UW-L men sweat out wait, receive bid to NCAA tournament; women denied

They weren’t called until about 25 minutes into the selection show Monday morning, but they finally heard their name.

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse was awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The Eagles (17-9) are one of 21 teams to be given at-large bids.

At 5:30 p.m. Friday, UW-L (17-9) takes on St. Thomas (22-4) at Nebraska-Wesleyan in Lincoln, Neb.

This is the second time in program history the Eagles are headed to the NCAA tournament. The first trip came back in 2006, and ended after a first-round loss.

UW-Platteville (18-10), which beat the Eagles in the WIAC tournament, received an automatic bid to the big dance. Fourth-ranked UW-Oshkosh (23-3) also received at-large bid.

The UW-La Crosse women’s basketball team did not receive an at-large bid. UW-Oshkosh (24-3) and UW-Whitewater (18-9), which beat the Eagles (22-5) in the WIAC tourney semifinals, will be headed to the tourney.