MOORHEAD, Minn. - The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team (24-5) is dancing for the third straight year. The Dragons will matchup against the Tigers from East Central University (24-7) in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
 
MSUM is the sixth seeded team in the Central Region going against the three seed in East Central. Three other NSIC teams made the NCAA tournament in the Central Region: Southwest Minnesota State (2), Augustana (5), and Upper Iowa (8).
 
The last time the Dragons were on the court they had an opening round exit from the NSIC Tournament, leaving questions to if MSUM would make the NCAA's postseason event. This is the third straight NCAA tournament berth for the Dragons, and the fourth under the direction of Head Coach Chad Walthall.
 
East Central clinched its spot in the NCAA tournament after winning the Great American Conference (GAC) tournament over Arkansas-Monticello. MSUM is 1-1 against teams from the GAC this season, beating Harding (84-78) and falling to Southern Nazarene (91-87).
 
Senior guard Aaron Lien, the NSIC Player of the Year, leads the team in scoring at 18.1 points per game while shooting 57.6 percent from the field. Junior guard Tanner Kretchman's 4.6 assist-to-turnover is the best in the nation. Kretchman has 193 assists on the season, to go along with 16.0 points scored per game.
 
Senior forward Ayob Ayob adds 15.6 points per game for the Dragons. Ayob shoots 43.1 percent from beyond the arc and leads with 18 blocks and 5.4 rebounds per game.
 
The Dragons average 89.4 points per game, a mark that is best in the NSIC and 10th in the NCAA, and are outrebounding their opponents 36.2-33.3. MSUM's opponents are averaging 78.9 points per game with a .455 field goal percentage.
 
Head coach Chad Walthall is in his 7th season with an overall record of 165-56.
 
How to Follow...
Game 30: (Watch) https://portal.stretchinternet.com/nwms/
(Stats) http://www.sidearmstats.com/nwmissouri/mbball/
 
Scouting the Opposition...
East Central
East Central enters the first round of the NCAA tournament riding a five-game win streak and is the winners of the Great American Conference (GAC) regular season and tournament championships.
 
The Tigers dropped their first four games of the season and have since gone 24-3. East Central is 0-1 against the NSIC this season, having fallen to Augustana, 67-61, in its opening weekend of the season.
 
Braxton Reeves leads the Tigers and the GAC in scoring at 22.2 points per game. Reeves also leads in steals (57) and free throw percentage (.903). Donzo Ishmael leads with 7.3 rebounds per game, adding 11.5 points on the offensive end. Donzo also leads with 30 blocks, while Cannon Brett has a team-best 120 assists.
 
East Central scores 81.9 points per game, while shooting 48.2 percent from the field. The Tigers are shooting 41.4 percent from beyond the arc.
 
East Central surrenders 72.3 points per game to its opponents who average 42.7 percent from the field.
 
The Tigers outrebound their foes 37.2-34.7.
 
Ja Havens is in his fourth year as East Central's head coach with a record of 82-37.
 
Three-Straight
With the inclusion into the 2016-17 NCAA tournament, it marks the third-straight time the Dragons will be marching on. This is the fourth time under Head Coach Chad Walthall that MSUM will play in the NCAA's postseason tournament. Last season, MSUM fell to Minnesota State in the opening round, 85-81. The Dragons made history in the 2015 tournament as they made it to the first Elite Eight in MSUM's school history.
 
Lien on Me
Since stepping on campus and dawning a Dragons uniform, senior guard Aaron Lien has amassed an 82.7 win percentage. Lien's record at MSUM stands at 110-23 currently.
 
Bench Scoring Advantage
MSUM has gotten some key contributions off the bench, seemingly from someone different every night. This season, the Dragons are a perfect 16-0 when their bench outscores the opponents bench.
 
Taking Care of the Ball
MSUM has been a model for success when it comes to taking care of the ball. The Dragons are first in the nation in turnovers per game (8.3) and fewest turnovers (240). MSUM has hit a season low 4 turnovers three times this season, with the most recent being in an 85-63 win over Winona State on Feb. 3.
 
Pass me the Rock
MSUM has found success limiting turnovers in its high scoring offense. The Dragons 1.83 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks second nationally and first in the NSIC. Junior guard Tanner Kretchman is first in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.60), eighth in total assists (193) and ninth in assists per game (6.7).
 
NCAA Opening Round
Under Head Coach Chad Walthall the Dragons have been selected to the big dance four times, and are 2-1 in previous NCAA opening round games.
2016 - vs. Minnesota State, L 85-81
2015 - vs. Pittsburg State, W 80-68
2012 - vs. Southwest Minnesota State, W 82-66
 
Matty and Addi
The big man tandem of sophomore forward Addison Park and freshman forward Matt Anderson have provided a spark off the bench for the Dragons this season. Both Anderson and Park have played in all 29 games this season, averaging 17.5 and 15.5 minutes per game respectively.
 
Anderson is the leading scorer off the bench averaging 7.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Anderson set a career-high 22 points twice this season, with the most recent coming in a 104-97 overtime win at St. Cloud State. Anderson has scored in double digits eight times this season.
 
Park averages 7.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He set a career-high 21 points in an 82-81 win over Minnesota Crookston on Dec. 9. Park has scored in double digits 10 times. Park registered a double-double against Southwest Minnesota State with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Rebound Advantage
The Dragons have been tough to beat when they win the battle of the boards. When MSUM outrebounds its opponents, they are 17-2 on the season.
 
Kretchman Nearing the Top
Junior guard Tanner Kretchman continues his climb to the top of the all-time assist leaders. Currently in second with 460 assists, the junior is 11 assists behind the all-time leader Jordan Riewer (471). Kretchman is averaging 6.7 assists per game. With his fourth point of the game at Sioux Falls, Kretchman joined the ranks of those to achieve 1,000 points for their career at MSUM. He was the 31st player to break the 1,000-point mark.
 
Leaders at the Line
MSUM is 27th in the nation, and first in the NSIC, in free-throw percentage averaging 76.4 percent from the free throw line. The Dragons have four players shooting at least 80.0 percent from the line: Mackuei Puondak (1.000), Aaron Lien (.864), Tanner Kretchman (.830) and Jon Doss (.817).
 
Up Next
If MSUM defeats East Central it would play the winner of Southwest Minnesota State and Arkansas Tech on Sunday, March 12 at 5 p.m.