MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's men's basketball team heads to St. Louis, Mo., later this week for the program's first appearance in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament since 2009.
 
The Rams (19-8) face Wash U (18-7) in a first-round matchup at 5:50 p.m. Friday, March 4 inside WU Field House. Wash U is the host of the four-team regional pod.
 
No. 10 Wheaton (20-6) plays Hope (22-6) in Friday's opening game at 3:20 p.m. The first-round winners meet at 5:50 p.m. Saturday.
 
The Wash U pod champion advances to the sectional round (Sweet 16) held March 11-12 at a campus site to be determined. Click here for complete pairings of the 64-team field.  
 
Coach Dave Schlabaugh's Rams are only two days removed from cutting down the nets after their thrilling 82-79 double-overtime win over Ripon in the championship game of the Midwest Conference Tournament in Ripon, Wis.
 
Cornell's first MWC Tournament title since 1994 has it back in the NCAAs for the eighth time in program history. The team's last NCAA trip in 2009 ended with a 61-53 first-round loss to UW-Stevens Point.
 
The Rams also qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 1994, 1976, 1970, 1963, 1961 and 1960.
 
Cornell's 19 wins are second-most in a season, behind only the 21-7 squad in 2008-09. The Rams placed second in the MWC regular season at 12-4.
 
The Rams put up a season-high for points in Friday's 111-97 MWC semifinal win over Grinnell, and then outlasted regular-season champion Ripon Saturday for the second time this season on its home court.
 
Cornell, which went 3-6 in a limited 2020-21 season, has turned it around behind the clutch play of its veteran leaders.
 
Seniors Cooper Kabela (16.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Jordan Magnani (16.1 ppg, 4.0 apg) are First Team All-MWC performers. Kabela is the program's all-time scoring leader with 1,626 points. Magnani ranks 13th with 1,185 points.
 
Senior forward Marcus Quirk totaled 55 points in the two MWC Tournament wins and averages 13.7 per game. Junior center Logan Sharp averages 8.2 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds. Sophomore guard Logan Christensen adds 6.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
 
The Rams have broken the school record for most points scored in a season (2,074). They've made 219 3-point goals, three shy of the single-season mark.
 
Wash U finished third in the United Athletic Association (UAA) at 8-6. The Bears, ranked No. 17 in last week's D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, are making their 23rd NCAA appearance.
 
Senior sharp-shooter Jack Nolan heads the Bears' attack with 21.1 points per game and 66 made 3-point goals. Wash U has hit 213 threes this season and average 71.4 points per contest.