Sports

Augustana Vikings Try To Advance in NCAA Division III Tournament

WVIK, Quad Cities NPR

Published March 10, 2016 at 12:47 PM CST

The top-ranked Augustana men's basketball team will face Emory Friday night in the third round of the Division III NCAA Tournament.

Dave Wrath, Augustana sports information director, says eight players who came in as freshmen in the fall of 2012 are still on the team.

The Vikings will have home court advantage again, after winning last weekend's games in Rock Island.

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"We play very hard, we don't talk much on the floor, we don't showboat or anything and we're very business like. I think in a community like the Quad Cities, which is a blue collar community, I think people appreciate that."

Augustana went 26-1 over the season and won the CCIW Tournament championship.

The Emory Eagles won the University Athletic Association championship, after going 20-7 for the season.

This is the Vikings' third consecutive appearance in the Division III Tournament and 17th overall. Last year, they brought home the second place trophy.

Friday's tip-off is at 7:30 at the Carver Center in Rock Island.