Men's Basketball | 2/25/2016 2:00:00 PM

NACC TOURNAMENT PAGE

The second-ranked Benedictine University men's basketball team will welcome fifth-seeded Marian University on Friday night in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference semifinals. Benedictine is seeking the tournament title and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.

Benedictine received a bye after capping a perfect regular season at 25-0 with a 20-0 record in NACC play, the first perfect season in school and conference history. Just one other school has run the table through the NACC, Concordia Wisconsin in 2010-11 with a 16-0 mark. Concordia Wisconsin lost in the semifinals but went on to host an NCAA Regional.

Benedictine has not played a game decided by less than 15 points since a 76-67 victory at home over preseason conference favorite Concordia Wisconsin on January 16. The team ranks fourth nationally in scoring margin at 19.7 points per game. Just three conference contests were decided by 10 points or less, one against Marian in the first conference home contest on December 5 (84-76).

The first meeting with Marian saw Benedictine turn a four-point deficit at the midway point of the first half into a double-digit advantage, leading 49-35 at the half. Trailing by 18 points early in the second half, Marian battled to within 79-74 with just over a minute left before five consecutive points again pushed the margin to double figures. Four players reached double figures for Benedictine led by Luke Johnson, who poured in 21 points and added 10 rebounds. Michael Blaszczyk contributed 17 in the winning effort. Benedictine shot 51.7 percent from the floor in the first half and held a 40-29 advantage on the glass. Alex Stecker and Reggie Roemer paced Marian with 20 points apiece. The game was one of the first for Benedictine in the national rankings.

The second contest saw Benedictine score an 83-61 win two weeks later in Wisconsin. Benedictine trailed for just 1:26 of the game, using a 10-2 run to close the half to open a 43-29 advantage. The advantage reached 29 points midway through the second half and the bulk of starters were done for the contest for the final seven minutes or longer. Blaszczyk was the lone player to score in double figures for Benedictine, notching a season high 25. Blaszczyk made 11 field goals in the game as Benedictine shot 50.7 percent and connected on 11 three-pointers, matching a season high. Marian shot only 31.1 percent. Josh Creed led the way with 12 points. Benedictine, the top rebounding teams in the nation, held a 47-31 advantage on the glass.

Marian (14-12) arrives at Benedictine after winning the first round game at fourth-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran. Both road teams won first round contests on Wednesday with sixth-seed MSOE taking down third-seeded Concordia Wisconsin. Four players scored in double figures led by 16 from Creed. Marian led wire-to-wire, scoring the first eight points of the game. Josh Creed leads the team in scoring at 17.2 points per game, ninth in the conference, while Alex Manhardt averages 16.7 points over his 11 games.

Benedictine claimed the first outright NACC Championship in school history. The team won the south division in 2011 with a 13-3 mark while Concordia Wisconsin won the North at 16-0. Winning the tournament title determined the conference champion from 2009-13. Benedictine is the top-ranked team in the Central Region rankings, ahead of Augustana, who is ranked first in the D3hoops.com Top 25, ahead of Benedictine.

The entire starting five averages in double figures, led by Blaszczyk at 14 points per game. Blaszczyk surpassed the 1,000-point marker for his career earlier this season. Tim Reamer, who has started the last two games averaged 9.7 points and has scored 37 points with 25 rebounds in those two starts. Johnson leads the conference in rebounds and blocks while Reamer is the conference leader in field goal percentage. Adam Reynolds and Johnson are both among the top-10 in the conference in field goal percentage.

Benedictine is one of only two unbeaten teams at all levels of NCAA men's basketball competition (Lancaster Bible). The team leads the nation in rebound margin, field goal percentage defense, and defensive rebounds. Benedictine is second nationally in field goal percentage, assists, and assists per game while ranking third in total rebounds per game, fourth in scoring margin, and fifth in total rebounds and assist-turnover ratio.