GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - In a matchup between two programs looking for their first ever NCAA Tournament win, eighth-seeded Davenport will be at top-seeded/No. 20 Walsh on Friday in the Midwest Regional quarterfinals. Tip-off between the Panthers (GLIAC Tournament Champions) and the Cavaliers (G-MAC Regular Season and Tournament Champions) is set for 5 p.m. inside the Cecchini Center. DU (17-13) and WU (23-6) both enter the teams' first-ever meeting having won seven games in a row.
DAVENPORT
•   History in the Making: For the first time in program history, Davenport is part of the field of 64 and the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers enter the dance with seven-straight wins, the most recent of which came in the GLIAC Tournament final, a 100-67 rout of Northern Michigan in Houghton, Mich. Following the game,
Jarrin Randall was named Tournament MVP and was joined on that All-Tournament squad by DU big man,
Luke Maranka. Davenport improved to 5-2 all time in the league tournament and had never won a conference tournament game away from home prior to this season before doing so in three straight.
•   Some Much Needed R&R: The Panthers are paced by a pair of versatile guards in
Chris Rollins and
Jarrin Randall. Rollins, already with 1,516 career points and 108-straight games played under his belt, leads the team in points per game (15.4), assists per game (3.6) and steals per game (1.8). In just the GLIAC Tournament, the Detroit native took care of the rock with 18 assists to just four turnovers for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.5. Meanwhile, Randall has taken advantage of his first full season as a Panther. The Chicago product earned that Tournament MVP nod by going an absurd 13-of-28 from behind the arc (46.4 percent) in those three victories and poured in 28 points in the final against Northern Michigan.
•   LUUUUUUUUUUUUUKE: Davenport big man,
Luke Maranka, has started each of the team's 30 games and been vital to the Panthers' success. In his first 14 games played, Maranka scored in double-figures just twice, something he's done 10 times in the last 16 games. The Ada, Mich. native had his coming out party in the semifinals against Saginaw Valley State as he finished with his first-career double-double thanks to 28 points (career high), 10 rebounds (tied career high), three blocks, one steal, and no turnovers. The 6-10 sophomore is now fourth in blocks for a single season in school history, just four away from overtaking third place. His 37 this season are the most by a Panther since John McCloud's 45 in 2015-16.
WALSH (Roster | Schedule | Statistics)
•    Meet the Head Coach: The head coach of the Cavs and all-time winningest coach in program history, Jeff Young (18th season), was named G-MAC Coach of the Year for 2022. Young owns an all-time record of 415-130 (.761 winning percentage) with 12 20-win seasons, two 30-win campaigns and an NAIA National Championship in 2004-05. Under Young's tutelage at his alma mater, Walsh has yet to have a losing season and made its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019. The Cavaliers, like the Panthers, are looking for their first NCAA Tournament win in program history as they lost to Bellarmine, 81-61, in 2019 and the 2020 tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
•    About the Cavaliers: Walsh, winners of seven games in a row just like Davenport, captured both the G-MAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships in 2022. The Cavaliers have now won the G-MAC Tournament title in three of the last four seasons. They're led by the program's all-time leading scorer and G-MAC First-Team honoree, Darryl Straughter (2,119 points) and his 14.4 points per game. Also averaging in double-figures for the Cavaliers are Garrison Keeslar (G-MAC First Team) with 14.1 per game, Caleb Canter (G-MAC Second Team and All-Defensive Team) with 11.3 per game, and Tim Smith Jr. with 10.7 per game. Keeslar is the team's top rebounder with 8.2 per contest as well as the top assist man with 5.1 per outing.
•    National Spotlight: Walsh takes care of the ball as well as any team in the country. The Cavaliers are third in Division II in fewest turnovers per game (9.4), ninth in fewest total turnovers (272) and 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5). Individually, Keeslar ranks 27th in assists per game (5.1), 35th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4), 39th in defensive rebounds per game (6.4), and 48th in total assists (127). Darryl Straughter is 19th in the country in three-pointers attempted (220), 29th in three-pointers made (83) and 33rd in three-pointers made per game (2.96) while Caleb Canter is 29th in field goal percentage (59.7).
•    Home Sweet Home: Walsh jumped to Division II from the NAIA prior to the 2012-13 season and has been a part of both the GLIAC (2012-17) and the G-MAC (2017-Present) during that time. In that span, the Cavaliers have very much enjoyed playing on their home court with a record of 114-32 (.781 winning percentage) inside the friendly confines. In those 10 seasons of NCAA membership, only three of them saw Walsh lose more than three games at home, a place where they're 14-2 this season.
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