Findlay looks to upend the Bulldogs in tourney opener

After last Friday's 63-59 loss to Walsh in the Great Midwestern Athletic Conference tournament semifinal — the third time it lost to the Cavs this season — the University of Findlay's season hung in the balance. The Oilers sat at 19-10, hoping for an at-large bid to make it to the NCAA D-II Tournament for the first time since 2019. But given how the season has gone, it's only fitting that a little drama be added into Selection Sunday. The Oilers were coming off a 76-66 loss to Ohio Dominican in early December, then rattled off eight wins in a row before having to play seven games in 16 days. "Even going back to being shut down twice with COVID, we've dealt with a lot of adversity," Findlay-native and UF senior Anthony Masterlasco said. "All these factors that we've dealt with all year, and now being in the position that we're in, I think it shows that our hard work and everything we've done has paid off." The selection committee must've felt the same way as it was announced Sunday night that UF was back in the tournament for the 16th time in school history. It'll face Ferris State in Canton at 2:30 today. Earlier this season, UF won big at home against the Bulldogs, 86-74, in non-conference play. It was one of the three (St. Thomas Aquinas and Truman State) non-conference games the Oilers had this season against a team that made it to the Big Dance. "Coach does a great job scheduling those games early because he knows how important it is to play those teams," UF senior Brady Wildermuth said. "It strengthens our schedule and — if we do get those wins — it strengthens our résumé to get an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament. We took care of business early and beat Ferris, we played Truman (State) — didn't do the best against them, obviously — but facing those opponents gives us a great look at teams outside the conference." But, perhaps, it's what happened inside the G-MAC that really propelled UF to the tournament. Of the eight teams that made the Midwest Region, four are in the conference — Findlay, Walsh, Hillsdale and Cedarville. "When we joined the G-MAC four or five years ago, I think everyone questioned that decision and whether or not it was the right thing to do because of the strength of conference,'" Findlay coach Charlie Ernst said. "I would be lying if I said I knew it'd be the right thing to do, but I actually had confidence that in time — at least from a men's basketball point — that this would be a good conference. I think this year — not just the contending teams, but really the conference as a whole — performed extremely well in the non-conference games." The Oilers are led by Nathan Bruns, who averages 14.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He passed the 1,000-point mark earlier this season and was named to his second-straight first-team All-GMAC. Tre'Maine Gray was named to second-team All-GMAC, he scored 12.3 points per game. It'd be a misnomer to call Ferris State a 'non-conference' opponent, however. UF plays the Bulldogs every year and even dating back to when the Oilers were in the GLIAC, the two programs are more than familiar with one another. Ferris State (21-8) can run it up with the best of them, as it averages 87.4 points per game. They have five scorers averaging double-figures in points with a regular-season GLIAC championship. Walt Kelser leads the Bulldogs in scoring at 18.8 points per game, Dorian Aluyi is scoring 12.5 points and grabbing 7.7 rebounds per game. Ben Davidson (12.1 ppg), Lee Higgins (12.0 ppg), and Logan Ryan (11.3 ppg) round out the top scorers for FSU "Our players and their players totally respect what we're up against," Ernst said. "We know their quickness, we know their speed (and) we know their size. Sometimes just watching video of an opponent you've never played, you think you know, but you don't 'til you step on the floor. But with this team, our players have tremendous respect for Ferris State." In the 35 previous matchups, UF holds a 23-12 advantage. "I'm really excited to be playing Ferris State," Masterlasco said. He scored ten points in the first matchup between them with four boards. "We follow them well, we scout them well and that's important now here in playoff time — to understand the opponent. Even though that game was back in November, we still kept up with what they do and how they did as a team." But in recent memory, the most important win goes to the Bulldogs. In the 2018 NCAA Div. II regional championship, FSU won big, 80-65. While there are only three players remaining from that team — Masterlasco, Wildermuth and Ethan Linder —that game certainly will come into play this afternoon. And that's all they're thinking about in the locker room: Today. "We can't look past (teams) and think how are we gonna come back or how are we gonna recover for the next game," Wildermuth said. "It's do-or-die at this point, it's a whole new season and I think those guys know how important it is to be mentally focused right as we step in this locker room for practice until we leave at the end of practice. "I think our biggest challenge for us is going to be how we get prepared Ferris and — God willing we win that —how we quickly we bounce back to keep playing and string together some games. We don't have a day or two to prepare for these teams, we gotta be ready to go."