The men’s and women’s basketball teams will both face tough challenges on the road in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
The 7th-ranked men will play the College of Wooster, ranked 11th in last week’s poll, in the opening round in Rock Island, Ill. The team last faced Wooster in the third place match in last year’s Final Four where the Bears prevailed 92-84.
The other game in the pod features host 9th-ranked Agustana College and Aurora University. The combination of these four teams makes this region one of the toughest in the tournament.
The women will begin their 19th-straight trip to the tournament with a first round match against Wilmington University, a team they have never faced, in Greencastle, Ind.
Host DePauw University will play Denison University in the other first round match. DePauw, the defending national champion, beat Wash. U. in last year’s championship match 55-52. Denison also faced the defending national champion in last year’s first round, upsetting Hope College 82-66.
Student Life and the Student Life Sports Blog, Game On, will be providing complete coverage of both tournaments.