will face Hope's orange and blue
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| The Pioneer orange and blue will face Hope's orange and blue |
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team will face Hope (Mich.) in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs Friday night in a four-team regional in Wheaton, Ill.
The Pioneers, making their first NCAA III appearance since 1999, will face the Flying Dutchmen at 6 p.m. in a rematch of the 1998 national championship game. Wheaton will play Fontbonne (Mo.) in the second semifinal. The winners meet Saturday at 7 p.m. for the right to advance to the Sweet 16 in an absolutely loaded bracket. The top seven teams in the latest D3hoops.com poll are all in the 16-team bracket.
The pairings were announced Monday morning, and the UWP team gathered in the Pioneer Student Center to hear the announcement live.
"It's great to see our name under the bright lights," Pioneer Coach Paul Combs said. "I'm sure that's the goal of every program across the country is to be playing in the NCAA tournament, the big dance. It's a great stage for a Division III student-athlete to showcase his abilities."
The Pioneers, ranked fifth by D3hoops.com, earned one of the 18 at-large berths after a 22-5 season. The Flying Dutchmen beat rival Calvin 69-59 Saturday, claiming the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association automatic bid. Hope brings in a 21-7 record.
UWP and Hope are meeting for the first time since that 1998 NCAA III championship game, when the Pioneers posted a 69-56 victory in Salem, Va. The Pioneers won national championships in 1991, 1995, 1998 and 1999 while compiling a 30-5 tournament record during the 1990s.
'It's a culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of individuals, first and foremost our players," Combs said. "They gave great effort all season. The University as a whole has been very supportive, and our staff has worked very hard to get this program to this level. And then there's the Platteville community and our fans, the O-Zone section, the alumni and former players who have meant so much to this program. It's a great opportunity for everyone to support us down in Wheaton Friday night. It's a celebration of Platteville basketball."
All-American center Jeff Skemp grew up 15 miles away from Platteville in Hazel Green, and he is excited to be part of the Pioneers' NCAA III tournament tradition.
"That's the biggest reason I committed to come here," he said. "I knew that we had the ability to get back to that, and I'm just glad I get to be a part of it."
Combs said the Pioneers will begin preparations immediately for the Flying Dutchmen. The teams have only one common opponent: Carthage. The Red Men beat Hope 89-68 on Dec. 5, and the Pioneers beat Carthage 78-48 on Dec. 29.
"With technology nowadays, you can get stats and things off the web site pretty quickly, and then we'll get some video on them by tomorrow morning," Combs said. "We'll continue to have our same routine this week. Our main focus is getting better this week and getting ready for Hope."
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