MITCHELL — The pairings are set for the Great Plains Athletic Conference basketball tournament, with the Dakota Wesleyan women set to host a first-round contest.
The women, who are seeded No. 4, will welcome Northwestern to the Corn Palace on Wednesday, Feb. 22, while the No. 6-seeded DWU men hit the road to take on third-seeded Dordt on Wednesday.
Going into the regular-season finale Saturday against Concordia, the women needed a win to host in the first round, as a loss would’ve put Concordia at the No. 4 seed and moved DWU to No. 5. Instead, a 61-54 win helped the Tigers clinch at least one home game in the GPAC tournament.
“It’s huge,” DWU women’s head coach Jason Christensen said of playing at home. “We don’t have to travel. … We are at home and all we have to do is worry about ourself.”
The DWU women swept Northwestern this season, winning 73-64 on the road on Jan. 30 and 55-41 at home on Feb. 8. If the Tigers win, they would travel to top-seeded Dordt or host No. 8-seed Doane, based on the winner of that game.
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Elsewhere in the women’s bracket, third-seeded Jamestown hosts No. 6-seed Concordia, and No. 7-seed Morningside travels to No. 2 Briar Cliff.
For the men, Saturday’s Tiger win over Concordia helped in terms of seeding. With the win, the Tigers stayed as the No. 6 seed, whereas a loss would’ve sent them down to No. 8 and on the road against top-seeded Jamestown.
The men split their games against Dordt this year, losing the first matchup 77-74 on the road on Dec. 10 and winning the second contest 70-66 at home on Jan. 25. If DWU wins, it would either travel to No. 2 Morningside or host seventh-seeded Briar Cliff, based on the outcome of that game.
Other first-round matchups on the men’s side include, No. 8 Hastings traveling to top-seeded Jamestown and fourth-seeded Northwestern hosting No. 5 Concordia.
In both tournaments, an automatic bid to the NAIA tournament is on the line. If the regular-season champion wins the GPAC tournament, the tournament runner-up will earn the conference’s second automatic berth to the 64-team national bracket, meaning Jamestown on the men's side and Dordt in the women's bracket are already assured of national tournament spots.
Great Plains Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament
High seeds host all games
Quarterfinals — Feb. 22
No. 8 Hastings (15-13, 8-12 GPAC) at No. 1 Jamestown (23-5, 15-5 GPAC), 7:45 p.m.
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No. 5 Concordia (17-11, 11-9 GPAC) at No. 4 Northwestern (20-8, 13-7 GPAC), 7 p.m.
No. 6 Dakota Wesleyan (13-15, 9-11 GPAC) at No. 3 Dordt (22-6, 14-6 GPAC), 7:45 p.m.
No. 7 Briar Cliff (14-13, 8-12 GPAC) at No. 2 Morningside (21-6, 15-5 GPAC), 7 p.m.
Semifinals – Feb. 25
Hastings/Jamestown winner vs. Concordia/Northwestern winner, time TBD.
Dakota Wesleyan/Dordt winner vs. Briar Cliff/Morningside winner, time TBD.
Championship — Feb. 28
Semifinal winners at highest remaining seed, time TBD.
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Great Plains Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament
High seeds host all games
Quarterfinals — Feb. 22
No. 8 Doane (14-14, 8-14 GPAC) at No. 1 Dordt (26-2, 20-2 GPAC), 6 p.m.
No. 5 Northwestern (19-9, 14-8 GPAC) at No. 4 Dakota Wesleyan (21-7, 15-7 GPAC), 7 p.m.
No. 6 Concordia (18-10, 14-8 GPAC) at No. 3 Jamestown (21-7, 16-6 GPAC), 6 p.m.
No. 7 Morningside (17-11, 12-10 GPAC) at No. 2 Briar Cliff (21-7, 17-5 GPAC), 7 p.m.
Semifinals – Feb. 25
Doane/Dordt winner vs. Northwestern/Dakota Wesleyan winner, time TBD.
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Concordia/Jamestown winner vs. Morningside/Briar Cliff winner, time TBD.
Championship — Feb. 28
Semifinal winners at highest remaining seed, time TBD.
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