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ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—Bethel University's men's basketball team is hosting Saint John's University in the 2017 MIAC Championship Saturday, February 25 at 7 p.m. The title game between the No. 2 seeded Royals (20-6) and No. 4 seeded Johnnies (19-8) marks the first time in program history that BU has played host to the playoff finale, which awards the winner a championship trophy and the league's automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament.
 
Ticket information
Ticket prices, which are set by the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, are $7 for adults and $3 for students (free for children 5 years and younger). MIAC passes will be honored, however, no other passes will be accepted. Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis with doors to the Robertson Center Gym opening at 5:45 p.m.
 
The Bethel file
The Royals' MIAC Championship appearance is their second in the last three years. Bethel earned a share of their first-ever regular-season championship, but yielded the No. 2 seed in the 2017 MIAC Playoffs. After a first-round bye on Tuesday, BU defeated Carleton College at home Thursday by a final score of 57-53. The Royals forced the Knights into 19 turnovers, which proved to be the difference.
 
The Saint John's file
The Johnnies advanced to the MIAC Championship after defeating fifth-seeded Hamline University at home in the MIAC quarterfinals and then upsetting top-seeded St. Thomas in the semifinals. Saint John's throttled the Pipers by 28 points after beating them by two in the final week of the regular season and edged the Tommies 80-78, despite leading by 14 in the second half.
 

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Name	FG %	3PT %	FT %	RPG	Assists	Steals	Blocks	PPG
Bridgeport Tusler	47.4	36.4	68.4	4.3	59	52	9	14.5
Trevor Hall	50.2	28.3	59.7	6.7	89	61	23	13.0
Derek Magnuson	62.0	42.9	73.9	7.2	17	16	19	13.0
Granger Kingland	46.9	43.2	84.4	4.8	30	14	15	13.0
Brycen Wojta	45.0	41.0	80.8	2.5	68	41	4	12.8

Name	FG %	3PT %	FT %	RPG	Assists	Steals	Blocks	PPG
David Stokman	52.6	51.3	87.6	3.9	94	20	6	17.5
Tyler Weiss	59.2	33.3	76.9	5.9	49	16	21	16.9
Jubie Alade	48.7	32.8	75.0	3.4	23	19	8	12.2
Patrick Strom	42.1	40.9	78.8	4.0	28	9	8	11.7
Garrett Goetz	45.9	39.7	85.4	3.4	103	19	1	7.0

 

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Rubber match
The Royals and Johnnies split their two head-to-head matchups earlier this season with both teams winning on their home court. SJU topped Bethel in Collegeville by a final score of 87-81 on January 16, before falling to the Royals in Arden Hills 90-83 on February 4. BU has won five of the last six meetings, but Saint John's owns the season series with an all-time record of 56-27.
 
Streak snapped
No matter what the outcome of Saturday night's contest is, one team will end their MIAC Playoff drought. The Royals, who have reached the postseason 17 times in the last 19 years, have not won the conference tournament since 1991. Additionally, the Johnnies, who have won five MIAC Playoff crowns, have not raised a tournament banner since 2001.

When was the last?
The last time Saint John's and Bethel met in the MIAC championship game was 31 years ago. BU won seven straight heading into that game, which included a 60-54 win over St. Thomas in the semifinals. SJU had won 12 of their last 14, including a win over Augsburg in the semifinals. The Johnnies outlasted the Royals in Collegeville by a final score of 68-62.
 
1-2 Punch
Bethel and Saint John's are among the top two teams across the conference in terms of scoring and offensive efficiency. The Royals are ranked No. 1 in total offense, averaging 80.9 points per game—just ahead of the Johnnies, who average 79.7. Meanwhile, SJU leads the league in shooting percentage (50.5 percent), just ahead of BU, who is shooting 48.8 percent from the floor.