The No. 22 Washington University in St. Louis men’s basketball team will host Spalding University in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship Saturday, March 2, at WUSTL’s Field House. Game time is 7 p.m.
Washington University (20-5, 10-4 UAA) earned the University Athletic Association (UAA) automatic bid after finishing in a three-way tie with Emory University and the University of Rochester for the UAA Championship. Emory and Rochester received at-large bids and also will host first-round action Saturday. WUSTL and Spalding will be meeting for the first time in school history.
The Bears are making their 17th NCAA appearance as an NCAA Division III school and 20th overall, and sport a 30-14 (.682) all-time post-season record in Division III play. WUSTL has made three Final Four appearances in school history and captured back-to-back national championships in 2008 and 2009.
Spalding (20-7, 15-1 SLIAC) earned an automatic bid after winning the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) tournament championship. The Golden Eagles defeated Eureka College 64-62 in overtime in the SLIAC championship game Saturday in Louisville. Spalding is making its first trip to the NCAA tournament after leaving the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in 2009.
The box office will open at 5:45 p.m. Saturday. Ticket prices are $3 for students with an ID and $6 for adults. WUSTL undergraduate students with an ID will be admitted free courtesy of Student Union. Tickets will not be sold prior to box office opening.