SAINT PETER, Minn. — After a thrilling 85-80 quarterfinal win over Bethel on Tuesday, the Gustavus men's basketball team (16-10 overall, 14-6 MIAC) is set to face Carleton in the tournament's second round. The Knights (17-8 overall, 14-6 MIAC) earned a first round bye as the second seed in the playoffs. The two teams tied for second in the final MIAC standings, and will tip off at 7 p.m. Thursday at Carleton's West Gym.

GUSTIES IN THE MIAC PLAYOFFS

The MIAC Men's Basketball Playoffs began in 1985 and since then Gustavus has made 27 appearances with a record of 33-17, including nine championships. This year's playoff appearance marked a return to the field for the Gusties, who missed last year's cut, finishing eighth in the MIAC standings. This is the Gusties' first semifinal game since the 2014-15 season, when the team upset the third-seeded Johnnies 64-54 before falling to St. Thomas 83-79 in the second round. The Gusties' last championship came in 2005, while their last NCAA appearance was in 2012 through an at-large bid to the tournament. 

THE SERIES

Thursday's game marks the 101st all-time meeting between Gustavus and Carleton on the floor with the Gusties holding a 59-41 advantage in the series. In their last 10 matchups, each team has won five. The two split the MIAC series this season, each winning on their home court. Gustavus defeated Carleton 76-62 in their home opener, getting 23 points out of the hands of Wyatt Olson. Carleton returned the favor, winning 78-66 on Jan. 17. 

LAST TIME THEY MET — GUSTIES vs. KNIGHTS

The Gustavus men's basketball team settled for a series split against Carleton, losing 78-66. Playing in the 62nd game of his career, junior Spencer Swanson became the 34th member of Gustavus's 1,000-point club after scoring a team-high 18 points on an efficient 8-of-11 from the field. Unfortunately for Swanson and the Gusties, the milestone was marred by a decisive loss. 

The Gusties' lone lead was after the first bucket of the game on a jumper by Swanson. The Knights ensued with an 11-3 run and held the advantage the rest of the way. The home team led by as much as 13 points in the first half. 

After shooting 60 percent in the first, Carleton carried an 11-point lead into the second frame at 40-29. The Knights increased their advantage to 14 points in the first two minutes of the second before Gustavus answered with an 11-2 run. Brady Kienitz capped the scoring spree with a four-point play at the 13:32 mark, cutting the difference to 47-42, but that was the closest they got in a double-digit loss. 

Shooting was nearly even as Carleton converted at 49.1 percent compared to 47.1 percent for the Gusties, but the Knights won the offensive battle down low, outscoring the Gusties 48-32 in the paint. Carleton edged Gustavus on the glass 33-31 and had six fewer turnovers. Following Swanson's 18 points, Kienitz, Evan Wieker, and Jonah Anderson added 10 points apiece. 

LAST ACTION

The Gustavus men's basketball team won its first playoff game since 2015 Tuesday, defeating the Gusties' white whale Bethel, 85-80 in a packed Gus Young Court. 

Gustavus jumped out to an early 12-4 lead on 6-for-7 shooting, getting baskets from five different players to open the game. After shooting 1-for-5 after tip-off, the Royals turned the tables in the next three minutes, going on a 10-2 run of their own to tie the score at 18 apiece halfway through the opening frame. Bethel's Joey Kidder and Spencer Swanson went one-for-one in the following 10 minutes, Kidder scoring nine and Swanson 11 to lead each of their teams. The lead was exchanged four times, but a layup from Swanson and a defensive rebound from Adam Biewen the other way gave the Gusties a two-point advantage heading into halftime. 

The Gusties struggled from three in the opening frame, getting only one from the hot-shooting Brady Kienitz, while Bethel took advantage of free throws to catch up to the Gusties, who had 10 fouls in the first half. 

The second half Gusties brought a whole different energy to the court. Gustavus opened the frame with five points out of the hands of Evan Wieker for an 8-4 run to set the tone. Bethel battled back, and the two teams exchanged the lead eight times in the final 20, but a Spencer Swanson layup-and-one pushed the Gusties out of reach in the final 1:32 of play. Gustavus finished the final minute of play with seven points on 3-for-4 shooting, including an Adam Biewen steal and dunk, to bring home Head Coach Justin DeGrood's first playoff victory.

Gustavus finished shooting 56.3 percent from the floor, including an even 63 percent in the second half. The Gusties out-rebounded Bethel 29-26 and got 62 points in the paint in the victory. Spencer Swanson had another career night, scoring 25 on 10-for-17 shooting with seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. Adam Biewen added 17 points to the total, 13 of which came in the second half. Wyatt Olson and Evan Wieker rounded out the Gustie top scorers with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

SCOUTING THE GUSTIES

The Gusties finished tied for second in the conference this year with a record of 14-6. Through 26 games this season, the Gusties average 77.4 points per game and allow 71.4 against. The Gusties are shooting an impressive 49.3 percent from the field, while holding opponents to a mark of 46.9 percent. The team has been a 3-point machine in the conference, averaging eight made per game with a percent of 39.7 from the arc. Spencer Swanson leads the team in virtually every statistical category, averaging 19.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 36.9 minutes per game. Adam Biewen has led the Gustie defense this season, averaging 0.4 blocks per game as well as a team-leading 1.4 steals.

GUSTIES vs. KNIGHTS IN THE PLAYOFFS

This is the ninth playoff matchup between the two programs, with the Gusties owning a 6-2 advantage in the playoff series against Carleton. The last time the two teams met in the postseason was in 2011, with the Gusties, as the No. 5 seed, upset top-seeded Carleton 70-64 and advanced the the title game. The winner of Thursday's game will play either Saint John's (No. 1 seed) or Hamline (No. 4 seed).

ROAD WARRIORS

The Gusties have played 14 of their 26 games away from Gus Young Court, including four of the team's five non-conference games. Against conference opponents, Gustavus has a 6-4 record on the road this season. The Gusties have emerged victorious in their last two games outside of Saint Peter, winning 65-44 at Concordia on Feb. 7 and 72-63 at Saint Mary's last Wednesday. 

A DeGROOD DOZEN

Justin DeGrood, in his second season as head coach, has led the team to its best season in a dozen years. The second place finish in the conference is the best since 2012, when the Gusties went 20-8 overall and 16-4 in the MIAC to earn a share of the conference title with St. Thomas. The 2012 Gusties fell in the MIAC Playoff Championship to the Tommies, 66-62, but earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to Wheaton 68-60 in the first round. Tuesday's game also marked a first for DeGrood, who picked up his first MIAC Playoff victory as head coach and first since 2015.

CALLIN' THE SHOTS

The Gusties have cemented themselves as one of Division III's best shooting teams this season. On multiple occasions, the Gusties have led the nation in field goal percentage, and have ranked in the top-10 of 3-point shooting teams all season. Currently, Gustavus sits 10th in field goal percentage of 412 ranked Division III schools with a mark of 49.5 percent. The Gusties are 39.7 percent from downtown, which ranks fifth in the nation.

PLAYOFF SWANSON

Spencer Swanson, who was named MIAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, had another impressive game on Tuesday, scoring 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting. Swanson picked up seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. Swanson has scored in double-digits in all but two of 26 games this season. Macalester and Carleton held Swanson to just eight points on Feb. 5 and Nov. 29. The star junior forward has scored 20 or more points 14 times this season, six of those 14 on the road, and has nine double-doubles. His 36:34 minutes per game rank 11th in the nation, while his 194 field goals sit 19th. Last time the Gusties played at Carleton, Swanson scored 18 on 8-for-11 shooting in 37 minutes, adding six rebounds and an assist to his stat line. 

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS

Carleton completed its regular season last Saturday, and hasn't played since, winning 90-51 over Saint Mary's to lock up the second seed and the team's 25th appearance in the conference postseason. The Knights won the tournament last season, winning 86-76 over Saint John's to punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost 81-77 in the opening round to St. Norbert. 

Carleton finished the regular season with an overall record of 17-8 and conference mark of 14-6. The Knights will host Gustavus at West Gym for their third consecutive home game, and are 10-2 when playing in Northfield this season. The team's only two losses at home this season have gone to Saint John's (72-74) and Augsburg *81-82). Through 25 games this season, Carleton averages an even 78.0 points per game, while allowing 72.6 against. The Knights are shooting 46.6 from the field and 36.3 from three this season, statistics that rank fifth and fourth in the league. Luke Harris far and away leads the Knights this season, averaging 19.8 points per game. Harris is shooting 44.5 percent this season, and currently ranks fourth in the country with 162 made free throws. 

KEEPING THINGS CLOSE

Eight of the Knights' games have been decided by five points or less. Five of those eight went in favor of the Knights, who have a knack for closing close games. Of these close games, the Knights earned a two-point victory over Macalester last Wednesday before flipping the script against Saint Mary's on Saturday. Carleton defeated the Cardinals by 39 to earn the No. 2 seed over the Gusties. 

HANDLING HARRIS

Luke Harris has scored 10 or more points in 24 of the team's 25 games this season, including a pair of 30+ point efforts – both against Saint John's. The Piedmont, Calif. native has made his junior campaign one to remember, earning three MIAC weekly awards this year, and is six points away from a 500-point season for the first time in his career. Against the Gusties, Harris racked up 24 and 19 points in the two games, getting 13 of his combined 43 points from the charity stripe. In his last three games, Harris has slowed his relative point production, averaging 10 per game in his last three, compared to his season mark of 19.8.