The University of St. Thomas at Minnesota Men’s Basketball Team ranked 2nd in the NCAA Division III West Region standings posted on February 28th.
The Tommies finished their NCAA Tournament run with an overall record of 30-3. St. Thomas met College of Wooster in the NCAA championship match and won 78-54!
The Tommies’ Season
The Tommies have had an incredible season that culminated in winning the NCAA Division III Tournament crown. After working so hard all season to make it to this point, the players of the St. Thomas team took what they had earned all year.
The Tommies gave Wooster a bit of hope as they fell behind in the start of the game 11-2. St. Thomas then exploded with a 34-5 run over the next 10 minutes to take a 20-point lead and put the game out of reach for Wooster.
The Fighting Scots cut the gap to 10 early in the second half but St. Thomas responded with seven straight points and never led by less than 14 the rest of the game. Wooster finished with 18 turnovers on 13 St. Thomas steals, while the Tommies had only nine turnovers. In addition to this incredible honor, the Tommies can also boast of winning 30 games, and becoming the MIAC regular season title winners and MIAC tournament champs.
Head Coach Steve Fritz leads the Tommies but depends on Tyler Nicolai, Alex Healy, and Teddy Archer.
About The Team
Head Coach Steve Fritz is in his 31st season with the Tommies and continues to create a quality program. In his illustrious tenure at St. Thomas, he is a 14-time MIAC Coach of the Year, 3-time NCAA West Region Coach of the Year, led his teams to 14 conference championships, reached the MIAC playoff finals 15 of the last 21 years, and advanced to the conference playoffs 22 of the past 23 seasons. His teams have also reached the NCAA Tournament 10 of the last 20 seasons, including winning it all this season.
Seniors Tyler Nicolai and Alex Healy were named to the All-MIAC Team. Nicolai was also named to the All-MIAC Defensive Team, Second Team All-American, NABC All-West Region First Team, and one of the top 10 players in DIII. He has started all 113 games in his career and helped St. Thomas build a 100-13 record. He comes into the NCAA with 1,335 points and 234 threes, while shooting 43% from behind the arc. Healy averages 12.7 points and 3 assists per game.
He has made a school-record 30 consecutive free throws and is converting at 92% at the line this season. Senior Teddy Archer was named to the All-MIAC Defensive Team. He helped lead the defense that only allowed 64.5 points per game. Archer averaged 5.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.
About The School
The University of St. Thomas is located in Saint Paul, MN and is a Catholic, comprehensive university that fosters a tradition of service to the public and an energetic, thoughtful approach to the challenges of contemporary life. Serving more than 10,500 students, St. Thomas offers a wide range of employment opportunities, cultural events and volunteer activities.
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