#25 Oilers Face #16 USI in 1st Round
The 25th-ranked Oilers will head to Louisville, Ky. for the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament on March 11-14. They will open the first round of the tournament on March 11 at noon against 16th-ranked Southern Indiana.
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NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Bracket
Saturday, March 11
12:00 p.m. – No. 3 Southern Indiana (25-4) vs. No. 6 Findlay (23-6)
2:30 p.m. – No. 2 Ferris St. (27-4) vs. No. 7 Truman St. (22-9)
6:00 p.m. – No. 1 Bellarmine (28-3) vs. No. 8 Wisconsin-Parkside (22-7)
8:30 p.m. – No. 4 Kentucky Wesleyan (28-2) vs. No. 5 Quincy (24-6)
Sunday, March 12
5:00 p.m. – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
7:30 p.m. – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
Tuesday, March 14
7:00 p.m. - Finals
Series Information (All Teams)
Bellarmine: The Oilers are 3-2 all-time against Bellarmine dating back to the 2001-02 campaign when Findlay came away with a 93-85 win behind 25 points from Kyle Hunt.
The two programs met last year in Croy Gymnasium and the Oilers claimed a 70-69 win. Findlay grabbed 14 offensive rebounds in the win compared to only eight by Bellarmine. The Oilers defense also forced 19 turnovers in the game.
Martyce Kimbrough paced the Oilers with 16 points. John Staley had 13 points and nine rebounds while Taren Sullivan recorded 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
The Oilers also claimed an 89-86 win over the Knights in the regional final of the 2008-09 campaign. The win lifted the Oilers to the Elite 8 and they eventually went on to win a NCAA Division II National Championship.
Josh Bostic paced Findlay in that win with 37 points.
Ferris State: The Oilers hold a 20-9 advantage in the all-time series against Ferris State dating back to the 1962-63 campaign when the Bulldogs were victorious by a score of 79-66.
The Oilers came away with an 81-77 overtime win at Ferris State earlier this season on Dec. 4. Taren Sullivan led the way with 27 points. He hit 11-of-17 shooting attempts and also added seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
Martyce Kimbrough had 12 points, four assists and three rebounds while Alex White had 11 points and six boards.
Tyler Stern-Tucker contributed eight points, six rebounds and three blocks while Ricardo Smith had seven points and five assists. Austin Gardner only scored four points, but he had six assists, four steals and three rebounds.
Findlay shot 44.9 percent (31-of-69) from the floor and made 8-of-17 (47.1%) attempts from behind the three point line. They also forced 17 turnovers and came away with seven steals in the win.
Southern Indiana: The Oilers have a 1-2 record against Southern Indiana dating back to the 2003-04 season when the Screaming Eagles cames away with a 75-67 loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Frank Phillips paced the Oilers with 22 points in the game.
The two programs last hooked up in the opening game of the 2015-16 campaign in Las Vegas. The Screaming Eagles came back from a 12-point halftime deficit to win 88-80.
Southern Indiana connected on 57.9 percent (33-of-57) of their shot attempts while the Oilers hit 45.1 percent (32-of-71) of their field goal opportunities. Southern Indiana also went to the line 24 times in the game while the Oilers attempted only nine free throws.
Martyce Kimbrough led the Oilers with 14 points while Tyler Stern-Tucker scored 13 points to go along with nine boards.
Taren Sullivan ended the game with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting while John Staley went 6-of-6 from the field for 12 points as well.
Kentucky Wesleyan: The Oilers are 0-2 all-time against Kentucky Wesleyan. They lost 94-89 against the Panthers during the second round of the 2001-02 NCAA Division II National Tournament and fell 83-66 in the second round of the 2002-03 NCAA Division II National Tournament.
In their first meeting, Kyle Hunt led the Oilers with 30 points and eight rebounds. He hit 11-of-23 from the floor and made 4-of-10 tries from three point range. Bob Mitchell canned seven three points and finished with 25 points while Charles Warren and Jeff Reese had 11 and ten points, respectively.
In their second meeting, Tyson McGlaughlin paced the team with 13 points, four rebounds and three steals. Brad Rethman had 12 points and three steals while Dustin Pfeifer had ten points and three assists.
Quincy: The Oilers are 1-2 all-time against Quincy dating back to the 2003-04 campaign when Quincy scored a 63-57 win over Findlay. Dorian Bass and Adam Sommer paced the Oilers with 11 and ten points, respectively.
During the 2004-05 campaign, the Oilers came away with an 83-73 win over Quincy in the opening round of the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Marwan Gaines recorded a double-double with 16 points and ten boards to lead the way. Dustin Pfeifer recorded 15 points and four assists while Brent Schnipke had 15 points and six rebounds.
The two programs last met in the first round of the 2005-06 NCAA Division II National Tournament. Quincy claimed a 74-67 victory in the contest.
Dustin Pfeifer led the Oilers in the loss with 22 points, four rebounds and four steals. Frank Phillips produced 18 points, five rebounds and three assists while Dorian Bass had 11 points and three rebounds.
Truman State: The Oilers hold a 1-0 record against Truman State dating back to the 2003-04 campaign when Findlay came away with a 71-52 win.
The Oilers, who jumped out to a 43-22 lead at halftime, shot 48.3 percent (29-of-60) from the floor in the game and were led by Dustin Pfeifer, who accumulated 15 points, four assists, four steals and three rebounds.
Matt Metzger recorded a double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds while Tyson McGlaughlin produced 12 points and five boards.
Brad Rethman and Brent Schnipke each had eight points and five rebounds apiece while Frank Phillips had seven points and six boards.
Truman State received 11 points from Derek Lindsey and ten from Grant Agbo.
Wisconsin-Parkside: The Oilers have an all-time record of 4-0 against Wisconsin-Parkside dating back to the 1970-71 campaign when Findlay came away victorious by a score of 82-73.
The two programs last met during the 2008-09 campaign. Findlay won that contest by a score of 88-74.
The Oilers shot 63.5 percent (33-of-52) from the floor in the win and were led by Josh Bostic, who scored 24 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
Morgan Lewis scored 22 points and Marcus Parker had 12 points and eight assists.
Lee Roberts also reached double figures with ten points to go along with a team-high seven rebounds.
Findlay
The Oilers are 23-6 on the season and ranked 25th in the nation. Junior guard Martyce Kimbrough and junior forward Taren Sullivan have been carrying the scoring load for Findlay this season and are both ranked in the top-ten of the GLIAC in points per game average.
Kimbrough is averaging 19.8 points per contest, the fifth-best mark in the league, while Sullivan ranks sixth with 17.7 points per game. The duo has spearheaded one of the top offensive attacks in the league as the Oilers rank third in scoring at 83.9 points per game.
The Oilers have had great success from behind the three point line this season and are making 39.8 percent (288-of-723) of their three point attempts, the second-best percentage in the GLIAC. They are also making 9.9 three pointers per game, which is the second-best mark in the league.
Sullivan is making a team-high 44.9 percent (57-of-127) of his triple tries and is followed closely by junior guard Elijah Kahlig, who is converting 44.0 percent (74-of-168) of his shot attempts from behind the three point line. Kimbrough is canning 42.2 percent (108-of-256) of his three point attempts as well. Sullivan ranks sixth in the GLIAC in three point shooting percentage while Kahlig and Kimbrough rank 11th and 15th, respectively, in the GLIAC.
Kimbrough is making 3.7 three pointers per game, the best mark in the GLIAC. His 108 made triples this season is the top mark in the GLIAC and is the sixth-best total in NCAA Division II men's basketball.
Kahlig meanwhile is connecting on 2.6 three pointers per game, the sixth-best mark in the league, while Sullivan is splashing 2.0 triples per contest. Sullivan's 2.0 three pointers per game is the 21st-best mark in the conference.
Bellarmine
The Knights are 28-3 on the season and ranked second in the nation. They are coming off of a 74-61 win over Lewis in the championship game of the GLVC Tournament.
Adam Eberhard leads the team and is averaing 16.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
Rusty Troutman is producing 14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest while Al Davis is averaging 11.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
The Knights are scoring 82.0 points per outing and shooting 53.4 percent from the floor as a team.
Ferris State
The Bulldogs are 27-4 on the season and ranked 14th in the nation. They are coming off of an 80-79 win over Ashland in the GLIAC Tournament finals.
Zach Hankins leads the team with averages of 14.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game.
Quentin Ruff is scoring 14.5 points while Drew Cushingberry (11.7) and Peter Firlik (10.6) are also averaging in double figures.
The Bulldogs are scoring 87.5 points per contest and making 7.8 three pointers per game.
Southern Indiana
The Screaming Eagles are 25-4 on the season and ranked 16th in the nation. They are coming off of a 69-68 loss to Truman State in the GLVC Tournament.
Jeril Taylor leads the team and is averaging 20.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. He also leads the team with 86 made three pointers.
Alex Stein is averaging 17.6 points per contest while Julius Rajala is contributing 10.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per outing.
Southern Indiana is averaging 88.9 points per game and they have been dominant on the glass, grabbing 41.0 boards per contest.
Kentucky Wesleyan
The Panthers are 28-2 on the season and ranked fifth nationally. They are averaging 92.1 points per game and shooting 52.9 percent from the floor. They are also hitting 41.9 percent of their three point attempts.
Ken-Jah Bosley leads the team and is averaging 18.7 points per game. He is followed by Jordan Jacks, who is scoring 16.5 points per contest.
Malek Harris (10.8), Charles Foster (10.4) and Sam Williams (10.2) are also averaging in double figures.
Quincy
The Hawks are 24-6 on the year and averaging 86.3 points per game. They are also shooting 51.7 percent from the floor as a team.
Joseph Tagarelli leads the team and is averaging 20.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest.
Evan McGaughey is also having a great season and sports averages of 17.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per outing.
Von Washington III is scoring 14.1 points per contest and Herm Senor II is averaging 11.6 points per game.
Truman State
The Bulldogs are 22-9 on the season. They have been led by Jake Velky and Cory Myers, who are averaging 15.9 and 15.4 points per contest, respectively.
Connor Erickson is contributing 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds while Nathan Messer is scoring 12.0 points per game.
The Bulldogs are scoring 87.1 points per game and shooting 43.2 percent from three point range. They have made 332 three pointers this season.
Wisconsin-Parkside
The Rangers are 22-7 on the season and have been led by Alexander Brown, who is averaging 16.9 points per game.
Kendale McCullum is averaging 15.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while Jake Verhagen is contributing 10.9 points and 3.7 boards per contest.
The Rangers are scoring 80.7 points per game and shooting 41.0 percent from three point range.
An Elite Program
The Oilers have one of the best winning percentages in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 414 games and lost only 104 for an overall winning percentage of .799. During that timeframe, the Oilers reached the Elite 8 in 2005, appeared in the Sweet 16 in 2008 and won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2009 with a perfect 36-0 record.
Dancing
The Oilers have appeared in 13 NCAA Division II National Tournaments since joining the DII ranks as a full member in 2000-01 and have recorded a 16-11 record in those games. They have appeared in the national tournament during the 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2016-17 seasons.
The team reached the Elite 8 for the first time in school history during the 2004-05 campaign and advanced to the Sweet 16 during the 2007-08 season. They then used those experiences to win a NCAA Division II National Championship during the 2008-09 campaign, finishing the year with a perfect 36-0 record. They claimed the title with a 56-53 overtime win against Cal Poly Pomona on March 28, 2009 in Springfield, Mass. Their 36 wins as an undefeated national champion are the most in the history of NCAA Division II men's basketball.
Breaking Records
Junior guard Martyce Kimbrough has made a school record 108-of-252 attempts from behind the three point line this season. Both marks set single-season Findlay records. His made three pointers beat the old record of 95 set by Nathan Hyde during the 2009-10 campaign while his attempts broke the record of 221, which was set by Marc Bishop during the 1998-99 season.
Kimbrough also made 11 three pointers in the Oilers 105-87 win over Tiffin on Feb. 16. His 11 made three pointers in the game eclipsed the mark of ten, which was set by Greg Kahlig on March 8, 2014 in a 104-74 win over Walsh.
The Oilers have also established a new team record with 288 made three pointers this season. They topped the mark of 285, which was set by their 1995-96 team.
Earlier this season, the Oilers tied a school record with 19 triples in their 105-87 win over Tiffin on Feb. 16. Findlay also hit 19 three pointers in a 108-63 win over Glenville State on Nov. 17, 1995.
Helpful Links
NCAA
NCAA Division II Stats
National Association of Basketball Coaches
GLIAC
NCAA Division II Basketball