College postseason tournaments ramp up Wednesday for St. Cloud schools
ST. CLOUD — Conference playoffs for college basketball and hockey will take center stage this week, with local teams looking to lock up national tournament bids.
St. Cloud State (Division II), St. John’s and College of St. Benedict (Division III) and St. Cloud Technical & Community College (NJCAA Division III) will all be in action.
Here’s a breakdown of where teams stand as they enter a crucial week of postseason play.
St. Cloud State men’s basketball (10-17) is the No. 6 seed from the North Division of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. They’ll travel to Nebraska for the NSIC tournament first round, facing No. 3 South seed Wayne State. The Huskies would travel to Sioux Falls for the NSIC quarterfinals on Sunday if they win, facing MSU-Moorhead at 1:30 p.m. SCSU lost 83-59 at Wayne State on Jan. 21.
St. Cloud State women’s basketball (21-3) earned a bye to the NSIC quarterfinals after winning their first regular season conference title since 1984, also going 12-0 at home. They’ll face the winner of No. 4 South seed Augustana and No. 5 North seed Northern State next Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Sioux Falls. SCSU has reached the finals the last two seasons, winning in 2020.
St. John’s basketball (20-4) is the No. 1 seed in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament and hosts No. 8 Hamline at Sexton Arena on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Semifinals are Friday and the championship is on Sunday, which would both be hosted by the Johnnies if they continue to advance. St. John’s won 65-35 in their last meeting with Hamline on Feb. 7 and have won 14 consecutive games against the Pipers.
College of St. Benedict basketball (15-10) won 61-33 over St. Scholastica in the MIAC tournament first round on Saturday, outscoring the Saints 25-6 in the third quarter. The No. 5 seed will now head on the road to face No. 4 seed Hamline on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The Bennies lost both regular season meetings with Hamline this year by double-digits.
St. Cloud Technical & Community College men’s basketball (12-8) begins the eight-team Region XIII tournament against No. 2 North seed Northland on Friday at 3 p.m. at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. Semifinals are Saturday and finals on Sunday, with the champion qualifying for the NJCAA Division III National Tournament in Rockford, Illinois next month. The Cyclones only faced Northland once during the regular season in a 64-62 loss at home on Dec. 3.
St. Cloud State women’s hockey (9-21-3) earned the No. 7 seed in the Western Collegiate Hockey Conference first round. They’ll head to No. 2 Ohio State, playing at 5 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday. The best-of-three series would conclude on Sunday if the teams split the opening two games. The Huskies have lost their last 11 games against the Buckeyes.
St. John’s hockey (16-7-2) ended the regular season with a 3-2 win over top-five ranked Augsburg, as captain Auggie Moore scored with 0.1 seconds remaining. That could give them confidence heading into the MIAC tournament as a No. 3 seed, hosting No. 6 seed St. Mary’s at 4 p.m. on Sunday at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. They split the season series with the Cardinals, who they last faced all the way back in November.
College of St. Benedict hockey (10-11-1) was given the No. 6 seed in the MIAC tournament and will face No. 3 seed St. Mary’s on the road at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the quarterfinals. The Bennies faced St. Mary’s twice on the road in November, winning the second game 4-1. CSB is looking for their first postseason win in program history.
Zach Dwyer is a sports reporter and photographer for the St. Cloud Times. Reach him at 320-406-5660 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @sctimeszach.
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