Men's Basketball Ready For NCAA Tournament Rematch vs. WashU

MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) – One weekend after winning its first two NCAA Tournament games in program history, Wisconsin Lutheran College makes its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance when it travels to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for the third round of 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.

The No. 22 Warriors (27-3) will face No. 17 WashU (21-6) on Friday, March 14 at 4 p.m. at Mitchell Hall. No. 9 Illinois Wesleyan (24-5) will face fifth-ranked host UW-La Crosse (24-5) in the other third round matchup at 7 p.m. The winners of the two games will meet in the Elite Eight on Saturday, March 15 at 7 p.m. Tickets to the games are $17 for adults and $11 for seniors, students, and children.

HOW WLC GOT HERE: Graduate Jacob Stoltz (Kewaskum, Wis.) poured in a team-high 26 points, including the game-tying free throws with 0.5 seconds left, as WLC overcame a 13-point second half deficit against No. 2 UW-Platteville to force overtime. Stoltz scored seven of the team's 10 points in the extra session as Wisconsin Lutheran knocked off its highest ranked opponent in program history, 75-73, in the second round. One night prior, graduate Ryan Broeckel (Chilton, Wis.) recorded a game-high 30-point, 11-rebound double-double as the Warriors ended the nation's longest winning streak (20 games) with a 73-61 victory over No. 11 Calvin in the first round. 

HOW WASHU GOT HERE: WashU advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year and 10th time in program history after NCAA Tournament opening-weekend wins over Central (82-75/First Round) and Franklin (83-54/Second Round) in St. Louis, Missouri. 

WLC'S ROAD TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: WLC received its first-ever at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament after winning a school-record 25 games, marking the fourth 20-plus win season in program history. Wisconsin Lutheran is just the third team in the conference's 19-year history to receive an at-large bid to the national tournament. After defeating Rockford (86-57) and Concordia Wisconsin (86-65) in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the 2025 NACC Tournament, the top-seeded Warriors fell to second-seeded St. Norbert (70-52) in the final.

WASHU'S ROAD TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: The Bears earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament after finishing the regular season with a 19-6 overall record, including a 9-5 mark for third place in the University Athletic Association (UAA). This is WashU's 29th NCAA Tournament appearance. 

WLC PLAYERS TO WATCH: Three-time NACC Player of the Year, graduate forward Ryan Broeckel, averages 18.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.9 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game. Graduate guard Jacob Stoltz, a four-time All-NACC selection, averages 16.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. Three-time First Team All-NACC selection, graduate Grayson Goetz (Aurora, Ill.), averages 15.5 points, 5.5 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. 

WASHU PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior Hayden Doyle, a First Team All-UAA selection, leads the Bears with 17.4 points per game along with 5.0 rebounds and a team-high 93 assists. Second Team All-UAA honoree, senior Drake Kindsvater, is averaging 13.6 points per game and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game with a team-high 37 steals. UAA Rookie of the Year Connor May averages 12.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and has a team-high 17 blocks.

SERIES HISTORY: Friday's Sweet 16 matchup marks the sixth meeting all-time between WLC and WashU, and is a rematch of last year's NCAA Tournament First Round game. The Bears have won all five prior matchups.

03/01/24 – (RV) WashU 71, Wisconsin Lutheran 68 (OT)
12/03/05 – WashU 80, Wisconsin Lutheran 65
11/28/04 – No. 21 WashU 94, Wisconsin Lutheran 53
01/09/03 – No. 1 WashU 82, Wisconsin Lutheran 81
12/01/01 – No. 13 WashU 97, Wisconsin Lutheran 66

WLC HEAD COACH AARON AANONSEN: Eighth-year head coach Aaron Aanonsen, who recently collected a conference record-tying fifth NACC Coaching Staff of the Year award, owns a 136-65 record at Wisconsin Lutheran. He boasts the highest winning percentage (.676) of any Warriors men's basketball coach, including an 118-35 mark over the last six seasons. Aanonsen came to Milwaukee after spending nine seasons as head coach at Lakeland University.

WASHU HEAD COACH PAT JUCKEM: Pat Juckem is in his seventh season as head coach at WashU, compiling a 119-42 record. He served as head coach for seven seasons at Coe College and six years at UW-Oshkosh before taking over the Bears' program.

LIVE COVERAGE: Sectional host UW-La Crosse will provide live stats and video coverage for all three tournament games this weekend.