Official Championship Page
INDIANAPOLIS – Eight teams are in contention to cut down the nets on Saturday as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship tournament starts this evening with quarterfinal action.
Four member institutions will host opening round playoff games, including regular-season champion and No. 1 overall seed Findlay, No. 2 Walsh, No. 3 Hillsdale and No. 4 Cedarville.
No. 5 Ohio Dominican, No. 6 Lake Erie, No. 7 Malone and No. 8 Alderson Broaddus, will be looking to pull upsets. The all-conference team and individual award winners will be unveiled at the championship banquet on Thursday evening.
The final four teams will gather at the top remaining seed for the semifinals and championship game on Friday and Saturday.
No. 6 Lake Erie (17-11) vs. No. 3 Hillsdale (18-9)
7 p.m. ET
Hillsdale, MI
Why Lake Erie can win
The Storm are in the same position as last year, a considerable early underdog in the tournament. And LEC can turn the tables to mess up the bracket, just like it did to No. 2 Walsh as the favored Cavaliers endured an early exit in 2018. Lake Erie has already beaten Hillsdale, a one-point thriller, and expectations are that this one will go down to the wire. LEC’s quality wins against playoff teams are impressive and this group has played Findlay as tough as anyone has this year. As one of the league’s top three scorers, Gabe Kynard is a star (18.1 ppg) who will look to show out with his teammates.
Why Hillsdale can win
Despite a disappointing conclusion to the regular season, Hillsdale is still one of the top teams in the Midwest Region. The Chargers advanced to the championship game last year and know what it takes to get back. HC boasts the league’s top scoring defense (63.6 ppg) and will look to make their opponent’s life miserable working for each and every possession. Anyone can emerge as the leading scorer on a given night in head coach John Tharp’s system, including five different players in the program’s last five games going into the postseason.
No. 7 Malone (15-13) vs. No. 2 Walsh (21-7)
7:30 p.m. ET
North Canton, OH
Why Malone can win
A fierce rivalry between the two schools is going to be more than enough fuel and adrenaline to get the Pioneers amped up for this one. Nate Sheppard has been the league’s leading scorer for virtually the entire year (19.4 ppg) and Bryce Butler (15.8) has really emerged as a deadly scoring option. Malone has already beaten Walsh in North Canton this year (Jan. 12) as these teams prepare to play for the third time. Logistically speaking, it’s as easy of a trip to make for fresh legs as the team could hope for. Make no mistake, Malone is a very dangerous draw for Walsh.
Why Walsh can win
There is a palpable buzz surrounding the Cavaliers’ hoops programs, both men and women, coming into this year’s playoffs. The Walsh men are winners of 10 straight, the second-longest streak only to Findlay, and haven’t lost since Jan. 21. Three-time conference player of the week JT Shumate has burst on to the scene in his freshman year and was the league’s second-leading scorer at 19.1 ppg. Another conference player of the week, Sterling Christy, basically averages a double-double and Darryl Straughter, the reigning Great Midwest Freshman of the Year, can get hot in a hurry.
No. 8 Alderson Broaddus (13-15) vs. No. 1 Findlay (25-3)
7:30 p.m. ET
Findlay, OH
Why Alderson Broaddus can win
The Battlers are one of the league’s premier postseason teams in Great Midwest history, traditionally proving to be a tough out. AB has qualified for the conference tournament six times in six tries. AB storms into the playoffs on a high note after beating Cedarville by double-digits. Six different players average double-digit scoring for the Battlers, including Mike Davis (17.4 ppg), to feature a balanced offensive attack. Bruising forward Malik Bocook is a tough matchup for opponents as another player who averages a double-double.
Why Findlay can win
The Oilers are ranked eighth in the country, third in the Midwest Region and are tough as nails at home with the raucous sellout crowds filling Croy Gymnasium. UF enters the conference tournament as winners of 11 straight. Senior forward Alex White is a three-time player of the week and has elevated his game to a whole different level. The Oilers beat opponents by an average of. What this team has done, not skipping a beat despite losing G Leaguer and Great Midwest Player of the Year Taren Sullivan, Spanish pro Martyce Kimbrough, Austin Gardner and Elijah Kahlig, is really impressive.
No. 5 Ohio Dominican (17-10) vs. No. 4 Cedarville (17-11)
7:45 p.m. ET
Cedarville, OH
Why Ohio Dominican can win
The euphoric ride these Panthers had to the championship trophy a year ago is plenty of motivation in their bid to repeat. Hasan Varence is a human highlight reel in the making and commands a lot of attention in the post on the on the glass. Long-range sniper Sam Hickey has made 10 3’s in a game this year – if he gets into a rhythm, watch out. ODU is the second-best shooting team, in both overall field goals and three-pointers, in the league at over 47 percent shooting.
Why Cedarville can win
The Yellow Jackets played Ohio Dominican just once in the regular season, but a 16-point margin of victory in the Callan Athletic Center is notable. Starting with sophomore Conner TenHove, this Yellow Jackets’ group has made incremental leaps in their development after missing the postseason a year ago. The starting five has been intact for pretty much the entire season – TenHove, Grant Zawadzki and Branden Maughmer, have all had their turn as conference athletes of the week.
All conference tournament games will be streamed on the Great Midwest Digital Network, accessible online, through Roku devices, Apple TV, AndroidTV or Amazon Fire TV. On the OTT apps, search “Great Midwest” to download.