On the road in Milwaukee: Bisons prepare for NCAA tournament opening round against Iowa State
The Bisons are in the Big Dance for the second time in school history and spent Thursday preparing for the first-round game tomorrow.
Kim Chaudoin |
On the eve of its second-ever NCAA tournament appearance, the Lipscomb University men’s basketball team took the court for a press conference and shootaround at Fiserv Forum Thursday morning setting the stage for a matchup against No. 3 seed Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA tournament..
Tipoff is set for 12:30 p.m. CT Friday, March 21, in Milwaukee, a homecoming for Wisconsin natives Jacob Ognacevic and Grant Asman and the culmination of a successful season as the Bisons have 25 wins for just the second time in the program’s NCAA DI history.
The No. 14 seed Bisons (24-9) punched their ticket to the tournament after defeating North Alabama 76-65 in the ASUN Championship game on March 9. It’s the program’s first NCAA tournament berth since 2018 and a milestone moment under sixth-year head coach Lennie Acuff.
“This is obviously something the kids have dreamed about their whole life,” Acuff said during Thursday’s press conference. “We’ve been Division I for 23 years. They told me in the first 14 years, we had one 20-win season. We’ve had six in the last nine. That’s a testament to our culture and to these guys who chose to stay.”
Acuff’s squad enters the tournament with experience and confidence, even in the face of a physical Iowa State team known for its aggressive defense and elite ball pressure.
“They’re very impressive to watch,” Acuff said of the Cyclones. “They turn everybody over. We’re going to make some mistakes. The key is to get on to the next possession. You’ve got to have a short memory and a strong chin.”
We’ve played in big environments the last couple of seasons at places like Rupp Arena, Arkansas, Florida State and Dayton. If it doesn’t go well tomorrow, it won’t be because the moment’s too big. It’ll be because we got beaten by a better team. But I believe in our guys.
— Coach Lennie Acuff
The Bisons, who lost standout center Dylan Faulkner to injury in January, have leaned on leadership from graduate student guards Will Pruitt and Joe Anderson and Ognacevic, a senior forward — each of whom returned this season with one goal: win a championship.
“To see them rewarded for their loyalty meant a lot,” said Acuff. “They could have gone anywhere, but they chose Lipscomb again.”
Thursday’s press conference featured Ognacevic, Pruitt, Anderson and junior Gyasi Powell, each expressing gratitude for the opportunity and focus on what lies ahead.
“Iowa State is a really good team,” said Ognacevic, who grew up in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. “From the tip to the end of the game, we’ve got to come out ready. Room for error is small.”
Ognacevic, who missed last season with a knee injury, described the emotional high of winning the ASUN title on the Bisons’ home court.
“I was crying when we won,” he said. “It just meant a lot. I’ve been through a lot of struggles here. To finish it like that, with our fans and families there, was incredible.”
Pruitt pointed to physicality as a key factor Friday. “They’ve got some size at the 3 through the 5,” he said. “We’ve got to be physical and play our game for 40 minutes.”
Powell emphasized taking care of the basketball. “We know they’ll come out and try to pressure the ball and get into us,” he said. “Ultimately, we just need to be ourselves and limit turnovers.”
The Bisons are battle-tested and undaunted by the big national stage of this NCAA tournament game.
“We’ve played in big environments the last couple of seasons at places like Rupp Arena, Arkansas, Florida State and Dayton,” Acuff said. “If it doesn’t go well tomorrow, it won’t be because the moment’s too big. It’ll be because we got beaten by a better team. But I believe in our guys.”
Ognacevic, who played a high school game at Fiserv Forum as a freshman, has never played a game as a college player in the state of Wisconsin. He said returning to play a college game on that same floor as he did in high school for the NCAA tournament is surreal.
“I’ve got a lot of friends and family coming,” he said. “It means a lot to be able to play here in Wisconsin. We’re excited.”
The game is schedule to air on TNT beginning at 12:30 p.m. CT on Friday, March 21.
