Fri, Mar 1st, 2024 - 12:28pm
March 11, 2024 - 6:28am | By James McCarty
MOORHEAD, Minn. – The NCAA has announced its regional bracket for the Division II Men's Basketball Tournament. MSU Moorhead is positioned as the number four seed in the Central Region bracket.
MSUM will meet up with the fifth-seeded Pittsburg State Gorillas on Saturday, March 16 beginning at 7:30 p.m. The contest will be played inside the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minn., as Minnesota State earned the top seed and hosting privileges in the region.
The Dragons concluded the regular season with a 24-4 record including an 18-4 ledger in NSIC competition. They began the season 15-0, tying the best start to a season in school history (1970-71). Because of the hot start, the Dragons earned their first number one national ranking in the NABC Coaches' Poll on January 9. MSUM fell in the NSIC Quarterfinals to Winona State on March 3 to move their record to 24-5 overall.
Tim Bergstraser's club garnered four All-NSIC honorees in juniors Jacob Beeninga (First Team), JaMir Price (First Team) and Ja'Kair Sanchez (Second Team) as well as senior Dane Zimmer (Second Team). Price was named the NSIC's Newcomer of the Year.
Bergstraser enters the NCAA Tournament for the second time as a head coach after qualifying in his first season in 2022-23. The Dragons were the NSIC's automatic qualifier last season after winning the NSIC Tournament for the second straight year.
In total, it is the fourth straight year MSUM has qualified for the NCAA Tournament and the eighth time in the Division II era of Dragon men's basketball. MSUM won the NCAA Central Region Tournament during the 2014-15 season, making the program's first trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
NCAA Central Region Tournament Matchups
No. 1 Minnesota State vs. No. 8 Arkansas Tech
No. 4 MSU Moorhead vs. No. 5 Pittsburg State
No. 2 Northwest Missouri State vs. No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State
No. 3 Minnesota Duluth vs. No. 6 Fort Hays State
