Winona, MN-
Eight men's basketball teams wrapped up the regular season in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference today with tickets punched to the 2019-20 NJCAA North Plains District Men's Basketball Tournament held at Anoka-Ramsey Community College Feb. 28-Mar 1 in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.
MCAC Northern Division Post-Season Teams:
| Member School | Quick Facts |
|
#1N: Central Lakes College
|
Raiders (23-4 overall) led the MCAC North from start; unbeaten in 16 Divisional games to run the table. Jim Russell and his team will see Ridgewater College in the first round; Central Lakes beat Ridgewater 106-88 in January. |
|
2N: Northland CTC
|
Pioneers (17-10 overall) defeat Lake Superior to claim the #2 seed. Northland will look to regain the form they showed in January, going 9-2 to start 2020. NCTC is 3-3 in their last six games. |
|
#3N: Hibbing Community College
|
Cardinals (12-12 overall) reach post-season under 2nd year head coach Paul Ciochetto; HCC will look to rebound after a loss to Itasca to conclude the regular season. |
|
#4N: Rainy River Community College
|
Voyagers (15-12 overall) had last chance to dent CLC's MCAC Northern Division but fell 92-76; RRCC will look to regroup and seek to upset top-ranked SCTCC in Coon Rapids. |
MCAC Southern Division Post-Season Teams:
| College | Quick Facts |
|
#1S: St. Cloud Technical & Community College |
Record-breaking season for the Cyclones at 23-2. If the seeds hold true in both North & South; would have to beat Central Lakes for third time this season to claim National Tournament berth. SCTCC beat Central Lakes 100-93 in November at home and 82-77 in Brainerd in December. |
|
#2S: Rochester Community & Technical College
|
Rochester CTC (22-5 overall) is one of three nationally-ranked teams in the Southern Division; battle-tested Yellowjackets tend to peak in post-season under head coach Brian LaPlante. Rochester has won ten straight contests and have two wins over #4 Ridgewater, giving them the #2 seed. |
|
#3S: Riverland Community College
|
Riverland (23-4 overall) puts up points better than anyone in the MCAC; Blue Devils lead the MCAC at 95.8 ppg in 2019-20 and have momentum from a 89-85 OT win over SCTCC. Riverland & Ridgewater combined for 264 points in their January 25, 3-OT contest; a 1-1 record vs. Ridgewater puts them at the #3 seed. |
|
#4S: Ridgewater College
|
Head coach Nathan Thooft guides the Ridgewater College Warriors (16-9 overall) return to the playoffs after a multi-year drought. Will look to upset Central Lakes in first round; Ridgewater fell to CLC 106-88 at the beginning of January. |
Further details on brackets, game times, campus directions and more to be posted on Sunday, February 23 at www.mcacsports.org
For more on MCAC Men's Basketball, please go to: https://www.mcacsports.org/sports/mbkb/index
NJCAA Basketball, including National Top15 Poll and Player-of-the-Week releases can be found at: https://www.njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/index
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system, as well as select member colleges in North Dakota and Wisconsin. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.
Be sure to follow our MCAC Facebook and Twitter feeds @MCACSports
OUR PURPOSE
The Marine Corps defends the people of the United States at home and abroad. To do that, we make Marines who win our Nation's battles and return as quality citizens.
Our Mission
To be the best Sports Company in the World.
YOUR SPORTING GOODS PARTNER
When you want your team to look as good as they play, trust the experts at Nicklasson Athletic Company. With more than 80 years of combines sales expertise, NAC is on your team with the latest, most innovative apparel and products to help your team, school, corporation or organization look and play their best. When you look great, you play great.