team choice Alec Peters (Washington, Ill./Washington) paced Valpo with 47 points in its two HL Championship games.
Columbia brings a 19-12 mark into the CIT, including an 8-6 record in Ivy League play. The Lions are led by junior forward Alex Rosenberg, who averages 16.2 ppg and hits at a 43.1% clip from 3-point range. Rosenberg also gets to the free throw line better than eight times a game and is an 82.6 percent shooter from the stripe, leading the Columbia squad to a top-10 spot nationally in team free throw percentage (77.0 percent). Sophomore guards Maodo Lo (14.5 ppg, 44.9 percent 3PT percent) and Grant Mullins (11.7 ppg, 89.9 percent FT percent) also average in double figures for the Lions.
The Crusaders and Lions have had no common opponents this season. Valpo and Columbia have met twice previously on the hardwood, with the Lions earning a 66-64 win on Dec. 30, 1957 and the Crusaders winning 71-55 on Dec. 21, 2001 in Laie, Hawaii. The last time Valpo hosted an Ivy League squad was on Dec. 18, 1993, when the Crusaders defeated Dartmouth 100-54.
Tickets are available now for Tuesday night's game by visiting ValpoAthletics.com, calling 877-MY-VU-TIX or 219-464-5233, or by visiting the ticket office, located in the main lobby of the ARC.
Source: Valparaiso University Athletics
March 17, 2014
News Release
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The IPFW men's basketball team, which has won a program-record 24 games this season, returns to the Gates Sports Center on Wednesday evening when the team hosts the Akron Zips in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
At 24-10 in 2013-14, not only did this season's squad set a new program record for wins, but the squad has the most wins in the field among the 32 teams in the tournament. The postseason berth is the first as a NCAA Division I program, and is the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Akron, who is 21-12 on the season, fell in the MAC Tournament Semifinals to eventual tournament champion Western Michigan. The Zips are led by Demetrius Treadwell, a 6-7 senior forward, who averages 14.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Quincy Diggs, a 6-6 senior forward, averaged 12.5 points and 4.7 boards per game, while also leading the team with 85 assists and 58 steals.
The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament features 32 teams from non-BCS programs not participating in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the National Invitational Tournament. A non-bracketed tournament, all games are played at on-campus sites, and match-ups determined round-to-round to minimize travel and limit missed class time.
Tickets have been on sale for current season-ticket holders since Friday, March 14th, and tickets will be available for the general public to purchase Monday, March 17th at noon. Tickets will start at $10 each and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. IPSGA has purchased 200 tickets for IPFW Students for Wednesday's Game. Students will need to get their ticket from the IPSGA Office, and will need to show a valid student ID for their ticket. Fans may purchase tickets online at gomastodons.com, by visiting the Gates Athletic Center Ticket Office, or by phone at (260) 481-6555.
Source: IPFW