Minnesota North College - Rainy River Men's Basketball is making its first-ever appearance in the NJCAA DIII Men's Basketball National Championship Tournament after winning the NJCAA Region 13 Tournament and claiming the automatic berth into the tournament. The Voyageurs won the region championship by defeating Riverland Community College 75-73 on Sunday. However, Riverland's domination throughout the 2023-24 season persuaded the NJCAA DIII Men's Basketball Committee to select the Blue Devils for an at-large position in the national tournament.
Herkimer Community College in Herkimer, NY, will be the location where one of these MCAC teams could win their first NJCAA DIII Men's Basketball National Championship. Competition will begin on Wednesday, March 13, and continue through Saturday, March 16.
MNC-Rainy River won their first Region 13 title with a region tournament quarterfinal win over St. Cloud Technical and Community College 62-59. In the semifinals, the Voyaguers defeated Rochester Community and Technical College 74-70 to advance to the finals against Riverland. The MCAC North Division Champion Voyageurs, with a 27-2 overall record and current #9 national ranking, is slated to open play on Wednesday, March 13, in the first round of the national tournament. As the #6 seed in the tournament, Rainy River will square off against Joliet Junior College at 5:00 PM CT.
Rainy River's head coach, Bill Engel, was named the Region 13 Coach of the Year, and Voyageurs star player Malik Siggers was named the Region 13 MVP.
Riverland Community College made the region championship game after defeating Minnesota North College - Itasca 70-65 in the quarterfinals and then picking up another win in the semifinals over Central Lakes College 89-75. The Blue Devils put up a strong fight in the championship game but fell short of the victory when the final buzzer sounded. The Blue Devils have put together a 29-3 overall record and were co-champions of the MCAC South Division while currently being ranked #6 in the nation. As an at-large selection, the Blue Devils were assigned the #10 seed in the national tournament and will play Prince George's College on Wednesday, March 13, at 3:00 PM CT.
The winner in each first-round game will advance to the quarterfinals, while the loser will move to the consolation bracket.
The NJCAA DIII Men's Basketball Championship Bracket, as well as all other information for the tournament, including results, can be found at: https://www.njcaa.org/championships/sports/mbkb/div3/index
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About the Minnesota College Athletic Conference
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State system. 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.