Both MIAC basketball champions will bring double-digit winning streaks into this week's Division III NCAA tournaments.
The Carleton men's team will play St. Norbert in the first round Friday in Wheaton, Ill.
Carleton (24-3) won the MIAC playoff championship by beating St. John's 86-76 on Sunday for its 10th victory in a row. The Knights are in the NCAA field for the third time overall and the first time since 2010. Their opening opponent is St. Norbert (19-7), champion of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
The winner of that game will play the winner of Wheaton-Illinois College on Saturday. Weekend host Wheaton (22-4) received one of the 20 at-large bids to the tournament after losing in its conference tournament semifinals.
The other Minnesota men's team in the field is Bethany Lutheran (23-4). The UMAC champion from Mankato, which has set a program record for victories in a season, plays Hope College (19-9) on Friday in Oshkosh, Wis.
MIAC women's champion Gustavus Adolphus (25-2) has won 17 consecutive games, including a 79-57 victory over Concordia (Moorhead) that earned the Gusties a repeat trip to the NCAA tournament. They play Ohio Wesleyan (18-10) on Friday in Whitewater, Wis. The winner of that game plays either Wisconsin-Whitewater or Webster on Saturday.
UMAC women's champion Northwestern (Roseville) plays host University of Chicago on Friday. The Eagles (!9-8) are in the NCAA tournament for the second time overall, with their other appearance coming in 2014.
No Minnesota men's or women's teams received at-large bids.
