The ninth-ranked Hillsdale College men's basketball team has already brought home one trophy this season. Now, the Chargers begin the hunt for another.
The Great Midwest Athletic Conference kicks off its annual postseason men's basketball tournament this week, and as the regular season champion with a 19-1 record, Hillsdale will be the top seed and host a quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena.
Hillsdale will face eighth-seeded Trevecca Nazarene University with a berth in the conference semifinal on the line. As the top seed in the tournament, Hillsdale is in line to host both the semifinals and finals of the tournament on Friday and Saturday later this week, but only with a win over the visiting Trojans on Tuesday night.
Tickets will be available in advance, online via hillsdale.universitytickets.com. Tickets may be printed at home, loaded on a mobile device or picked up at will call at the arena ticket office. Any remaining tickets for each contest will be made available in-person and at the arena ticket office. The arena ticket office will open 1.5 hours prior to the game at 5:30 PM. Due to State of Michigan Governor and Health Department Guidelines, Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena capacity will be capped at 250 spectators.
Beginning Monday, March 1st at 7:00 PM, all remaining tickets will be released for sale to the general public at hillsdale.universitytickets.com. Any remaining tickets will be available for in-person sale at the arena ticket office beginning 1.5 hours before tipoff.
Fans can also follow along on the Great Midwest Digital Network. Links to both live stats and the online webcast of Tuesday's contest are below.
Schedule
Trevecca Nazarene (5-16, 5-14 G-MAC) at #9 Hillsdale (19-1, 19-1 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. ET March 2 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Follow/Watch
Live Stats vs Trevecca | Webcast vs Trevecca | Tickets
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Trevecca Roster | 2020-21 Hillsdale Stats | 2020-21 Trevecca Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #15 Patrick Cartier, So., F, Brookfield, WI/East (20.4 ppg, 6 rpg); #21 Davis Larson, Sr., F, Sheboygan, WI/North (11.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.6 apg); #24 Austen Yarian, Sr., F, Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius (13.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.4 apg); #11 Connor Hill, Sr., G, Lenexa, KS/Shawnee Mission South (11.8 ppg, 3.9 apg, 1.7 spg); #1 Tavon Brown, So., F, Columbus, OH, St. Charles Prep (7.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.1 bpg)
Trevecca: #11 Austin Wills, Sr., G, Benton, IL/Benton (7.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg); #34 Adam Webb, Sr., C, Lakeland, FL/Lakeland Christian, Stetson University (9.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg); #3 Imani Starling, Sr., G, Nashville, TN/Ensworth, Lindenwood-Belleville University (9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.4 apg); #23 Brendan Newton, Jr., C, Roanoke, VA/Faith Christian, Liberty University (11.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.5 bpg); #00 Chris Rogers, So., G, Harrisonburg, VA/Blueridge (9.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
Scouting the Opposition
Trevecca: Despite struggling through a season full of covid-related cancellations and absences, with several frustrating close losses, the Trojans have clawed their way to their first G-MAC tournament bid since the league expanded in 2017.
Trevecca has one of the biggest and most imposing front-courts in the country with 7-foot-2 Division I transfers Adam Webb and Brendan Newton, making the Trojans an incredibly tough team to score on in the paint.
Scoring at the other end has been a serious problem for Trevecca, however, as the Trojans are dead last in the G-MAC offensively at 57.8 points per game. Trevecca needs its sharp-shooting guards to rediscover their touch from 3-point range to help spark a Cinderella tourney run.
In two meetings this season, Hillsdale ran the Trojans out of the gym in a 95-53 victory at home on Dec. 5, and escaped a Trevecca upset bid late in a 56-53 victory in Nashville.
The Trojans are coached by Omar Mance, who is entering his third season with the program. He's compiled a 12-49 record in his time at Trevecca entering this season, and a 12-33 record in G-MAC play.
Scouting the Chargers
At 19-1, Hillsdale enters the G-MAC tournament as the regular season champion and the top seed, and is looking to win its first conference tournament title since taking the G-MAC crown in 1995.
Hillsdale boasts the best combination off offense and defense in the G-MAC this season, as shown by its league best 14-point scoring margin. The Chargers have the G-MAC's best scoring defense and the sixth-best scoring defense in the country at 62.8 points conceded per game. The Chargers have conceded 70 points in regulation just three times in their 16-game winning streak, and have held opponents below 60 points six times.
At the other end, unselfish passing and ball movement have been keys to Hillsdale's offensive success, allowing the Chargers to currently sit at third in the G-MAC at 76.8 points per game. 57% of all of Hillsdale's field goals this season have been assisted, and the Chargers have the best field goal percentage in the G-MAC at 51%, as well as the second-best assist to turnover ratio (1.60).
Post players Patrick Cartier (20.4 ppg) and Austen Yarian (13.1 ppg) remain the focal point offensively, but the Chargers are getting strong contributions from all five starters, including wing Davis Larson (11.4 ppg) and point guard Connor Hill (11.8 ppg).
Directing the Chargers for the 14th straight season is head coach John Tharp, who is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 249-134 record. Tharp became the longest-tenured head coach in Hillsdale men's basketball history at the start of this season, surpassing Dwight Harwood, who coached for 13 years from 1926-34 and 1940-46. Joining Tharp on Hillsdale's bench this year are three new assistants: associate head coach Keven Bradley, as well as assistant coaches Eric Weiss and David Choi.
Other Notes
- The Chargers have never lost to Trevecca Nazarene in eight meetings since joining the G-MAC. Six of those eight wins have been by double-digits, though the Trojans have given Hillsdale close calls on Nov. 30, 2017 and earlier this season on Jan. 21 in three-point Charger victories.
- Hillsdale rose two spots to 9th in the NABC Division II top 25 poll last week, the 10th week the Chargers have been ranked in a row. It's the fifth time in program history the Chargers have been ranked for consecutive weeks in the same season in the NABC poll, and the first time since the 2011-12 season. The ranking of 9th is the highest Hillsdale has had since Jan. 11, 2011, when Hillsdale reached its all-time high of 4th in the nation. The Chargers have been ranked in the top 10 for just five weeks in the poll's history, dating back to 1960.
- Sophomore Patrick Cartier continued an excellent season with a career-high 32 points in the Chargers' 85-83 victory over Tiffin on Wednesday. The sophomore is leading the G-MAC in scoring at 20.4 points per game, and is also first in field goal percentage at 65.7% and eighth in free throw percentage at 77.6%. Cartier is 10th in the nation in Division II in field goal percentage, and has taken more than 100 shots than any other player in the top 10.
- Hillsdale ran its win streak to 16 straight, an all-time program record, this week. The previous record was held by the 2010-11 team, which opened the season with 13 straight wins to climb to fourth in the NABC Division II top 25 poll.
- The only time Hillsdale won a conference tournament title was the 1994-95 season, when a Chargers squad coached by Bernie Balikian and led by senior guard Mike Lake entered the GLIAC tournament with a losing record and upset Oakland in the final, 89-80, to earn the program's first-ever NCAA tournament berth. Hillsdale has been the top seed two other times, in 2010-11, losing to Findlay in the GLIAC tournament final, and last season, when the Chargers were upset by Kentucky Wesleyan in the G-MAC Tournament quarterfinal. Hillsdale also made the G-MAC tournament final in 2017-18, falling to Ohio Dominican in the championship game.