Men’s Basketball to Host NCAA First, Second Rounds on March 2-3

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St. Louis, Mo., February 27, 2012 – The No. 19 ranked Washington University in St. Louis men’s basketball team will host the 2012 NCAA Division III First and Second Rounds on Friday-Saturday, March 2-3, at the WU Field House in St. Louis, Mo.

No. 23 North Central College and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology will square off in first-round action at 5:30 p.m. (CT) on Friday, while Washington University will take on Buena Vista University in the second game at 7:30 p.m. (CT). The winners of the two first-round games will meet on Saturday at 7 p.m. (CT), with a chance to advance to the NCAA sectionals.

Washington University (19-6, 11-3 UAA) won its 11th University Athletic Association (UAA) championship this season to earn the league’s automatic bid. The Bears are making their 16th NCAA appearance as a Division III school and 19th overall, and sport a 29-13 (.690) all-time post-season record in Division III play.

Buena Vista (17-10, 11-5 IIAC) earned the automatic bid after winning the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) tournament title. The Beavers defeated Coe College, 54-52, in the IIAC championship game on Saturday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Washington U. defeated Buena Vista 85-77 in overtime in the teams’ only meeting on March 14, 2008, in the Sectional Semifinal in St. Louis. Buena Vista is making its ninth NCAA appearance with a 6-8 all-time record.

North Central College (20-7, 12-2 CCIW) earned the automatic bid by winning the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) championship with a 75-58 victory over No. 22 Wheaton College (Ill.) on Saturday. The Cardinals are making their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in school history with a 2-6 all-time mark. Washington U. won the only meeting between the two teams – a 67-66 victory during the 1969-70 season.

Rose-Hulman (20-8, 11-7 HCAC) earned its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1999 with a 76-73 overtime victory over No. 16 Transylvania University in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) title game on Sunday. The Fightin' Engineers are making their ninth NCAA appearance, with an all-time record of 5-10. Rose-Hulman leads the all-time series with Washington U., 11-9, and the two teams have not met since an 86-69 win by RHIT on March 6, 1997, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The box office will open at 4:15 p.m. on Friday and 5:45 p.m. on Saturday. Ticket prices are $3 for students with an ID and $6 for adults. Washington University undergraduate students with an ID will be admitted free courtesy of Student Union. Tickets will not be sold prior to box office opening.