Men's Basketball | 3/9/2026 2:50:00 PM

NCAA Division III Bracket
University of Mary Washington (Va.) Website

La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's basketball team is set to travel to the University of Mary Washington (Va.) for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Sweet 16 on Saturday, March 14.

Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. (Central) in Ron Rosner Arena in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The winner advances to the NCAA Division III Quarterfinals on Thursday, March 19 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The national semifinals are set for Saturday, March 21 in Fort Wayne with the national title game scheduled for Sunday, April 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

UWL and Mary Washington (Va.) are meeting for the first time in school history as UWL seeks its second straight appearance in the Elite Eight.

UWL, 24-6 on the season, advanced to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 with a 79-62 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.) on March 7. The 24 wins are second in single-season school history after setting a school record with 25 last season.

The Eagles earned a 75-61 victory over Hope College (Mich.) in the first round on March 6. 

UWL, ranked 14th on the D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll and 13th in the National Power Index (NPI), earned an automatic bid to the NCAA III Championships after capturing the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament (presented by Culver's) with a 81-78 victory at UW-Whitewater on February 28. It marked UWL's first conference tournament title in school history.

JT Gritzmacher is in his third season as UWL's head coach, compiling a 63-24 overall record and 29-13 in the WIAC. The Eagles finished 25-6 overall and 12-2 in the WIAC in 2024-25, setting a single-season school record with its 25 overall victories. The 12 league wins were the most since finishing 12-4 in 2006-07.

Sam Grieger is averaging 25.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game this season. He has scored in double figures in all 30 games with at least 25 points in 17 contests.  Grieger scored a school record 46 points at UW-Oshkosh on January 7, breaking the record of 43. His 774 points this year is a single-season school record, breaking Tony Mane's record of 666 in 2010-11. The 774 points is also fourth in single-season WIAC history. He has also set single-season school records in free throws made (206) and attempted (241) and field goals attempted (515) while ranking second in field goals made (267).

Grieger ranks sixth in UWL history in career points (1,480), second in free throws made (340) and fourth in free throws attempted (415).

JJ Paider is averaging 14.4 points and team-high 7.7 rebounds while shooting 58.6% (153-of-261) from the field. He is second on the team in steals (40) and third in assists (59) while scoring in double figures in 24 games. Paider has eight double-doubles. His career 689 career rebounds ranks sixth in school history.

Paider, who has played in 104 career game with 90 starts, is one of five players in UWL history to record at least 1,000 career points and 650 rebounds. He ranks 15th in career points (1,177).

Averaging 15.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, Dustin Derousseau leads UWL in three-point field goals made (46) and attempted (138). He also leads UWL in blocks (43) and steals (57) and is second in assists (84). Derousseau has scored in double figures in 24 games and currently ranks second in career blocks (103) and tied for third in career assists (147).

Derousseau has played in 99 career contests with 92 starts. He ranks 12th in career points (1,298).

The Eagles are averaging 81.0 points and allowing 72.7. UWL shoots 47.4% from the field, including 31.6% from three-point range, and 72.1% at the free throw line. Opponents hold a 36.4 to 35.4 rebounding advantage.

UWL is making its fifth appearance in the NCAA III Tournament, advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in school history last season. The Eagles opened last year's national tournament with a 120-93 victory over Greenville University (Ill.), earning their first NCAA Division III tournament victory since 2022. UWL followed with a 77-67 win over St. Norbert College (Wis.) in the second round to advance to the NCAA III Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time in school history. The opening two games were held at The La Crosse Center.

The Eagles earned a 72-65 home victory over Illinois Wesleyan University in Mitchell Hall in the NCAA III Sweet 16 before falling 80-66 to Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) in the NCAA Division III Elite Eight. 

UWL is 6-4 all-time in the NCAA III Championships, 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 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. 

Mary Washington (Va.), ranked fifth on D3hoops.com and fourth in the NPI, is 26-3 on the season. The Eagles are 15-0 at home this year.

The team earned a pair of home victories in the opening rounds of the NCAA Division III Championships with an 86-55 victory over Worcester State University (Mass.) on March 6 and an 81-64 win over Amherst College (Mass.) on March 7.

Kye Robinson leads Mary Washington (Va.) with 24.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Jay Randall averages 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds while Ulysses Young averages 10.6 points and Jadon Burgess 9.8.
Mary Washington (Va.) averages 80.6 points per game while allowing 65.6. The Eagles shoot 48.3% from the field, including 38.1% from three-point range, and 72.1% at the line. The team is outrebounding its opponents, 36.1 to 34.4.