5th-seed IUP battles #1 Ashland tonight in the NCAA Division Two Final Four. It’s IUP’s first-ever trip to the national semifinals and it comes against a team carrying a Division Two record 72-game win streak. Ashland is 35-0; IUP is 30-3.
Coach Tom McConnell says Ashland is a handful, and plays much like Glenville State, a team IUP beat in the Atlantic Regional. He says IUP will have to be smart and take the fast break when it’s there, but be wise enough to slow the ball down and get into its half-court set when that’s called for.
Ashland leads the all-time series 5-4; The last meeting came on Nov. 28, 2004, a 79-72 victory by the Eagles in an early season tournament at Ashland.
Tipoff is set for 9:30 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Jack Benedict and Tony Coccagna have the Countdown to Tipoff pregame show starting at 8:30.
The winner tonight will play the winner of the other semifinal, either Central Missouri or Union.
