The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's basketball team has earned an at-large bid to the 2025 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championship, the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee announced Monday.
 
UWL will host a four-team regional on Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8 at The La Crosse Center.
 
UWL (22-5) hosts Greenville University, Ill. (20-7) in the first round March 7 at 6:40 p.m. while Carthage College, Wis. (21-6) faces St. Norbert College, Wis. (22-6) in the other first round game at 4:20 p.m.
 
The winners advance to the second round Saturday, March 8 at 6:40 p.m.
 
UWL will be making its fourth appearance in the NCAA III Tournament, earning its first win in program history with a 90-86 victory over Heidelberg University (Ohio) in the 2022 first round. The Eagles fell, 65-56, at Illinois Wesleyan University in the second round in 2022. UWL made its first trip to the NCAA Division III Championships in 2006, falling 79-71 to Calvin College (Mich.) in the first round. The Eagles also appeared in the 2019 national tournament, losing 79-66 to the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) in the first round. 

The Eagles received one of 21 at-large bids in this year's 64-team NCAA III Championships.  Automatic qualification is granted to 43 conference champions, which form "Pool A."  The remaining 21 teams are selected from those teams in conferences with automatic bids that did not win their conference's automatic qualification (Pool C).  The teams are geographically paired, whenever possible.

Sixteen sites will host four teams for first and second-round competition Friday-Saturday, March 7-8.  Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional-round sites March Friday-Saturday, March 14-15. 
 
Winners of the four sectional games will advance to the semifinals and finals Thursday, March 18 and Saturday, March 20.  All games, except the semifinals and finals, will be played on the campuses of competing institutions.  The semifinals and finals will be conducted at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

UWL and Greenville (Ill.) will be meeting for the first time in school history.  

UWL, ranked fourth on last week's D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll, has set a single-season school record with its 22 victories this year. The Eagles won 21 games in three different seasons, finishing 21-6 in 1975-76 and 2019-10 and 21-7 in 2021-22.
 
UWL finished 12-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) this season. The 12 league wins are the most since finishing 12-4 in 2006-07. The Eagles advanced to their third WIAC Championship (presented by Culver's) this season, falling 89-68 at third-ranked UW-Platteville in the title game.
 
UWL, 10-2 at home, 7-2 on the road and 5-1 on a neutral court this season under second-year head coach JT Gritzmacher, is averaging 77.9 points this year while allowing 69.4. The Eagles are shooting 45.6% from the field, including 32.7% from three-point range, and 69.4% at the free throw line.
 
Four players average in double figures with Sam Grieger leading at 15.4 points per game. He is shooting 51.8% from the field, including 37.7% (23-of-61) from three-point range, and 77.9% (81-of-104) at the line. Grieger has scored in double figures in 22 games, including 10 of the last 11. He is second for UWL in rebounding (5.4), assists (2.6), steals (1.2) and blocks (0.9) per game. Grieger has three double-doubles in 2024-25.
 
Dustin Derousseau is second in scoring (13.7) and leads the team in steals (1.4) in blocks (1.1) while being third in rebounding (5.1). He is shooting 45.0% from the field and has scored in double figures in 20 contests. Derousseau has three double-doubles this year.
 
JJ Paider leads UWL in rebounding (7.6) and assists (2.7) while ranking third in scoring (12.7) and third in blocks (0.8). He is shooting 51.8% from the field and leads the Eagles in free throws made (110) and attempted (160). Paider has double figures in 18 contests with six double-doubles.
 
UWL's Karter Thomas is fourth in scoring (11.4) this year while shooting 44. 5% from the field. He has 17 games with at least 10 points.
 
Will Fuhrmann is averaging 8.4 points.
 
Grieger, Derousseau, Paider and Fuhrmann have all started all 27 games this year while Thomas has started 20 contests while playing in all 27. Khris Green has appeared in all 27 games.

Greenville (Ill.) is 20-7 on the season, earning the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) automatic bid with a 115-104 win over Webster University (Minn.) in the championship game.  The Panthers, winners of 14 straight games, advanced to the championship game after a 134-117 win over Eureka College (Ill.) in the semifinals. 

The Panthers are averaging 117.9 points while allowing 109.3. Greenville (Ill.) is shooting 42.8% from the field, including 29.6% from three-point range, and 63.5% at the line.
 
One other WIAC team, UW-Platteville, earned a bid to the 2025 NCAA Division III Championships. The Pioneers, ranked third in last week's D3hoops.com Poll, will also host a four-team regional. UW-Platteville hosts Grinnell College (Iowa) in the first round.