INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Committee announced Sunday the field of 64 teams that will compete in the 2013 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship. Minnesota State, Augustana, Upper Iowa and Winona State will all take part in the NCAA Central Region Tournament held in Mankato, Minn.

The Minnesota State men’s basketball team, which won the regular season and tournament championships of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, has earned the right to host its third NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament of the last four seasons. The regional tournament will be conducted March 16, 17 and 19.

The NCAA Central Region is made up of teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), Great American Conference (GAC) and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).

NCAA Central Region Tournament - Mankato, Minn.
Saturday, March 17 - Quarterfinal  Round
(3) Augustana vs. (6( Upper Iowa - 12 pm
(2) Winona State vs. (7) Northeastern State - 2:30 pm
(1) Minnesota State vs. (8) Arkansas Tech - 5 pm
(4) Central Missouri vs. (5) Harding - 7:30 pm

Sunday, March 18 - Semifinal Round
Augie/UIU vs WSU/NS - 5 p.m.
MSU/ATU vs UCM/HU - 7:30 pm

Tuesday, March 20 - Regional Championship
Semifinal Winners - 7 p.m.

The Warriors earned the second spot in the regional tournament after recording a 24-7 overall record this season. Winona State will be making its eighth NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in the last nine seasons and ninth overall under head coach Mike Leaf. Northeastern State has a 19-8 overall record on the year, falling to Northwest Missouri State in the opening round of the MIAA Tournament in its last action. Three players are scoring in double figures for Northeastern State, led by Bryton Hobbs who is averaging 18.2 points per game.

The eight regional champions will advance to the quarterfinals in conjunction with the quarterfinals at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky. The NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship will be conducted April 7 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga.

NSIC Team Notes
AUGUSTANA COLLEGE - Augustana made its first ever appearance in the NSIC Tournament semifinals last weekend and was eliminated in an 87-66 loss to Minnesota State. The Vikings entered the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed and won its first ever game in the tournament since joining the league in 2008-09 in the first two rounds. Daniel Jansen led the Vikings in the loss to Minnesota State with 17 points while Cameron McCaffrey added 15. In Augustana’s three games in the NSIC Tournament, McCaffrey led the Vikings with 23.7 points and 7.0 assists per game.
On Sunday night, Augustana was selected as the No. 3 seed in the Central Region as it earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. Augustana is making its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its 11th in school history. The Vikings are 8-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and made region championship appearances in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

BEMIDJI STATE - The Bemidji State University men’s basketball team silenced any critics in 2012-13 and posted an 18-12 overall record to rank fifth all-time in wins in the 91-year history of the program. BSU won six of its last seven games and posted a 16-10 central region record, but was not selected to the NCAA Tournament Sunday. The league coaches pegged the Beavers to finish tied for 12th in the NSIC, but finished the 22-game league schedule with a 13-9 mark to finish as the No. 3 seed in the NSIC North. Head coach Mike Boschee set the BSU record for most wins by a first-year head coach, as the Beavers made a run to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference/Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship Saturday – their first-ever run to the championship game. Bemidji State fell to No. 7 Minnesota State University, Mankato, 73-68 in the contest to fall just short of an automatic bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament. BSU earned the spot in the championship with a narrow 64-61 victory against Upper Iowa University in the semifinals. Seniors Dermaine Crockrell and Lance Rongstad were named All-NSIC Second Team at the conclusion of the season, while Crockrell and senior Mason Walters were honored as All-NSIC Tournament Team Saturday. BSU also graduates senior Jason Edwards (G, Phoenix, Ariz), who ran the point for BSU and started in the final 28 games of the season.

MINNESOTA STATE -  Minnesota State will host its third NCAA Central Region Tournament in the last four seasons. This will be MSU’s eighth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since it reached the Final Four back in the 2011-12 season. Minnesota State won the NSIC regular season and tournament championships. Since joining the NSIC back in the 2008-09 season, MSU has won three regular season championships and one tournament championship. Senior Jarvis Williams was named the MVP of the NSIC Tournament, while sophomore Assem Marei and junior Connor O’Brien were named to the NSIC All-Tournament Team. MSU will face Arkansas Tech of the Great American Conference in the first round of the NCAA Central Region Saturday at 5 p.m.

UPPER IOWA - The Upper Iowa Men’s Basketball season is still alive and kicking. The Peacocks were named an at-large bid to the 2013 NCAA Division II Regional during Sunday night’s selection show. UIU, which finished the season 20-11 and made it to the semifinals of the NSIC/Sanford Health Basketball Tournament for the first time in its short Division II history, will face Augustana College on Saturday, Mar. 16, at 12 p.m. inside the Taylor Center on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato. This is the first time the Peacocks have ever made it to the NCAA Division II Regionals in men’s basketball.
In the last meeting between UIU and Augie, the Peacocks earned an 11-point victory in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. That victory ensured a split with the Vikings during the regular season after Augie claimed a seven-point victory in Fayette back in December, 2012. Overall, the Vikings lead the series 6-3, but in their last meeting, the Peacocks held Augie to a season-low 21 points in the first half and Tucker Wentzien recorded a game- and career-high 31 points.

WINONA STATE -  The Winona State men’s basketball team has earned the second seed in the NCAA Central Regional Tournament and will play Northeastern State Saturday in Mankato, Minn.  The Warriors earned the second spot in the regional tournament after recording a 24-7 overall record this season. Winona State will be making its eighth NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in the last nine seasons and ninth overall under head coach Mike Leaf.  Northeastern State has a 19-8 overall record on the year, falling to Northwest Missouri State in the opening round of the MIAA Tournament in its last action. Three players are scoring in double figures for Northeastern State, led by Bryton Hobbs who is averaging 18.2 points per game.  The Warriors are led by NSIC Player of the Year Clayton Vette, who tops the team in both scoring (20.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.2 rpg). Fellow senior Xavier Humphrey was also an all-conference selection, earning second team honors after scoring 11.3 points per game this season.