ASHLAND, Ohio — Ashland is going dancing!
The Eagles earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament Saturday by beating Malone 82-78 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference finals. The bid was made official Sunday, with AU earning a 3-seed in the Midwest Region of the 64-team national bracket.
This marks the 14th D-II tournament appearance for Ashland, with the last four coming under head coach John Ellenwood. The College of Wooster grad has painstakingly rebuilt the Eagles program, winning 243 games in 14 seasons while breaking a 25-year tourney drought in 2016.
This year's Eagles (22-9) are led by G-MAC Player of the Year Brandon Haraway, a Norwalk native who is averaging 16.8 points per game. Simon Wheeler is also putting up 10.9 points and 6.1 assists per contest to grab Freshman of the Year honors, and scored 22 in the conference title game as AU came from behind to avenge a pair or regular season losses to the Pioneers.
In its program history, Ashland boasts seven Sweet 16 appearances and a pair of Final Four banners, but has not been past the second round of the tournament since 1991. All three rounds in the Midwest Region will take place in Indianapolis, with the Eagles battling sixth-seeded Ferris State (23-8) Saturday at noon.