Men’s Basketball Crowned MIAC Champions

The Bethel University men's basketball team pulled out a remarkable 79-75 win over Saint John's University on Feb. 25 to give the Royals their second Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Men's Basketball Playoff championship since 1991. The Royals will next face No. 6-ranked UW-River Falls at the R.A. Karges Center in River Falls, Wisconsin, on Friday, March 3 at 8 p.m.

This is Bethel's second-ever NCAA Playoff appearance for the men's basketball program with their only other trip coming in 1991 when they upset Gustavus Adolphus in the MIAC Championship game by a final score of 73-70 in St. Peter, Minnesota. The Royals then lost to Central College 77-88 in Pella, Iowa, during the opening

Bethel enters the 2017 tournament with a 21-6 overall record and seven consecutive wins, including their most-recent 57-53 win over Carleton College in the MIAC semifinal and 79-75 victory over Saint John's in the championship title. The Royals earned a share of their first-ever MIAC regular-season title with a 15-5 mark in league play and hosted their first MIAC Playoff championship after Saint John’s upset the University of St. Thomas and Bethel knocked off Carleton in the semifinal round.
 
UW-River Falls, who was crowned regular- and post-season champions of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), is making its third trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons enter the postseason at 24-3 on the season with a 12-2 record in conference play.

Fans can re-live the 2017 MIAC Men's Basketball Playoffs on the tournament home page, which includes scores, stats, recaps, photos, links and information on each of the six teams in the field. Fans can also continue the conversation on social media through Bethel's Facebook, Instagram or Twitter accounts, using the hashtag #BURoyals.