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NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament Page

NCAA Division II Tournament Bracket

Ticket Information

SOMERS, Wis. (Mar. 9, 2016)-- For the first time in program history the University of Wisconsin-Parkside men's basketball squad will serve as hosts for the NCAA Division II Tournament, welcoming seven other institutions to DeSimone Gymnasium for the 2016 Midwest Regional. The top-seeded Rangers begin the tournament on Saturday at 6 p.m. with a clash against eighth-seeded and former Great Lakes Valley Conference rival Kentucky Wesleyan College.
 
Midwest Region Schedule: Action gets underway on Saturday at 12 p.m. (Central Time) with Session I with third-seeded Ashland University facing sixth-seeded University of Indianapolis. Second-seeded Bellarmine University takes on seventh-seeded and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Champion Ferris State University at 2 p.m.
 
The four-time defending GLVC East Division Champion Rangers and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament Champion Panthers lift the lid on Session II at 6 p.m. with fourth-seeded and GLVC Tournament Champion Lewis University battling fifth-seeded Saginaw Valley State University in the nightcap at 8:30 p.m.
 
The second round begins at 5 p.m. on Sunday with the Ashland-UIndy winner taking on the Bellarmine-Ferris State winner while game two begins at 7:30 p.m. with the Parkside-KWC winner facing the Lewis-SVSU winner. The Midwest Regional concludes on Tuesday night with the title game at 7 p.m. with the champion advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in Frisco, Texas.
 
UW-Parkside will feature live stats and video for all seven regional contests.
 
Ticket Information: Tickets to the NCAA Midwest Regional will cost $15 per session for adults and $10 per session for students. Day one is broken up into two sessions of two games apiece, while the rest of the tournament is one session per day.
 
National Tournament History: The Rangers are making their fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament and the program's fifth overall NCAA appearance while earning a bid to a national tournament for the ninth time in school history.
 
All four of the Rangers' previous NCAA bids have come under the direction of three-time GLVC Coach of the Year Luke Reigel. Parkside was in Louisville, Kentucky for the NCAA Tournament last season. Prior to that the Rangers were in Springfield, Missouri for the NCAA Tournament in 2013-2014 and 2012-2013 while competing at a regional in Findlay, Ohio, during the program's maiden NCAA trip in 2006-2007. UW-Parkside is still looking to break through at the NCAA Tourney, owning a 0-4 record in NCAA contests.
 
In addition to four previous trips to the NCAA Tournament, the Rangers have additionally made four trips to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Tournament. The Rangers qualified for the NAIA Tournament in 1977-1978, 1976-1977, 1975-1976, and 1974-1975, owning a 5-4 record in those games. The Rangers advanced to the Elite Eight during the 1975 Tournament while making Sweet 16 appearances the other three seasons.
 
About the Rangers: 13th-ranked UW-Parkside (24-5) earned the region's top seed and hosting rights after making its deepest run in the GLVC Tournament in program history. The Rangers ripped through Truman State University 77-62 in the quarterfinals on Friday before punching its ticket to the championship game after rallying past Quincy University 93-86 on Saturday night inside Family Arena in Saint Charles, Missouri. UW-Parkside erased a 19-point deficit against Lewis on Sunday in the title game but the Flyers scored 13 of the game's final 17 points to secure the 80-71 win and the GLVC Tournament crown.
 
Kyle Flanagan led the charge for the Green and White on Friday against Truman, finishing with 18 points and nine rebounds while sinking nine of his 11 shots from the floor. Neither team led by more than six in the opening 20 minutes that witnessed five lead changes and five ties. UW-Parkside pulled away midway through the second half, utilizing an 8-0 charge to open up an 11-point gap and advance to the Semifinals for the fourth consecutive year.
 
In the semifinals, Quincy faced a 10-point deficit with 16:33 remaining before uncorking 24 of the next 30 points to secure and eight-point edge. Jake Verhagen buried a pair of threes to start the rally and the Rangers led the rest of the way, advancing to the GLVC Championship Game for the first time in program history. Kendale McCullum led the Rangers with 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals. As a team, Parkside shot a blistering 60 percent (18-for-30) from the floor in the second half.
 
In the GLVC title game, Lewis opened up a 19-point buffer with 18:38 left in the game but the Rangers answered with a 33-14 run to tie the game at 67 off a three from McCullum. UW-Parkside misfired on a couple of shots to potentially take the lead before the Flyers ripped off six straight points and ended the game on a 13-4 spurt to seal the championship and the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Both Mazurzcak and McCullum were honored at the conclusion of the event, earning a spot on the five-player All-Tournament Team.
 
Mazurczak, the 2016 GLVC Player of the Year, leads the Rangers with 18.1 points per game. The senior and unanimous First Team All-GLVC selection additionally averages 4.5 rebounds per game and 3.8 assists per game while hitting 84.8 percent of his shots from the charity stripe. Second Team All-GLVC and GLVC All-Defensive Team honoree Kendale McCullum adds 14.8 ppg and a team-best 5.1 assists per game and 2.1 steals per game while Alexander Brown is the third Ranger averaging in double figures with 12.7 ppg. Kyle Flanagan adds 8.9 ppg and 5.2 rpg while Goran Zagorac adds 7.1 ppg and a team-leading 6.4 rpg and 28 blocks.
 
Mar. 12 vs. Kentucky Wesleyan College (Live Stats)(Video)(Audio)
 
Series History: The Rangers and Panthers haven't met on the hardwood since Kentucky Wesleyan exited the GLVC for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference after the 2012-2013 season. KWC enjoys a 29-6 advantage in the all-time series with Parkside winning all three encounters during the Panthers' swan song in the conference. UW-Parkside last met during the 2013 GLVC Tournament Quarterfinals in Evansville, Indiana with the Rangers downing KWC 65-56. Prior to that, UW-Parkside owned regular season wins on Feb. 7 in Owensboro, Kentucky (75-70) and on Jan. 26 in Somers (60-59), the latter was a victory over then No. 3 KWC and was the second home win in the Rangers' epic 32-game home GLVC win streak.
 
About the Panthers: Kentucky Wesleyan (27-3) is no ordinary No. 8 seed, heading to Wisconsin ranked ninth in the nation in the final NABC Coaches' Poll. The Panthers enter the playoffs riding a 12-game win streak, winning both the GMAC regular season and tournament crowns.
 
KWC owned an 11-1 record in conference play with the lone blemish a 73-72 setback to Trevecca Nazarene University on Jan. 25. Since then, the Panthers have rattled off 12 straight, including a 78-69 victory over the Trojans in the GMAC Championship on Saturday inside the Owensboro Sportscenter. In the championship game, four Panthers finished in double figures, including Devin Langford who piled on 20 points and nine rebounds to secure the league's automatic bid.
 
Ken-Jah Bosley paces the Panther scoring attack, averaging 16.9 points per game while Jordan Jacks adds 13.9 ppg and a team-best 8.4 rebounds per game. C.J. Blackwell and Devin Langford add 13.8 and 13.2 ppg, respectively while Marcus Fillyaw dishes out 3.6 assists per game.
 
Kentucky Wesleyan is making its 38th trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament, having won eight national titles and finished runner-up on four occasions. KWC owns a 93-31 record in the NCAAs, last hoisting the walnut and bronze as national champions during the 2000-2001 campaign.
 
The Panthers rank fourth in the nation in scoring margin (+17.7) and sits fifth in field goal percentage (50.8 percent). The Owensboro, Kentucky-based outfit checks in 10th in rebounding margin (+7.4) and 13th in free throw attempts (810) while sitting 16th in both three-point field goal percentage (40.3 percent) and total steals (257).
 
Rest of the Field: It's a veteran crew of team's at the NCAA Midwest Regional with Saginaw Valley State the only squad making its maiden trip to the big dance. Second-seed Bellarmine University is back for the 17th time in program history, owning a 25-18 record and having made three final four trips in the last five seasons, including a national title in 2010-2011. Third-seed Ashland sports an 11-10 record in the tourney and is making its eighth appearance this season. Fourth-seed and GLVC Tournament Champion Lewis makes its 15th appearance owning a 7-16 all-time mark while sixth-seeded UIndy is 5-10 in 11 trips. Seventh-seed and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Champion Ferris State is also making its 11th appearance, owning a 9-11 mark in the NCAA postseason.
 
Field of 64: The Midwest Region is one of eight regional being contested this weekend across the 64-team NCAA Division II Tournament. The champions of all eight regions will head to the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas for the Elite Eight beginning on March 24.
 
Home Cooking: UW-Parkside has won 37 of its last 40 home games inside DeSimone Gymnasium, an impressive run that includes eight wins over nationally-ranked opponents and five wins over Top 10 teams. The Rangers had a stretch of 16 straight home victories while accruing 32 consecutive GLVC home wins. The squad's GLVC home winning streak lasted 1,125 days, beginning after falling 77-74 to Lewis University on Jan. 21, 2013 and coming to a close in a Feb. 20, 2016 in a 85-74 defeat to the University of Indianapolis.
 
Awards Season: The GLVC Office released its postseason award winners on March 2 with Andy Mazurczak landing GLVC Player of the Year honors while Head Coach Luke Reigel earned GLVC Coach of the Year accolades for the third time in four years. Mazurczak was additionally a unanimous First Team All-GLVC pick while fellow guard Kendale McCullum wrapped up Second Team All-GLVC honors. McCullum along with Jalen Currie also earned a spot on the 10-player GLVC All-Defensive Team.
 
Triple Digits: UW-Parkside scored over 100 points against both Truman State University (102-96) on Feb. 11 and Quincy University (108-107) on Feb. 13, marking the first time since the 1987-1988 season the Rangers had back-to-back 100 point games. That season the Green and White piled on 100 points in three consecutive games, pouring it on in wins over Ferris State University (127-122) on Nov. 23, Northeastern Illinois University (109-77) on Nov. 25, and Valley City State University (100-68) on Nov. 27.

Overtime Success: Over the past four seasons UW-Parkside has won seven of its eight overtime contests. The Rangers are currently 3-0 in overtime in 2015-2016 while owning a 1-1 record in 2014-2015 and a 3-0 mark in 2012-2013. All 30 games during the 2013-2014 campaign were decided in regulation. Parkside's lone overtime stumble over the past four seasons was a 68-67 defeat to Drury University on Mar. 7 in the 2015 GLVC Tournament Semifinals in Saint Charles, Missouri.

Piling on the Points: UW-Parkside's win over Truman State University on March 4 in the GLVC Tournament Semifinals marked the fourth time this season that every Ranger to see the floor scored at least a point. All 10 Rangers scored at least a point in the win over the Bulldogs while the same occurred on Feb. 18 against Saint Joseph's College as all 13 players to see action registered a tally. The feat also occurred on Jan. 30 against the University of Illinois Springfield with all nine seeing action scoring at least five points in addition to Nov. 17 against Silver Lake College where all 11 Rangers found the back of the net.

Let's go streaking: UW-Parkside's 11-game winning streak was the third longest active streak in Division II before getting snapped on Jan. 28 in Lebanon, Illinois. The Rangers are no stranger to extended winning streaks, stringing together runs of 12 in a row and 10 in a row during the record-setting 2014-2015 season and a streak of 10 during the 2013-2014 season. The longest winning streak in program history belongs to the legendary 1974-1975 team that racked up 16 consecutive wins in a season that saw the Rangers advance to the Elite Eight of the NAIA National Tournament.

NABC Top 25 Rankings: UW-Parkside remains in the NABC Top 25 Poll for the eighth consecutive week and is one of five Midwest Regional squads to dot the final poll of the season. The Rangers climbed up one spot to 13th, its highest ranking of the season. Kentucky Wesleyan is the top ranked squad in rugged Midwest Region bracket, holding steady at No. 9. Ashland ranks 12th and Bellarmine is 15th while Saginaw Valley State is the fifth national ranked team to descend on DeSimone Gymnasium this weekend, claiming the No. 25 spot.
 
Parkside made its national poll debut this season at No. 24 on Jan. 19 and has been ranked every week since. This marks the 32nd week the Rangers have appeared in the NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll in program history. Last season, Parkside made its Top 25 debut on Jan. 13 and remained in the rankings for the final nine polls of the year, ending the season ranked eighth nationally. Of UW-Parkside's 32 appearances in the poll, 29 have taken place over the past four seasons.

National Stat Rankings: UW-Parkside sits 11th nationally in field goal percentage (49.8 percent), 15th in won-lost percentage (82.8 percent), and 26th in scoring margin (+9.7). Individually, Kendale McCullum checks in 19th nationally in steals per game (2.11) and 33rd in assists per game (5.1).

Milestone Maz: Senior guard Andy Mazurczak eclipsed the 1,000-point barrier for his career on Nov. 17 against Silver Lake College with a 20-point outburst against the Lakers. Point 1,000 came on a fast-break layup with 10:12 left in the second half. Mazurczak additionally surpassed Walter Greene (1978-1981) for fourth on the all-time assists list in the same game and currently sits with 413 career assists, good for third on the all-time charts. The performance propelled the sport management major to GLVC Player of the Week honors on Nov. 23 while earning the honor again on Jan. 11 after surpassing Marlon Grice (1998-2002) for third on the all-time assists list. Mazurczak completed the hat-trick on Feb. 15, earning his third GLVC Player of the Week honor after averaging 33.0 points per game in a pair of overtime wins.

Mr. Ranger: Andy Mazurzcak made history in the team's 102-96 overtime win over Truman State University on Feb. 11, surpassing Stevie King (1974-1978) as the winningest player in program history. Mazurczak currently owns a 93-25 record in a Parkside uniform while King tallied an 87-37 mark with the Rangers during his four year stint with the Green and White. Mazurczak additionally tied Joe Foots (1975-1979) for the most games played in program history on Sunday, playing in his 118th game as a Ranger. A total of 11 Rangers have played in at least 110 games, the most recent being All-American Zygimantas Riauka who appeared in 112 games from 2011-2015.

Award Watch: Andy Mazurczak earned a spot on the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District team on Feb. 11, one of five student-athletes to be honored in District 4. Mazurczak is additionally one of 50 players on the Bevo Francis Award watch list. The Bevo Francis Award is given annually to the top overall player in small college basketball.

Non-Conference Mastery: The Rangers have dominated non-conference play over the last four seasons, owning a 34-7 record in regular season non-league clashes. UW-Parkside wrapped up this season with a 7-1 record during the non-conference slate. Last season the Rangers tallied an 8-1 non-league mark while going 7-1 in both 2013-2014 and 2011-2012 and posting a 5-3 record in 2012-2013.

20-Win Club: The Rangers eclipsed the 20-win barrier for the fourth consecutive season with its overtime triumph over Quincy University on Feb. 13, marking the first time in the 47-year history of the program the Rangers have enjoyed four straight 20-win campaigns. The Rangers enjoyed three consecutive 20-win campaigns from 1974-75 to 1976-77 and again from 1984-85 to 1986-87 while netting five in six years from 1974-75 to 1979-80.
 
Four in a row: Despite being selected to finish fourth or worse every season, the UW-Parkside men's basketball squad has been able to secure at least a share of the GLVC East Division title in each of the last four seasons. The Rangers own an impressive 61-11 record in GLVC play during that stretch which comes after an injury plagued season resulted in a 1-17 league record in 2011-2012.

Reigel's Rangers: Head Coach Luke Reigel begins his 13th season as head coach and his 16th season overall at UW-Parkside in 2015-2016.

Reigel, a three-time GLVC Coach of the Year (2013, 2015, 2016), has guided the Rangers to four straight GLVC East Division crowns while also earning Jack Bennett Man of the Year Award and Midwest Region Coach of the Year honors in 2013. The Wisconsin native sits second on the all-time wins list with 195 wins and has guided the Rangers to four NCAA Tournament berths.

Returning to the sidelines will be associate coach Keven Bradley along with assistants Tom Reigel and Andy Fitzgerald.
 
Reigel and Reigel: The father-son tandem of Assistant Coach Tom Reigel and Head Coach Luke Reigel have racked up a lot of wins together on the hardwood in Wisconsin, amassing 259 victories between their shared time at both UW-Parkside and Wilmot High School. The two first occupied the same bench at Wilmot High School and with Tom as the head coach and Luke as a player, the duo racked up 74 wins, including an undefeated season and a WIAA Division 2 state title in 1991. In 2004, the duo reunited with Head Coach Luke Reigel bringing on Tom as an assistant for the Rangers. Since then, the two have collected 187 wins for the Green and White, including four trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
 
As a high school coach from 1973-2004 at Wilmot and then Waukesha South High School, Tom tallied 405 career wins and on February 19, 2016, Wilmot officially rechristened its basketball facility as Tom Reigel Court in honor of the longtime coach.