MBB: Streaking toward conference tourneys

Feb 22, 2025
The Calvin men's basketball team last lost on Dec. 5, 2024.
Calvin athletics file photo by Jessica Morales
 

Delaware Valley exorcised The Curse of Sparky, a No. 12 seed advanced in a conference tournament, Calvin ran its winning streak to 19 games, and the top seeds all advanced in the NESCAC in Division III men's basketball action on Saturday, Feb. 22.

It's the final day of the Division III basketball regular season for many, with conference tournament seedings getting locked up in almost every conference that hasn't already started its tournament yet. Our conference tournament trackers, linked above, will be updated as the evening progresses with tournament seedings and schedules.

Owen Varnado scored 17 points and Trevin Winkle added 15 as No. 20 Calvin finished its regular season sweep of No. 9 Trine, defeating the Thunder 70-53. The Knights have now won 19 consecutive games after a 1-6 start and have run the table in the MIAA regular season for the first time since their national championship season of 2000. Calvin overwhelmed Trine (21-4) from the opening tip, racing out to a 20-2 lead early and never looking back. Calvin held the Thunder without a field goal for the first eight minutes while they built the 18-point advantage.

For Delaware Valley, it was a day to hopefully play their way into the conference tournament in the MAC Freedom, and they were able to do so, defeating DeSales 75-72. The Aggies finished one game ahead of fifth place, landing in the second seed and securing a home game in the four-team conference playoffs. The win came in front of a huge crowd in James Work Gymnasium, which was playing host to the biggest men's basketball game on Del Val's campus since February 22, 2017, a date on which Delaware Valley was meant to host DeSales in the conference semifinals. However, a squirrel chewed through the power line that served the gymnasium, the game was postponed, and Delaware Valley lost a day later in front of an empty house. On this day, Antonio Redding scored 26 points, including going 4-for-4 from the line in the closing moments to secure the win and knock DeSales out of the MAC Freedom field.

Augustana clinched a home game in the first round of the CCIW tournament and handed Illinois Wesleyan its third loss in five games as the Vikings downed the Titans, 85-76. Illinois Wesleyan, which entered the day ranked No. 11, trailed the entire second half, much of the time by double digits. Mason Funk got IWU as close as 76-70 with 1:50 to play but Augustana (16-9, 9-7) went 7-for-11 from the line down the stretch, which was more than enough to keep the Titans at bay. Augustana is the four seed.

No. 4 Randolph-Macon thundered into the ODAC tournament as the No. 1 seed as the Yellow Jackets rolled past Randolph 109-54. Macon finished one game ahead of Hampden-Sydney and Roanoke in the conference standings, and they will be the two and three seeds, respectively. Virginia Wesleyan and Guilford finished with identical 19-6, 12-4 records and will be the four and five seeds. No. 8 seed Shenandoah is the only teams below .500 overall to make the ODAC postseason.

Drew closed the regular season with an exclamation point, becoming the first men's basketball team to go undefeated in Landmark Conference play, as the Rangers defeated Susquehanna 83-55. The Rangers (22-3, 18-0 LC) also extended their school-record winning streak to 14 while picking up their first victory in Selinsgrove since an 88-84 victory on Jan. 9, 2019. An early 14-0 run gave the Rangers a 19-5 lead – powered by 3-pointers from Pat Higgins, Peso Crump, Malcolm Newman, and James Anderson – and their advantage never dipped below seven the rest of the way.

Grayson Goetz scored a game-high 28 points and No. 16 Wisconsin Lutheran overcame a 13-point deficit to get past Lakeland 87-84 in its Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference regular season finale. WLC (23-2, 16-2 NACC) will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. Lakeland's season ends at 7-18, 6-12. Jacob Stoltz finished with 24 points, while Ryan Broeckel recorded his ninth double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Monmouth and Grinnell battled it out in a game between the top two teams in the Midwest Conference, and it was Monmouth that came away with the victory, defeating the Pioneers 100-97 in overtime and picking up its 20th win of the season in the process. Monmouth, the MWC regular-season champ, also defeated Grinnell by three points last month on the Pioneers' court. Gabe Garcia hit a bucket in the final minute of regulation to send the game to an extra, five-minute session, tied at 87. The Pioneers fell behind 92-89 early in the extra period before Harris Dar made a free throw and Garcia two more to tie the game with 3:15 to go. Monmouth responded with back-to-back baskets, layups by Brennen McNally and Declan Flynn, to go back up, 96-92. A last-second 3-point attempt by Sean Murphy was off the mark for Grinnell, preserving the win. Flynn and Zay Brown led Monmouth with 20 points apiece off the bench on senior day to lead the Scots.

Union rallied from a halftime deficit and clinched a home postseason game for the first time in five years, as the Garnet Chargers defeated Hobart 76-69. The win gives Union (15-10, 11-7 Liberty Leage) the four seed in the upcoming conference playoffs, while Hobart (16-9, 10-8) is the five seed. The teams will meet again on Tuesday. Sophomore Jack Plesser led four Garnet Chargers in double figures with 18 points to go with nine rebounds and classmate Brendan Reid had a big double-double, matching his career-highs with 14 points and 15 rebounds. The defense forced Hobart into 1-of-6 shooting over the final 2:23 of the game, and Jaden Jauregui sealed the win with four free throws in the final 15 seconds.

The NESCAC tournament quarterfinals yielded no upsets and minimal drama as the top four seeds all advanced, helping ensure that the conference will receive four bids to the NCAA Tournament when the teams are revealed next Sunday. Wesleyan led for the vast majority of the game as the top seed and No. 1 team in the country, but had to hold off eighth-seeded Amherst (13-11) down the stretch when the Mammoths got as close as 60-58 with 1:25 left. Amherst missed its last three shots and was eliminated.

The North Atlantic Conference tournament already has a title game matchup set, but the teams won't meet until seven days from now. Husson, the East Division top seed, clinched its spot in the game, defeating Maine-Farmington 69-58, while Vermont State Johnson, the West 2 seed at 11-16 overall, 6-7 in conference play, got 24 from Raymond Baka and 21 from Jason Baker to get past West 1 seed SUNY-Delhi 68-65 on Saturday.

Twelve teams make the conference tournament in the super-sized United East Conference, and the last of them all is still dancing, as No. 12 seed Penn College pulled off its second road win of the week, winning 77-71 at Keystone. The Wildcats had four players in double figures as Gavin Barrett scored 24 points with nine rebounds and four steals, while Livingston Cross collected a double-double with 22 points and 15 rebounds. The loss could also be the last game that Keystone plays in men's basketball, as the school has been unable to enroll new students while fighting a loss of its accreditation.