Pioneers in Search of First MWC Tournament Title Since 2000-01

Since starting the season 4-6 overall and 1-3 in Midwest Conference play, the Grinnell College men's basketball team has wracked up 13 straight wins overall to clinch the 2007 MWC regular season title, while also claiming the hosting rights to the MWC Men's Basketball Tournament.

Tournament Schedule

The two-day Tournament begins this Friday, February 23, with third-seeded Ripon College squaring off with second-seeded Carroll College at 5:00 p.m., in the first semifinal contest, while top-seed Grinnell will take on Lake Forest College in the night-cap at 7:00 p.m. The winners of these two contests will then meet in the Championship game on February 24, with tip-off slated for 3:00 p.m.

About the Four Teams

In what was a tight-battle by all four teams down the stretch, it came down to the final week of the regular season to determine the seeds of this season's tournament. Grinnell clinched a share of the title with its win over Knox on February 14, before claiming the title outright with a 109-86 win at home against Illinois College this past Saturday.

Carroll, meanwhile, wrapped up the number two seed with wins over Monmouth, St. Norbert, Ripon, and Lawrence, over the final two weeks of the regular season, as Ripon dropped two of its final three games, to land the number three seed. Lake Forest was then victorious in eight of its last 10 games, to outlast Lawrence, for the fourth and final spot.

#2 Carroll (14-8, 12-4 MWC) vs. #3 Ripon (13-9, 11-5 MWC)

The Pioneers and Red Hawks met twice during the regular season with each team winning on their home court. In the first match-up, Brian Schmitting led four Ripon players in double-figures with a game-high 26 points, as the Red Hawks escaped with an 80-76 victory. Paul Wise dropped in 14 points, while David McMullen and Chris Kellett added 12 and 11 respectively.

The two teams met for the rematch last Wednesday, and it was all Carroll, as the Pioneers were victorious, 89-75. Nathan Drury turned in a game-high 23 points, on 8-of-16 shooting, as Buck Colomy followed with 19 points. Adam Ligocki and Wes Ladwig turned in 14 and 11 points, respectively, to round out the top scorers.

Carroll ended the regular season as the second-highest scoring offense in the conference (81.7 ppg), while Ripon was third at 75.7 points per contest. The two teams also finished seventh (RC) and eighth (CC), respectively in scoring defense.

#1 Grinnell (17-6, 13-3 MWC) vs. #4 Lake Forest (14-9, 10-6 MWC)

The two teams tip-off after splitting their two meetings during the regular season. The Foresters edged the Pioneers, 80-79 at home, when Brad Wehner drained a three-pointer with 14.5 seconds left in regulation, giving the team its only lead in the second-half. That marks the last time the Pioneers have lost a contest this season, as they enter on a 13-game winning streak.

The Pioneers got revenge against Lake Forest when the two teams met in Grinnell back on February, 10. John Grotberg connected on 6-of-9 nine shots from downtown, en route to scoring a game-high 28 points, to help guide the team to a commanding 100-65 victory. The win marked the first time since 1995-96 that the Pioneers held back-to-back opponents to under 70 points in the same season.

News and Notes

All three games in the tournament will be broadcasted live on MWCTV. Please visit www.midwestconference.tv., for additional information. Midwest Conference Commissioner, Chris Graham, will be in attendance to present Grinnell with its regular season championship trophy prior to the start of the 7:00 p.m., game on Friday. The winner of the Tournament will receive the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.