PREVIEW: NCAA Tournament Region Semifinal

HOUGHTON, Mich. – After falling to Ashland in the GLIAC Championship game Sunday, Michigan Tech men's basketball is back for more postseason play this week. The Huskies earned an at-large bid as the second seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament. Earning a bye in the opening round, Tech awaits the winner of Southern Indiana (11-4) and Lewis University (14-9), who play Saturday. Truman State (18-2), Wayne State (12-6), and Ashland (14-8) also punched their ticket in the Midwest Region. The Huskies begin their quest for the Division II Elite Eight Sunday at 9:30 p.m. EST.

HOW TO FOLLOW: The NCAA Midwest Regional will be broadcast on radio by WKMJ Mix 93.5 with the voice of the Huskies, Mitch Lake. Video streaming can be found HERE. Live statistics are also available by going to the basketball schedule page via michigantechhuskies.com. USI is the pre-determined host at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

GLIAC TOURNAMENT RECAP: Michigan Tech downed Purdue Northwest in the quarterfinals 74-63 in Hammond, Indiana behind Dawson Bilski's 26-point performance. Bilski shot 8-for-15 overall with six steals, two blocks, and three rebounds and the Huskies maintained a narrow lead most of the game before fending off the Pride at the free throw line late. Three players made it to double figures including Bilski, Owen White, and Eric Carl.

The next day, the No. 3 seed Huskies defeated No. 2 seed Grand Valley State 65-59 in the semifinals. Balanced scoring and clutch shooting were keys and Trent Bell posted 17 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. White reached 1,000 career points in the second half and finished with 13 in the game. Carl was effective with 13 points and three 3-pointers. 

The GLIAC Championship pitted perennial contender Ashland against MTU and the Huskies failed to muster back-to-back postseason titles, falling 85-77. Despite a season high 33 points from Owen White, the Huskies failed to find an answer to Aaron Thompson, who helped the Eagles with 32 points.

"Ashland is a really good basketball team," commented head coach Kevin Luke after the game. "They are very fluid offensively and they know who their options are. We had a hard time containing number five (Thompson) one-on-one and we couldn't go zone because Ashland is the No. 1 team in the league. Owen did a good job on him in the second half but it was just too much to overcome today."

SCOUTING THE SCREAMING EAGLES: Southern Indiana is the defending Midwest Region Champion and is playing in its third straight NCAA Tournament. They have also made 23 Regional appearances in the last 29 seasons. The Screaming Eagles have not played since February 15 (L, 75-72) with six straight postponements and cancellations. USI features a high scoring offense (77.7 points per game), led by senior forward Josh Price, who dumps in 19.5 points on average.

Price also leads the team at 9.3 rebounds. Senior forward Emmanuel Little averages 14.4 points and 8.2 rebounds and senior guard Mateo Rivera scores 13.3 points with 6.6 rebounds. The Screaming Eagles posted a season best 91 points in a win over Drury University and nabbed 49 rebounds against William Jewell. USI was ranked No. 3 in the Midwest Region rankings. They lost in the semifinals of the GLVC tournament in 2019-20 before the NCAA tournament was cancelled.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS: If Lewis University wins Saturday, the Huskies will be up against the GLVC postseason champions. The Flyers downed McKendree, Indianapolis, and Drury to win the conference tournament and are currently riding a five-game win streak. Artese Stapleton leads the team at 11.0 points per game and 3.5 rebounds. Bruno Williams scores 10.6 points and Trevian Bell stands at 9.8 points and 4.7 rebounds. Connor Niego is strong on the boards with a team high 7.5 rebounds per contest.

The Flyers have been good on the road this season at 6-3. Head coach Scott Trost is in his 15^th season as head coach and Lewis University's winniest men's basketball coach in program history. Lewis bounced back from a 13-15 finish in 2019-20 with a veteran laden squad this spring.

ALL-GLIAC RECOGNITION: White and Bilski were named all-conference by the GLIAC on Saturday. White was also GLIAC player of the year after leading the GLIAC in scoring with 20.9 points per game. He ranks No. 24 in Division II in the category. An offensive juggernaut, White has two 30-plus point games and has scored at least 14 points in all 19 starts this season. He has been GLIAC player of the week three times and is all-GLIAC first team and all-GLIAC defensive team as well.

Bilski garnered all-GLIAC second team honors and has started all 21 games. Bilski ranks third on the squad in scoring (11.6 ppg). He also grabs 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and passes 1.6 assists. Bilski scored a season high 26 points over Purdue Northwest in the GLIAC quarterfinal and shot 8-for-14. 

CARL HEADS DOWNTOWN: It is no secret that when the Huskies find Eric Carl beyond the arc, wins usually follow. Carl leads the Huskies in 3-point shooting and makes 51.3-percent of long-range attempts. He has 15 double-figure games and combined for 35 points over his last three outings. Carl posted a season high 24 points with 5 of 7 three-point attempts on February 5 against Saginaw Valley State. The Kaukauna, Wisconsin junior scores 12.0 points per game and shoots 54.7-percent from the floor.

JOHNSTON CONTINUES ASSIST TREND: Behind every leading scorer (White) is someone who can pass him the basketball in open areas. Carter Johnston is that player. Johnston (Beaverton, Michigan) topped the GLIAC in assists this season averaging 5.5 dishes per game. He marked back-to-back 10 assist games in February against Davenport and Northern Michigan. In the GLIAC tournament, Johnston totaled 17 assists, including seven in a semifinal win over Grand Valley State

TOURNAMENT OVERVIEW: The Huskies are making their second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and 11^th all-time appearance in the tournament. Tech is 14-7 overall and winners of five of their last six games, including a run to the GLIAC Tournament Championship game. A full tournament bracket can be found HERE.