SEWARD, Neb. – A four-game win streak to cap the regular season has put the Concordia University men’s basketball team in a position to host in the quarterfinals of the GPAC tournament. The program last hosted a conference postseason game in 2011. That drought will end Wednesday when the fourth-seeded Bulldogs will welcome fifth-seeded Northwestern to Walz Arena. The goal for head coach Ben Limback’s squad is to knock off the Red Raiders for the third time this season.
GPAC Quarterfinals
Wednesday, Feb. 26 vs. Northwestern (20-10, 12-8 GPAC), 8 p.m.
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After dropping out of the “receiving votes” category of the national poll last week, Concordia has work to do if it is going to earn a national tournament bid. However, the focus right now is on attempting to achieve the program’s first postseason victory since 2009 (101-97 overtime win at Briar Cliff in the GPAC quarterfinals). A win would also mark the 22nd of the season, which would represent the most for the Bulldogs since the 2004-05 national runner-up squad set a school record with 32 triumphs. The current totals of 21 wins overall and 12 GPAC wins are high-water marks during Limback’s tenure.
Concordia has been on a roll from an offensive perspective having shot better than 50 percent from the floor in three-consecutive games. During the active win streak, senior Brevin Sloup has recorded point totals of 25, 29, 22 and 28, respectively while making 30-of-49 shot attempts. Last week, the Bulldogs were especially explosive in the second half, scoring 58 at Midland and 55 at Jamestown after halftime. Sloup and company overcame second-half deficits as large as six points at Midland and 18 points at Jamestown. During conference regular-season action, Concordia went 7-3 at home and 5-5 on the road. The Bulldogs are 14-4 since Dec. 21.
Concordia now has the task of attempting to defeat Northwestern once again. In regular-season action, the Bulldogs won at Northwestern, 88-65, on Jan. 2 and then held the Red Raiders, 86-82, in Seward on Jan. 29. In those two victories, Concordia made a combined 32 3-point field goals. The team’s 333 3-point makes on the season are a school single-season record having surpassed the previous standard of 321 by the 1997-98 team that Limback played on. Among other notes, senior Tanner Shuck recently became the eighth player in program history to eclipse 1,500 career points and sophomore Justin Wiersema has averaged 17.5 points per game over the past four outings.
Head coach Kris Kover’s squad fell twice in the final week of the regular season – at No. 9 Dakota Wesleyan and at home to No. 2 Morningside – to lose its hold on a top four seed. Those two losses put an end to what had been a five-game win streak. Northwestern also likes to shoot the three – its average of 11.5 treys per game ranks fourth nationally. Four Red Raiders average in double figures, including junior guard Trent Hilbrands (17.8). Northwestern has reached the 20-win mark in 14 of Korver’s 20 seasons at the helm of the program.
Wednesday’s winner will move on to the semifinals and play either top-seeded Morningside or eighth-seeded Hastings on Saturday. The full GPAC tournament schedule can be viewed below.
Projected Lineups
Concordia (21-9, 12-8 GPAC)
G – Brevin Sloup, Sr., 5-9 (16.2)
G – Justin Wiersema, So., 6-3 (10.2)
G – Carter Kent, So., 6-2 (12.6)
F – Tanner Shuck, Sr., 6-4 (12.9)
F – Klay Uher, So., 6-5 (2.6)
Northwestern (20-10, 12-8 GPAC)
G – Trent Hilbrands, Jr., 6-0 (17.8)
G – Jay Small, Jr., 6-2 (14.9)
G – Keegan Van Egdom, Jr., 6-2 (8.1)
G – Isaac Heyer, Jr., 6-3 (6.9)
F – Craig Sterk, So., 6-7 (13.9)
2020 GPAC Men’s Basketball Tournament
GPAC Quarterfinals – Wednesday, Feb. 26
(8) Hastings at (1) Morningside, 8 p.m.
(5) Northwestern at (4) Concordia, 8 p.m.
(6) Mount Marty at (3) Dordt, 8 p.m.
(7) Jamestown at (2) Dakota Wesleyan, 7 p.m.
GPAC Semifinals – Saturday, Feb. 29
1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner, Time TBA
2/7 winner vs. 3/6 winner, Time TBA
GPAC Championship – Tuesday, March 3
Time TBA