POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - For the third time in four years, the Grace College Lancers are playing in the NAIA Division II men's basketball national tournament.
Action in the 32-team, single elimination tournament got underway this morning at 9:30 EDT as Davenport University squared off with Briar Cliff University at Keeter Gymnasium.For the 12th-straight year, the tournament is being hosted by College of the Ozarks, located just outside of Branson, Mo.
The Lancers, who were ranked 16th in the final national poll, enter the tournament as the No. 15 seed and will play the Dakota Wesleyan University Tigers Thursday at 6:45 p.m. EDT.
Grace College sports an overall record of 22-10 and a mark of 11-5 in the highly-respected Mid-Central College Conference.
Dakota Wesleyan, ranked 18th in the final national poll and in the national tournament for the fifth-straight year, are 23-8 overall and 12-6 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
"We're really going to have to rebound against them," Grace College coach Jim Kessler said of the Tigers. "They're a lot like Indiana Wesleyan. They have good shooters and they have big guys inside. We really have to hit the boards and limit them getting second chances."
Dakota Wesleyan is led by 6-foot-6 senior Brady Wiebe, the GPAC Player of the Year.
Wiebe averages 20 points and nearly nine rebounds per game.
He has made 50 percent of his field goal attempts and has shot 348 free throws this season, converting 270 of them.
"He would remind you of Patrick Hopkins of Indiana Wesleyan," Kessler said of Wiebe. "He's 6-6 and a banger. He's the master of getting into you and drawing contact. He's a good player. He was the GPAC Player of the year, obviously he's a very good player."
Other Dakota Wesleyan players who average double figures in scoring are seniors Larry Swann (12 ppg) and Chase Walder (11 ppg).
The Tigers, who average 74 points per game and give up 67 points per contest, enter the national tournament having won nine of their last 11 games.
"They're a solid team," said Kessler. "The teams they've lost to have been solid teams. They have good depth, and we're gonna have to come ready to play."
The Lancers enter tournament play having won 12 of their last 16 games.
Grace is led in scoring and rebounding by 6-11 junior Duke Johnson, who averages 16 points and seven boards per game.
Other Lancers who average double figures in scoring include sophomore Bruce Grimm Jr. (14 ppg) and senior David Henry (10 ppg).
Freshman Greg Miller averages just under 10 points and six rebounds per contest, while sophomore Elliot Smith and junior Dayton Merrell both average right at seven points per game.
"I've said all season, this team has the pieces, we've just got to put it all together," Kessler said of his team. "We're not happy just being here, we want to advance and contend for a national championship."
The Lancers have just one senior - Henry - who plays significant minutes.
The biggest question mark for the Lancers going into the tournament is the health of Grimm, the MCC Newcomer of the Year.
Grimm, the former Rochester High School standout who was the runner-up for the Mr. Basketball award two years ago and played at NCAA Division I East Tennessee State last year, missed the Lancers' last two games with a staph infection in his leg.
Grimm has been practicing with the team, and Kessler said Grimm was "his old self again" when the team practiced at Maryville University Monday.
"He was running up and down the court fine, and just a few minutes into practice he made a big steal," Kessler said of Grimm. "He was his old self again. He was diving on the floor and he made a big steal. He's back."
Grimm leads the Lancers in total assists (112) and steals (65).
Other MCC schools in the 32-team tournament include defending national champion St. Francis, a team Grace beat twice this season, and Indiana Wesleyan.
St. Francis was scheduled to play Northwest University at 1 p.m. EDT today, while Indiana Wesleyan was scheduled to play Indiana East at 6:45 p.m. EDT today.
