Colonels get NCAA tourney bid; Centre will host first- and second-round games Friday and Saturday

RELEASED: March 6, 2008

UPDATE: D3Hoops.com has announced that they will provide an audio webcast of the game. The webcast will be available at the following link: http://www.d3hoops.com/audio.

Plans call for a live telecast of the Centre/Franklin game in Sutcliffe's Hall of Fame Café and in Sutcliffe's second floor foyer.

DANVILLE, KY—Centre College will play host to first-round NCAA Division III Tournament matches on Friday, March 7. Ohio Wesleyan University will face off against Heidelberg College at 6 p.m. The Centre Colonels will then play Franklin College at 8 p.m. The winners of Friday night's games will face off in a second-round game on Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m. Both Friday and Saturday's games will be played in Sutcliffe's Alumni Gymnasium on campus.

See below for ticket information.

Dropping only their second game of the year, the No. 2 Centre Colonels lost in the 2008 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) championship game on Sunday, March 1 to No. 22 Millsaps with a final score of 69-60.

Going into Sunday's game, the Colonels held the nation's largest winning streak of 25 after defeating Trinity University 70-57 on Saturday, Feb. 29 in a semi-final match-up. This was the Colonel's third-straight year playing in the SCAC championship title game.

In addition, Centre hosted NCAA Division III Tournament games in 1989; that year the Colonels went to the Final Four.

Ticket Information

For general public: Tickets for the two games on Friday, March 7 at 6 and 8 p.m. will go on sale at 3 p.m. Friday, March 7 in the Athletic Office located on the top floor of Sutcliffe Hall. Seating is limited, and one ticket gains admission to both games on Friday night. However, a Friday night ticket will not guarantee a seat for the second game because the gymnasium will not be cleared between games.

Prices are as follows: General public—$6; students, senior citizens (age 65+) and children 3 through 17—$3; children two years old and under are admitted free. Per NCAA rules, Centre faculty and staff will purchase tickets in the same manner and for the same price as the general public.

General ticket sales for Saturday night's game will begin at the conclusion of Friday night's second game. See prices above.

For Centre students: On Friday, March 7 beginning at 7 a.m., the first 200 students to come to the Athletic Office with a Centre I.D. will receive one free ticket to Friday night's games (limit one ticket per student with proper Centre I.D.—no exceptions).

If the Colonels win on Friday night: Beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, March 8 the first 200 students with a Centre I.D. will receive one free ticket to Saturday night's game (limit one ticket per student with proper Centre I.D.—no exceptions).

About the teams

Franklin College (Franklin, Ind.), who defeated host Defiance College in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship game on March 1, advanced to the NCAA tournament with an automatic bid. The Grizzlies are making their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2002. This is their fifth trip overall (beginning in 1998) since becoming affiliated with Division III in 1992-93.

Heidelberg College (Tiffin, Ohio) is making its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament, joining the 1983-84 and 1994-95 teams. Last weekend, Heidelberg won the program's first Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) title against host Capital University, which included an automatic bid to the championship. Under Head Coach Duane Sheldon, the DIII News February Coach of the Month, Heidelberg stands at 23-5 overall heading into the tournament. The 23 wins include a 20-5 mark in regular-season play, which ties for the best regular season since the inception of the program in 1903. Heidelberg is one victory shy of tying the school record for wins in a season.

Ohio Wesleyan University (Delaware, Ohio), with a record of 20-7, won the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) tournament championship, defeating Wabash College 89-72, in the title game on Saturday, Feb. 29. The Battling Bishops finished in a second-place tie with a 12-4 record during the NCAC regular-season race. Ohio Wesleyan is making its second NCAA Division III playoff appearance; the last time was in 1988, when the Battling Bishops won the national championship.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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