SAINT PETER, Minn. – The No. 11 nationally ranked Gustavus Adolphus College men's basketball team will take on the Saint John's University Johnnies on Saturday, February 28 at 7:00 p.m. at Gus Young Court in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoff Championship. The MIAC Playoff champion will receive the playoff championship trophy and the Conference's automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament.
 
GUSTIES' PATH TO THE TITLE GAME
The Gusties entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed after going 15-1 in conference play and winning their second consecutive MIAC Championship.
 
Following an opening round bye, Gustavus hosted the Augsburg University Auggies on Thursday, February 26 in the semifinals. The Gusties took down the Auggies 84-68 to improve to 24-2 on the season and punch their ticket to the MIAC Playoff Championship game.
 
Myles Barnette led the Gusties with 21 points on 62.5% (10-for-16) shooting in the semifinals. Andrew Quam had 16 points and narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Carson Koch led Gustavus with 10 rebounds in the game.
 
JOHNNIES' JOURNEY TO THE 'SHIP
The Johnnies entered the MIAC Playoffs as the No. 2 seed, which was decided by tiebreakers as Saint John's was one of four teams to go 11-5 in the conference this winter, tying the St. Olaf College Oles, the Concordia College Cobbers, and the Carleton College Knights.
 
After a bye past the quarterfinals as one of the top two seeds, the Johnnies battled Concordia in the semifinals on Thursday. In a hard-fought game, Saint John's ultimately defeated the Cobbers 75-68 to improve to 16-10 overall. Strong second-half shooting powered the Johnnies to the win, making 57.7 (15-for-26) from the floor in the final 20 minutes while hitting 63.6% (7-for-11) from long range.
 
Peyton Podany led Saint John's in the semifinals, scoring 24 points on 7-for-15 shooting while grabbing a team-high six rebounds. Baiden Bean followed with 19 points, shooting 7-for-10 overall and 5-for-7 from three-point range while leading SJU with eight assists and three steals.
 
SEASON SERIES
On December 10, Gustavus hosted Saint Jonn's for their first meeting of the season. The two rivals battled neck and neck until a late flurry of threes powered Gustavus to a 95-80 victory. The Gusties led by seven points late, up 81-74 with less than four minutes to go, and then caught fire from three-point range, hitting four of five from beyond the arc down the final stretch to put the game out of reach. Jake Schmitt hit the first to put Gustavus up 84-74, Quam capitalized on a Johnnie turnover with another three to go up 87-74, and then Barnette stole the ball to put the ball back in the Gusties hands where Quam splashed another three to take a 90-74 lead. Eli Wolff hit the final three with 1:16 to go to lift Gustavus to a 93-78 lead en route to their victory.
 
The Gusties faced the Johnnies again on February 4, when Barnette and Schmitt combined to score 50 points to lead the Gusties to a 72-61 victory. The game was tied 35-35 at halftime, and then an early scoring run in the second half gave the Gusties a lead they held to the final buzzer. Barnette led the Gusties with 28 points, shooting 10-for-15 from the field while recording a team-high seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Schmitt scored 22 points while shooting 50% from the field and going 3-for-8 from long range.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP ADMISSION
All tickets will be sold and purchased online via HomeTown Ticketing. There will not be cash sales at any venue; however, spectators can purchase tickets using a mobile device, including while at the venue.
 
General Admission: $12 (plus HTT service charge)
Students with ID: $3 (plus HTT service charge)
Children 5 and Under: Free
* MIAC passes accepted
 
PAY-PER-VIEW
The 2026 MIAC Men's Basketball Playoffs will be streamed live on the MIAC Sports Network in a pay-per-view format. Individual playoff contests will be streamed for $10 each, or $25 for a "championship pass" to stream the entire tournament live. On-demand access to playoff games will be available after the NCAA Tournament concludes.
 
The MIAC Sports Network Help Page provides guidance and links to help fans navigate the streaming platform. Hudl Customer Support is also available by email or 24/7 chat to assist with any issues.
 
2025 MIAC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals | Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026
No. 6 Augsburg 69, No. 3 St. Olaf 68 | Box Score |
No. 4 Concordia 74, No. 5 Carleton 52 | Box Score |
 
Semifinals | Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026
No. 2 Saint John's 75, No. 4 Concordia 68 | Box Score |
No. 1 Gustavus 84, No. 6 Augsburg 68 | Box Score |
 
Championship | Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026
No. 2 Saint John's at No. 1 Gustavus | 7:00 PM | Tickets | Live Stats | PPV Stream |
 
| 2026 MIAC Men's Basketball Playoffs |