MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) - Wisconsin Lutheran College will make its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance and third in program history when it travels to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville for the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. The No. 22 Warriors (25-3) will face No. 11 Calvin (21-6) on Friday, March 7 at 4:40 p.m. at Williams Fieldhouse. Grinnell (20-7) will face the third-ranked host Pioneers (25-2) in the other first round matchup at 7:10 p.m. The winners of the two first round games will meet in the second round on Saturday, March 8 at 7:10 p.m. The four-team regional is the only opening weekend pod featuring three ranked teams in the D3hoops.com Top 25. Tickets to the game are $15 for adults, $10 for students, seniors and children, and children two and under are free.
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.
WLC, which has been ranked inside the D3hoops.com Top 25 every week this season, leads all NACC programs in a variety of categories – including scoring offense (84.5 points per game), scoring margin (+15.4), three-pointers per game (8.5), three-point percentage defense (28.8), turnover margin (+6.6), turnovers per game (10.6), and assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.51) - while ranking second in assists per game (16.0), free throw attempts per game (22.9), free throws made per game (17.3), offensive rebounds per game (11.5), steals per game (9.9), three-point attempts per game (24.3), and turnovers forced per game (17.18), and third in scoring defense (69.1 ppg), rebounds per game (35.86), three-point percentage (.350), and free throw percentage (.754). Of those categories, Wisconsin Lutheran ranks in the top 20 in NCAA Division III in turnover margin (sixth), scoring margin (ninth), assist-to-turnover ratio (18th), three-point percentage defense (18th), and scoring offense (19th).
Three-time NACC Player of the Year, graduate forward
Ryan Broeckel (Chilton, Wis.), averages 17.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.8 steals per game. He ranks in the top 50 nationally in blocks (27th, 51), double-doubles (31st, 10), offensive rebounds (33rd, 3.32), total rebounds (40th, 244), and blocks per game (43rd). Broeckel also tops all NACC players in offensive rebounds per game (3.3). Graduate guard
Jacob Stoltz (Kewaskum, Wis.), a four-time All-NACC selection, averages 16.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. He ranks 18th nationally in free throws made (137) and 19th in steals (69). Three-time First Team All-NACC selection, graduate
Grayson Goetz (Aurora, Ill.), averages 15.8 points, 5.6 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. He leads the league and ranks 12th nationally in minutes per game (36.1), 14th in assists per game, 17th in assist/turnover ratio (2.6), and 19th in assists (140).
Eighth-year head coach
Aaron Aanonsen, who recently collected a conference record-tying fifth NACC Coaching Staff of the Year award, owns a 134-65 record at Wisconsin Lutheran. He boasts the highest winning percentage (.673) of any Warriors men's basketball coach, including an 114-35 mark over the last six seasons.
WLC is making its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance and third in program history. Wisconsin Lutheran dropped a 71-68 overtime affair to (RV) WashU on March 1, 2024 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Warriors lost to No. 2 Hope 93-51 in their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in Holland, Michigan on March 3, 2006.
Friday's NCAA Tournament first round matchup marks just the second meeting all-time between WLC and Calvin, and the first since the 2000-2001 season. The Knights won the only prior matchup, 79-67, on November 18, 2000 in Milwaukee.
Calvin earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament title last weekend, its first since 2015. The Knights are making their 24th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and third in the last four years. CU is 39-25 all-time in NCAA Tournament games, claiming national titles in 1992 and 2000. After starting the season 1-6, Calvin enters the NCAA Tournament on a 20-game winning streak, the longest winning streak in NCAA Division III. The Knights captured the MIAA regular season title after becoming just the fourth team in conference history to finish with a prefect 14-0 record. Uchenna Egekeze earned MIAA Most Valuable Player as well as his third straight Defensive Player of the Year honor, becoming the first player in conference history to earn both awards. First Team All-MIAA selection Owen Varnado leads the team with 16.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. CU is led by sixth-year head coach Bill Sall, who owns a 113-40 record and was recently tabbed MIAA Coach of the Year.
