SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth University is headed to Hope College in Holland, Michigan for the sectional rounds of the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament. The Pirates (21-6) will take on Wheaton College of Illinois (21-7) on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. (EDT - 3:00 p.m. PDT). The hosts from Hope (25-3) will tip off against Ohio Wesleyan University (22-7) in the second game of the night.

Click here for the complete bracket (PDF).

Click here for Hope's sectional website.

"Our team is excited to be playing in one of the best small college basketball venues in all of America and to be playing against a Wheaton program that has a rich basketball tradition," said Whitworth head coach Jim Hayford. "We are a little familiar with Wheaton, having played in their tournament last year and we have great respect for their program and Coach Harris."

Ryan Symes

Whitworth advanced to the sectional rounds of the tournament with last night's 83-75 win over Occidental College in the second round of the tournament. Northwest Conference Player of the Year Ryan Symes (Sr., F, Palo Alto, Calif.) led all players with 24 points on 9 of 13 shooting from the field. David Riley (Fr., G, Palo Alto, Calif.) buried 5 of 8 three point attempts on the way to 19 points, while Colin Willemsen (Sr., F, Moraga, Calif.) added 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Ross Nakamura (Jr., G, Moraga, Calif.) scored all 11 of his points in the second half to help rally the Pirates from a five-point halftime deficit. He also had a game-high eight assists. The Pirates were 20 of 20 from the free throw line, including 12-12 in the final 1:30 to ice the game.

"We are playing our best basketball of the year, which is what any coach would want," said Hayford (140-45 in his 7th season leading the Pirates). "We are eager to get back on the court and match up against some of the nation's best teams."

Wheaton, coached by 17th-year head coach Bill Harris, finished tied for 2nd in the Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), considered one of the strongest basketball leagues in Division III. The Thunder received an at-large berth (pool C) into the tournament and proved the committee's judgment by defeating Lawrence (WI) 93-83 in overtime in the first round, then topping Loras (IA) 76-73 in the second round. Both games were played at Wisconsin-Whitewater. D3hoops.com All-American Kent Raymond (Jr., G) averages 23.4 points per game, while Andy Wiele (6-8, Jr., C) adds 15.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

Ohio Wesleyan finished second in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), but won the conference's tournament for an automatic bid. The Battling Bishops defeated Heidelberg 83-62 in the first round, then knocked off 4th-ranked Centre College (KY) 82-65 on the road on the second round.

Hope is ranked #1 in the latest D3hoops.com poll. The Flying Dutchmen received a first round bye, then hammered Capital (OH) 92-72 at home in the second round. Hope won both the regular season title and the conference tournament of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).

Ticket and travel information for Holland, Michigan can be found on Hope's sectional website.