Bethel University Athletics

2/21/2018 10:39:00 AM /

Men's Basketball

Playoff Preview: Royals and Knights Clash in MIAC Quarterfinal

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ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—Bethel University's men's basketball team plays host to Carleton College in the quarterfinal round of the 2018 MIAC Playoffs on Wednesday, February 21. The No. 3-seeded Royals (19-6, 14-6 MIAC) and No. 6-seeded Knights (14-11, 12-8 MIAC) are scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. Below are 11 things fans need to know prior to game time, including admission prices, parking information, and what's ahead for both teams.

Event info: Tickets for Wednesday's game may be purchased at the door. The price for admission is $7 for adults, $3 for students, and free for kids five and under. Students with a Bethel ID are able to attend for $1. Fans looking for parking are encouraged to park in the East lot. 
 
What's at stake: The winner of tonight's game will play either Saint John's or St. Olaf—the two teams with a first-round bye—on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. Should Carleton upset Bethel, they'll take on Saint John's as the lowest remaining seed in the tournament. A win for the Royals would send BU to Northfield to take on No. 2 seed St. Olaf—a team they lost twice to by a combined eight points during the regular season. [MIAC Playoff Website]
 
The Bethel file: The Royals enter tonight's MIAC Playoff quarterfinal with a 19-6 record overall, which includes a 14-6 mark in conference play. As a result, Bethel edged Augsburg, St. Thomas, and Carleton for the No. 3 seed and the right to host an opening-round game in the conference tournament for the third time in the last four seasons.
 
The Carleton file: The Knights come into tonight's MIAC Playoff quarterfinal with a 14-11 record overall and a 12-8 mark against conference opponents. Carleton is 3-3 during the month of February, which includes a 69-58 victory over St. Olaf on February 14.  The Knights look to end their current four-game skid of road losses, where they've gone 6-7 this season.
 
The matchup: Tonight's matchup between Bethel and Carleton is the 63rd meeting between these two teams since 1990. BU owns a slight 32-30 advantage over the Knights with a 7-1 record in the last eight contests. Carleton, however, went 10-1 against the Royals from February 2010-January 2015. Bethel is 3-1 against Carleton in postseason play.
 
We meet again: Tonight's game between Carleton and Bethel is the second straight season these two teams have met in the MIAC Playoffs. BU topped the Knights last year in Arden Hills by a final score of 57-53, which snapped Carleton's 14-game winning streak at the time. Granger Kingland scored a game-high 15 points, while Kevin Grow had 13 and eight rebounds.
 
Season series: Bethel swept Carleton in the season series, winning in Northfield on January 20 by a final score of 68-57 and in Arden Hills on February 17 by a final score of 62-46. The Royals trailed by eight with ten minutes remaining in the second half in both games, but managed to overcome the deficit on both occasions.
 
Not the first rodeo: The Royals have reached the postseason in seven consecutive seasons and 17 times in the last 19 years, which is the second most of any conference team during that stretch. Bethel has advanced to the MIAC semifinals or better in 12 of those 17 Playoff runs, including the last four under the direction of head coach Doug Novak.
 
Carleton's calling card: Senior Kevin Grow is one of the top players across the conference. The Circle Pines, Minn., native leads the league in rebounds per game (10.9), blocks per game (1.92), double-doubles (15), free throws made (99), and free throws attempted (143), while ranking second in field goal percentage (57.1) and points per game (17.4).
 
Fantastic February: Bethel has yet to lose in February, winning five straight and eight of their last 10. Included in that stretch is two wins over Carleton and one over Gustavus as well as a four-point loss to No. 3-ranked Saint John's and a seven-point defeat at St. Olaf. It's the first time BU has gone unbeaten in a month since December 2016, when Bethel was 5-0.
 
Nationally known: Bethel is ranked No. 6 among all NCAA Division III teams in field goal percentage, shooting 50.4 percent from the floor this season. The Royals have shot 50 percent or better in 15 games this season—11 of which were against MIAC foes. Interestingly, Bethel shot a combined 47.4 percent against Carleton in the two regular-season meetings.