(6) Greyhounds (20-7) vs. (3) #12 Ashland Eagles (25-5)
Saturday, Mar. 12, 1 pm ET, DeSimone Gymnasium, Somers, Wis.
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OPENING TIP
For the 11th time in program history and sixth year in a row, the UIndy men's basketball team is making a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Greyhounds earned the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region, drawing No. 3 seed and 12th-ranked Ashland in the opening round.

FOLLOW THE HOUNDS
Fans can follow all of the NCAA Midwest Regional games by using the links listed above. Follow @UIndyAthletics on Twitter, and use #HoundsAtNCAAs to keep up with all of the Greyhounds in action this weekend in NCAA Division II Championship competition.
 
ABOUT THE EAGLES
No. 12 Ashland (25-5) has put together one of the best campaigns in program history, as seventh-year head man John Ellenwood has AU in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 25 years. The Eagles are one win short of the program record for single-season wins, as well, and recently had a 12-game winning streak, which was the program's longest since a 15-gamer in 1990-91.
 
Individually, All-GLVC First Team selection Wendell Davis leads the Eagles with 17.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor. Boo Osborne, who earned All-GLVC Second and Defensive Team honors, is averaging 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
 
The Eagles' roster features only one senior, but they have shown remarkable consistency by starting the same lineup all 30 games. They also have four players averaging over 30 minutes per game: Davis, Osborne, Adrian Cook and Marsalis Hamilton.
 
GREYHOUNDS VS. EAGLES
UIndy and Ashland have met 34 times overall, but hadn't seen one another for nearly 20 years before earlier this season. The Eagles hold a 19-15 all-time series edge, including their 75-67 win on their home court back on Nov. 14.
 
Senior Jordan Loyd led the Greyhounds in that loss, scoring what was then a career-high 33 points on 11 of 21 shooting from the floor and a 9-for-10 effort at the foul line. Senior Joe Retic was the only other Hound in double figures, finishing with 13 points. UIndy had just eight assists to 13 turnovers in the game, and was outrebounded 42-29.
 
Osborne led the host Eagles with 20 points, and Hamilton (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Davis (16, 11) each recorded double-doubles.
 
Complete game recap and box score can be found on page here.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Greyhounds made an untimely exit in last week's GLVC Tournament, falling 92-89 in overtime of their quarterfinal match-up against Lewis.
 
After leading for most of the first half, UIndy went cold from the field in the second and saw its lead disappear. The Hounds had chances near the end of both regulation and OT to extend or win the game, but Jordan Loyd's potential game-winner in regulation just missed, as did Eric Davidson's potential game-tying 3-pointer at the final buzzer.
 
UIndy outrebounded Lewis 46 to 35, including a 15 to 7 advantage in offensive boards. The Flyers finished with an edge in field goal percentage (.492 to .403), and also outpaced the Hounds in points off of turnovers (28 to 15).   
 
Complete game recap and box score can be found on page here.
 
GREYHOUNDS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
UIndy is making its 11th appearance in the "Big Dance" in program history. The Greyhounds' run of six consecutive NCAA bids is a lofty feat matched only by Bellarmine among Midwest Region teams.
 
The Hounds are 5-10 overall in the NCAA Tournament, and are coming off their best postseason finish ever after reaching the "Sweet 16" a year ago. UIndy defeated Michigan Tech and Lewis before falling to host Bellarmine in the regional final.
 
UIndy's complete national postseason history - including individual and team records - can be found on pages 19-21 of the game notes.
 
DEFENSIVE DEFICIENCIES
As they have done the past several years under Head Coach Stan Gouard, the Greyhounds are enjoying a healthy scoring average per game. On the other end of the court, however, they have struggled at times this season. UIndy is currently allowing 78.8 points per game to opponents, the highest mark since giving up 80 per game during the 2000-01 season.
 
CONTNIUED EXCELLENCE
The Hounds' win against Saint Joseph's in the regular season finale moved them to 20-6 overall, signaling the fifth 20-win season in a row. Gouard's and the Greyhounds' success recently is unprecedented; prior to this stretch UIndy had only put together consecutive 20-win seasons one other time (1995-97).
 
MAKING HIS MARK
The current run of 20-win seasons has helped Gouard soar up the all-time coaching ranks. One more win gives him 150 even, and three more puts him past Todd Sturgeon for third on the all-time wins list at 152. His current .653 win percentage is second-best in program history, as well, trailing only Harry Good's .789 clip from 1928-43.
 
1K CLUB
On Thursday Feb. 4, Loyd became the 39th member of UIndy's prestigious 1,000-point club, and first since his former teammate Joe Lawson. The Atlanta native reached the mark in just 66 games, and has since moved up to No. 28 on the program's all-time scoring list. Below is a look at where Loyd currently falls in the all-time list:

Rk.	Player	Years	GP	Points	Points/gm
1	David Logan	2001-05	115	2,352	20.5
	......
25	Jeff Crabtree	1981-85	89	1,209	13.5
26	Bob Smock	1965-69	106	1,203	11.3
27	Darius Adams	2009-11	56	1,186	21.2
28	Jordan Loyd	2013-	73	1,157	15.8
29	Doug Stahly	1989-93	107	1,103	10.3
30	Justin Barnard	2004-08	103	1,077	10.5
31	Kevin Owens	1987-89	56	1,073	19.2

 
SOMETHING IN THE WATER?
Loyd will build on those numbers this weekend at the NCAA Midwest Regional, hosted by Wisconsin-Parkside in Somers, Wis. The last time the senior guard played in DeSimone Gymnasium he went off for a career-high 36 points, draining 15 of 18 shots as the Greyhounds upset the 14th-ranked Rangers (Feb. 20). In two career games at DeSimone Gymnasium, Loyd is averaging 29 points while shooting over 72 percent (21-29) including a near-perfect 8-for-9 mark from 3-point range.
 
MAKING THE FREE ONES
Although their overall percentage has dipped over the past few games, the Greyhounds still lead the GLVC and rank ninth in D-II in free throw percentage (.779). UIndy has three individuals in the top eight in the league and top 75 nation-wide based on NCAA minimums: Joe Retic (.876), Jordan Loyd (.851), and Lucas Barker (.845).
 
More impressively, the Hounds' foul shooting gets better when the game enters crunch time. UIndy is shooting 84.6 percent at the charity stripe in the final five minutes of regulation and overtime.
 
TEXAS FLOOD
This year's NCAA Division II Elite Eight will be March 23-26 at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas. It will be the first time the D-II finals have been played in the Lone Star state.

HITTING THE CENTURY MARK
The University of Indianapolis men's basketball program officially turns 100 years old this season, celebrating the Greyhounds' inaugural 1915-16 season. In honor of hitting the monumental mark, each game preview will feature a men's basketball historical fun fact.

The first NCAA Tournament game the Greyhounds ever played in was against Lake Superior St. back on Mar. 7, 1996 in Evansville, Ind. UIndy won 105-81, and that game still holds program records for points, field goal percentage (.619), 3-point percentage (.579) and assists (31) in the Hounds' NCAA Tournament history.