INDIANAPOLIS — The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team earned the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Central Region Tournament as the NCAA announced the 64-team NCAA Division II men's basketball bracket on Sunday night.
 
No. 1 seed Minnesota State University will host the eight-team regional at the Taylor Center in Mankato, from March 16-17, 19.
 
SMSU (19-12), making its sixth NCAA tournament appearance and first since 2018, will face No. 2 seed Northwest Missouri State (27-4) in the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 16, with game time set for 2:30 p.m.
 
The semifinals take place on Sunday, March 17, with the championship game on Tuesday, March 19.
 
The other quarterfinal match-ups include No. 1 Minnesota State versus No. 8 seed Arkansas Tech, No. 4 seed MSU Moorhead versus No. 5 seed Pittsburg State (Kan.) and No. 3 seed Minnesota Duluth vs. No. 6 seed Fort Hays State (Kan.).
 
Tickets for the tournament go on sale on Monday morning at 8 a.m. at msumavericktickets.com/singlegame
 
The Division II men's basketball championship consists of a 64-team field with eight qualifiers from each region competing at a single regional site. Twenty-three teams earned automatic qualification and the remaining 41 received at-large bids to the tournament. Once the eight regionals conclude, respective teams will advance to the Men's Elite Eight at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., from March 26-30.
 
SMSU is 9-5 in 14 all-time NCAA tournament games, having appeared in three region championship games, while winning region titles in both 2001 and 2009. 
 
SMSU handed NWMSU one of its four losses on the season, earning a 63-56 victory on Nov. 11 in St. Joseph, Mo. The Bearcats, who won the MIAA regular season and tournament championship, enter the NCAA tournament on a 16-game winning streak and ranked No. 4 nationally.
 
SMSU in the NCAA Tournament
March 9, 2001 – W, Winona State, 88-77
March 10, 2001 – W, Fort Hays State, 82-63
March 11, 2001 – W, St. Cloud State, 67-65 – North Central Region Championship
March 21, 2001 – L, Kentucky Wesleyan, 85-66 – NCAA Elite Eight
 
March 14, 2009 – W, Northern State, 69-47
March 15, 2009 – W, Minnesota State, 77-69
March 17, 2009 – W, Augustana, 73-60 – Central Region Championship
March 25, 2009 – L, Cal Poly Pomona, 79-74 – NCAA Elite Eight
 
March 10, 2012 – L, MSU Moorhead, 82-66
 
March 11, 2017 – W, Arkansas Tech, 93-82
March 12, 2017 – W, East Central, 74-70
March 14, 2017 – L, Northwest Missouri State, 55-52 – Central Region Championship
 
March 10, 2018 – W, Missouri Southern, 81-77
March 11, 2018 – L, Minnesota State, 74-70