Men's Basketball 3/6/2022 9:37:00 PM Chris Brannick

UCO Returning To National Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA announced Central Oklahoma as one of 64 participants in the 2022 Division II National Championship. The Bronchos are the No. 5 seed in the Central Region.

SEE THE COMPLETE BRACKET HERE

Central Oklahoma will travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the regional. First round action tips off Saturday. The Central Regional is scheduled for March 12-15.

UCO will play fourth-seeded Upper Iowa at 7:30 p.m.

SEE THE CENTRAL REGION CHAMPIONSHIP HERE

Central Oklahoma is 24-6 this season. The Bronchos won the MIAA regular season title for the first time since joining the league in 2012. UCO posted an 18-4 record in league play.

UCO's 24 wins this season are the most since 2011, when the Bronchos last made the national tournament. That mark is also tied for the sixth most in school history. Central's 18 conference wins this season are the most in any season in school history and are tied for the fifth in MIAA history.

This March marks the 13th time Central Oklahoma has made the Division II National Tournament since 1990.

The winner of the regional will advance to the NCAA DII Elite Eight, scheduled for March 22-26 in Evansville, Indiana.

The 2022 Central Regional is made up of schools from the Northern Sun Intercollgiate Conference, the Great American Conference, and the MIAA.

No. 1 seed Augustana is hosting the eight-team regional at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. Auggie is ranked No. 5 in the latest NABC Coaches' Poll.

No. 2 seed Minnesota Duluth joins Augustana from the NSIC. Duluth is ranked 12th in the country.

No. 3 seed Northwest Missouri, who tied UCO for the regular season conference title, also won the league's postseason tournament on Sunday. The Bearcats, ranked 15th, have won three national titles in the last five years.

The No. 4 seed is Upper Iowa, another NSIC school. They are ranked 13 in the country this week.

Central Oklahoma is the No. 5 seed and is ranked No. 17 in the latest NABC Top 25.

Minnesota State – Moorhead is the No. 6 seed and is also unranked. However, Moorhead won the NSIC postseason championship to earn the automatic qualifier.

Washburn, the No. 7 seed, is unranked but the Ichabods bumped UCO from the MIAA Championship Semfinals on Saturday.

Southwestern Oklahoma State did the same. The Great American Conference's lone representative, SWOSU won the postseason tournament and will be the No. 8 seed in this weeks regional.

Central Regional Schedule
Saturday, March 12 (Session I)
Northwest Missouri State vs. MSU Moorhead, 12 p.m.
Minnesota Duluth vs. Washburn, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 12 (Session II)
Augustana vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State, 5 p.m.
Upper Iowa vs. Central Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 13 (Session III)
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 5 p.m.
Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 15 (Session IV)
Regional Championship, 7 p.m.

Ticket Info:
All seating will be general admission. Tickets for the regional will go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. online at Ticketmaster.com, at the Sanford Pentagon or by phone at 605-312-7917. Tickets prices are $15 for adults and $7 for students per session. An all-session pass for adults is $50 while a student all-session pass is $24. Children 2 and under are free. In addition, the Pentagon Box Office will open one hour prior to each session.

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