National Coach of the Year Bo Ryan celebrates the Pioneers' third NCAA title in the 1990s
The UW-Platteville Pioneers reaffirmed their status as the team of the 1990s with their third NCAA Division III championship and their second perfect season in four years.
The Pioneers beat Hope College 69-56 Saturday night in Salem, Virginia, to cap a 30-0 season. Platteville advanced to the championship game with a come-from-behind 82-68 win over Williams Friday night.
Platteville has the best record of any collegiate team this decade with a 236-25 mark, 94 percent. Division I leader Kansas is at 84.3 percent.
The Pioneers took control of the title game early, scoring the game's first seven points and going out to a 22-9 lead. The Pioneers led by 15 at the half and by as many as 20 in the second period. Sophomore Merrill Brunson led the Pioneers with 15 points, while Ryan Fuhrmann added 10. Platteville's defense smothered Hope's shooters, as the Flying Dutchmen were able to connect on just 4 of 23 three-point shots.
In Friday's semifinal, the Pioneers found themselves down 11-0 to begin the game. Williams led by as many as 15 at 32-17 before the Pioneers rallied. Platteville, thanks to Andre Dalton's spark, outscored the Ephs 25-4 to close the half. Dalton scored 21 first-half points, including a pair of three-point baskets to close the half and give the Pioneers a 42-36 lead. The Pioneers scored the first eight points of the second half, completing the 33-4 run and giving them a 50-36 lead. Williams never was able to get closer than seven points the rest of the game.
Dalton finished with a career-high 31 points, while Ben Hoffmann added 16 points. Both those players were named to the all-tounament team, with Hoffmann taking home MVP honors.
The Pioneers are heading back to the Final Four!
Platteville defeated Gustavus Adolphus 78-71 in Saturday night's sectional championship at Williams Fieldhouse to clinch their fourth trip to the Final Four in eight years.
The unbeaten and top-ranked Pioneers (28-0) will face Williams, Mass. (25-3) at the Salem, Va. Civic Center Friday at 8 p.m. EST. The other semifinal matches Wilkes (25-3) against Hope (24-4). The third-place gmae is Saturday at 2:30 p.m. EST, with the championship game at 5 p.m. EST.
The top-ranked Pioneers are making their fourth Final Four appearance. They have qualified for the NCAA III playoffs all eight years since joining the NCAA in 1990-91, compiling an all-time playoff record of 23-5. UW-Platteville won the national championship in 1991 and 1995.
The Pioneers won an unprecedented fourth consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference outright championship this season with a perfect 16-0 mark. During the four-year span, they have a 106-6 overall record, the best four-year mark in the 85-year history of the conference.
The Pioneers have had a remarkable run through this decade. UW-Platteville has the best record of any team in collegiate basketball during the 1990s, 234-25, 90.3 percent. Division I leader Kansas has won 84.3% of its games. (Records through 3/15/98).
Part of the Pioneers' strength is the defense. UW-Platteville leads the country with a 51.0 ppg average. Last year, they established a new NCAA record (all divisions) by yielding just 47.5 ppg. That was the lowest total by any team since the shot clock and three-point lines were implemented. The only other school to hold teams under 50 ppg since 1985-86 is Princeton.
Offensively, the Pioneers score by committee. All-America guard Ben Hoffmann and sophomore reserve guard Merrill Brunson are the only Pioneers averaging in double figures. Nine players have appeared in at least 25 games and average between 12.8 and 4.3 per game. Seven different players have led the team in scoring during games this year.
Hoffmann (12.87 ppg) and fellow guard Ryan Fuhrmann (7.4 ppg), forwards Dan Wargolet (8.9 ppg) and Mike Jones (6.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and center Travis Schreiber (7.8 ppg) have started all 28 games. Brunson (10.1 ppg, 52.9 percent three-point shooting) and Andre Dalton (7.8 ppg) give the backcourt offensive boost, while Blake Knutson, Beau Buchs and Brian Murphy solidify the front-court rotation. Joel Beard, out since Jan. 4 with a knee injury, returned for the first time last weekend. Hoffmann earned his third consecutive first team all-conference award and was joined on the first team by Wargolet. Brunson was an honorable mention selection.
UW-Platteville was the West Region's top seed and had a first-round bye in the tournament. The Pioneers beat conference rival UW-Oshkosh 69-59 in the second round, then beat the University of Chicago 78-63 and Gustavus Adolphus 78-71 in the West/Midwest Sectional Championships in Platteville.
The Pioneers have held court convincingly at Williams Fieldhouse. UWP has a 111-5 home record during this decade and has won 83 consecutive regular season home contests . The Pioneers have not lost a home conference game since 1991 and a home non-conference game during the regular season since 1984.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville will play host to a four-team NCAA Division III men's basketball West Sectional tournament Friday and Saturday at Williams Fieldhouse.
Friday's 6 p.m. matchup features defending national champion Illinois Wesleyan (22-4), champions of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, playing Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament champion Gustavus Adolphus (25-3). The 8 p.m. game matches the University Athletic Association champion University of Chicago (24-2) against top-ranked UW-Platteville (26-0), the four-time defending Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion.
The winners meet Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for the right to advance to the Final Four. The national championship will be decided March 20-21 in Salem, Va.
Other sectional sites this weekend are at St. Lawrence, N.Y., Hope, Mich., and Wilkes, Pa.
The Pioneers advanced to the "Sweet 16" with a 69-59 home win over league rival UW-Oshkosh (21-6) Saturday. Platteville is in the sectional tournament for the sixth time in eight years since joining the NCAA III. The Pioneers have advanced to the Final Four three times, winning national championships in 1991 and 1995.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville held the WIAC's top shooting team to 38 percent from the field, including 0 for 13 from beyond the three-point line, and defeated UW-Oshkosh to 69-59 in a first-round NCAA Division III playoff game in front of 1,832 fans at Williams Fieldhouse Saturday night.
The Pioneers, ranked number one in the nation, improved to 26-0 overall, while Oshkosh ended its season 21-6. Three of the Titans' losses were to Platteville. Platteville will host a four-team sectional next Friday and Saturday. The Pioneers will play the University of Chicago (24-2) in Friday's semifinal. Defending national champion Illinois Wesleyan (22-4) plays Gustavus Adolphus (25-3) in the first semifinal. The winners meet Saturday for a trip to the Final Four.
Ben Hoffmann led the Pioneers with 13 points, while Ryan Fuhrmann added 12, and Travis Schreiber scored 10. The Pioneers outrebounded the Titans 36-29.
"What we were concerned about going in is their depth," Oshkosh Coach Ted Van Dellen said. "They start five very good players and bring three good players off the bench. They're very deep."
Pioneer guard Ben Hoffmann agreed. "Some teams take guys out to give them a rest. We put guys in to give us a boost."
Brett Davis scored 12 for the Titans, while Aric Vaubel and Brad Clark each had 11. Center Keith Meyer scored 10.
"We didn't shot the ball well, but I think their defense had something to do with that," Van Dellen said. "We had some outstanding looks that we needed to hit."
"It's awfully tough to beat a team three times," Pioneer Coach Bo Ryan said. "This is a big win for us."
In other West/Midwest sectional games, Gustavus Adolphus knocked off host Nebraska Wesleyan 65-51; host Illinois Wesleyan topped Franklin, Ind., 95-92 in overtime; and the University of Chicago beat Wabash, Ind. 67-62
UW-Oshkosh beat Pomona-Pitzer 93-71 Thursday in Oshkosh during the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Titans will now make the trip to Williams Fieldhouse Saturday to face the top-ranked Pioneers. Game time is 7 p.m. Some general admission tickets are still available. They will be sold Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 4-7 p.m. Any remaining tickets will be sold Saturday at 6 p.m.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team, ranked number one in NCAA Division III, received a first-round bye in the 48-team national championship playoffs, announced Sunday night. The Pioneers, 25-0 overall and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion with a 16-0 mark, will play host to a West Region second round game Saturday at 7 p.m. in Williams Fieldhouse against either UW-Oshkosh or Pomona-Pitzer (Calif.). Oshkosh (20-5 overall, 11-5 in the WIAC) plays hosts to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions from Pomona-Pitzer (21-4, 12-2) Thursday night.
The other half of the West bracket features the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament champion, Gustavus Adolphus (23-3) playing host to that league's regular season champion, Augsburg (21-4) Thursday. The winner plays at Nebraska Wesleyan (23-2) Saturday night.
The two winners on Saturday will meet the two remaining teams from the Midwest Region March 13-14 in a sectional tournament at site of the highest remaining West Region team. The sectional champion advances to the NCAA III Final Four March 20-21 in Salem, Va.
The Pioneers are making their eighth straight appearance in the NCAA III playoffs since affiliating themselves with that organization in 1990-91. Platteville has made three Final Four appearances and won national championships in 1991 and 1995. The Pioneers are 231-25 this decade, the best winning percentage (90.2) in all of college basketball.
"We're very happy to represent the university and the conference," Pioneer Assistant Coach Rob Jeter said. "This gives us a chance to go out on a high note after a good season. We're happy for the opportunity to extend the season."