Defending national champions NWU picked to win American Rivers men’s basketball title

American Rivers Conference Communications

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Results of the American Rivers Conference’s Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll (as voted on by the league’s head coaches):

*Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own teams.

Coming off back-to-back Conference Titles and a National Championship in 2017-18, Nebraska Wesleyan University is the coaches’ pick to win the 2018-19 American Rivers Conference Championship. The Prairie Wolves earned 64 points in the poll and eight first-place votes. Loras College, the leagues’ runner-up a season ago is picked second in the poll. Loras garnered 57 points and one first-place vote. The Duhawks and Prairie Wolves were co-conference champions in 2016-17. Capsules on all nine teams — follow here:

New Coaches: Todd Lorensen, Buena Vista University. Lorensen comes to Buena Vista after a four-year stent as head men’s basketball coach at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa. Prior to taking over at Southwestern, Lorensen served one season as head coach at Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and had stints as an assistant coach at Truman State University (2011-13), University of Nebraska-Omaha (2008-11) and Grand View University (2007-08). As a player, Lorensen played basketball collegiately for one season (2003-04) at Quincy University in Quincy, Ill., and for three years at Grand View University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration as well as a master’s degree in business administration from Bellevue University in Bellevue, Neb.

The Schedule: At the 2018 NCAA convention, Division III membership voted to establish the first permissible contest date as November 8. (When November 8 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or Monday, a member institution may play its first contest on the Friday immediately preceding November 8.)

The 2018-19 season kicks off on Wednesday, November 8 with Nebraska Wesleyan hosting Midwest Conference member Grinnell. On the same night Dubuque travels to CCIW member Millikin and Loras hosts Greenville, out of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC). On November 10 Coe also faces a SLIAC member in Iowa Wesleyan. The Kohawks will be on the road for their season opener. WIAC member UW-Rivers Falls will travel to Pella for Central’s first game of the season and Simpson will host Bethany Lutheran College out of the UMAC. Wartburg kicks their season off on November 13 with a home contest against Midwest Conference member Cornell. On November 14 Luther begins their 2018-19 campaign with a road game at WIAC member UW- La Crosse. The final team to tip off the new season will be Buena Vista. The Beavers host Bethany Lutheran College on November 15.

The 2018-19 American Rivers Conference schedule begins on Wednesday, November 28 with eight of the nine schools competing. Coe College will travel to Storm Lake for a match-up with Buena Vista University. Wartburg will host Simpson and cross-town rivals Loras and Dubuque will square off at UD. Central will hit the road for a contest with Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln, Nebraska. Luther will open conference play on December 1 with a home contest against Simpson.

The American Rivers Conference season is a 16-game double round robin schedule finishing on Saturday February 16. The league’s top six teams from the regular season standings qualify for the A-R-C Tournament. The Conference Tournament will be held Tuesday, February 19 (First Round), Thursday, February 21 (Semifinals), and Saturday February 23 (Championship). Game locations for the A-R-C Tournament are at the higher seeded team’s venue. The American Rivers Conference Tournament champion receives the leagues’ automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III tournament.

2017-18 Season Review:The 2017-18 regular season concluded with Nebraska Wesleyan earning the No.1 seed in the conference tournament. Loras claimed the No.2 seed as the regular season runner-up followed by Buena Vista, Simpson, Wartburg, and Central.

As the tournament’s No.6 seed, Central advanced to the conference title game for the fourth time in the last five years and gave Nebraska Wesleyan all they could handle. Central started the game off in veteran fashion against a Prairie Wolf team that had lost just three games all season. The two high-powered teams would exchange the lead a handful of times before the 7:09 mark, when the score was knotted at 20 all. With 6:03 left in the first half Central would gain the lead and head into halftime up 38-35.

The Dutch came out hot in the second half, growing their lead to 18 at 63-45 with 10:49 to play. Back-to-back three-pointers by the Prairie Wolves cut Central’s lead to 10 points at 65-55 with 8:15 to play. Central wasn’t ready to relinquish the lead, answering NWU’s surge with a three-pointer of their own and pushing their lead to 13 at 70-57 with 7:28 left.

Central’s hot shooting would cool off dramatically in the final minutes. as the Dutch would not make another field goal for seven minutes and 12 seconds, when there were just 16 seconds left in the game. During that time, NWU used a 12-0 run to pull within one point. With 2:12 left in the game, Jack Hiller hit a three-pointer to give NWU their first lead since the 8:11 mark of the first half, 76-74.

NWU’s lead would stand at three, 77-80, with just nine seconds left. NWU would send Central to the free throw line but the Dutch would hit just one of two free throws, making it a two-point advantage for NWU. Central then fouled Ryan Garver, who sank two free throws to put NWU up 82-78 with only seven seconds remaining. The free throws would prove enough to seal the victory for NWU.

NWU made run a historic run through the NCAA Division III tournament that culminated with the hoisting of the National Championship trophy for the first time in program history. The Prairie Wolves title run came by way of six road games. In the opening round NWU defeated Maryville College 94-70. With a score of 82 to 61 NWU knocked out Aurora to advance to the Sweet-Sixteen, where they upended No.8 UW-Platteville 79-78. In the Elite-Eight NWU took down No.1 Whitman 130-97. At the Salem, Virginia Civic Center Nebraska Wesleyan advance to the title game by downing Springfield 90-78. In a thrilling championship match-up the Prairie Wolves earned the title of National Champion defeating UW-Oshkosh 78-72.