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CHICAGO, Ill. -- The University of Chicago men's basketball team opens the 2025 NCAA DIII Tournament on Friday, March 7, as they host the #7 Saint John's University Johnnies at the Ratner Athletic Center at 6:30 PM CT. The game will follow the opening game of the Regional at 4 PM CT between #9 Illinois Wesleyan and Bethany Lutheran.

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO NOTES:

* The University of Chicago capped off the regular season with an 18-7 record overall and a 9-5 record in the UAA.
* The Maroons brought home a third-place finish in the UAA despite being picked to finish seventh in the preseason coaches' poll.
* The University of Chicago clinched their spot in the NCAA Tournament last Saturday with a 76-68 win over #13 WashU to complete the season sweep over the Bears.
* Thomas Kurowski became the first Maroon to earn 1st-Team All-UAA honors this season since Jordan Baum in 2018-19. He leads team with 16.1 points per game, 79 assists, and 47 steals this season.
* Joe Berry also earned an All-UAA selection, earning 2nd-Team honors for the junior guard. Berry is averaging 12.0 points per game on 43% shooting this season.
* The Maroons are making their first appearance in the NCAA DIII Tournament since the 2007-08 season when they fell to UW-Stevens Point in the opening round,
* The University of Chicago is looking for their first win in the NCAA Tournament since the 2000-01 season when they reached the Quarterfinals with wins over UW-Eau Claire and Lewis & Clark. The 2000-01 season was also the last time the Maroons hosted a game in the NCAA Tournament.
* Daniel Cochran has had a breakout freshman season, averaging 9.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game on 48% shooting from the floor and 42% shooting from three.
* Eamonn Kenah joins Kurowski and Berry as the trio of players who are averaging double figures this season with 10.7 points per game.
* With the win, the Maroons will advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, where they will play the winner of #9 Illinois Wesleyan and Bethany Lutheran.

#7 SAINT JOHN'S (MN) NOTES:

* Saint John's (MN) enter the postseason as the #7 team in the country after finishing the season with a 24-3 record overall and a 15-1 record in the MIAC, sweeping both the regular season and tournament crowns.
* The Johnnies started the season just 4-2 overall with losses to Calvin and UW-La Crosse, but they have won 20 of their last 21 games since that point. Their lone loss since November came in a four-point defeat at Gustavus Adolphus.
* Ryan Thissen has been the key cog for the Johnnies this season, averaging 14.9 points per game on 49% shooting from the floor. Thissen was named the MIAC Offensive Player of the Year.
* Blake Berg and Kooper Vaughn each average double figures for Saint John's (MN) with 11.0 and 10.7 points per game.
* The Johnnies are one of the top offensive teams in the country this season, ranking top 5 in field goal percentage (49.5), free throw percentage (79.1%), and scoring margin (+16.9).
* Saint John's (MN) joins UChicago as one of the top teams in taking care of the basketball as they rank 3rd in DIII with only 8.8 turnovers per game and 2nd in assist/turnover ratio at 1.82.
* With the win, the Johnnies will advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday where they would play the winner of #9 Illinois Wesleyan and Bethany Lutheran.

SERIES HISTORY:

* Saint John's (MN) leads the all-time series with UChicago 2-0, winning the only two matchups all-time between the two squads.
* The Maroons fell 64-61 in the first-ever meeting between the two teams in 2008.
* The last meeting between the Maroons and the Johnnies resulted in a 90-87 win in Chicago in 2010.

CAREER STATS NOTES:

* Joe Berry - 9th in Steals (97)
* Arrish Bhandal - 7th in Blocks (49)
* Thomas Kurowski - 2nd in FT % (84.1%), 8th in Steals (98), 9th in 3-Pt FG Made (151), 10th in Points (1,160), and 10th in FG Made (391)

SINGLE-SEASON STATS NOTES:

* Thomas Kurowski - 3rd in Steals (47) and 10th in FT % (84.2%)

NCAA TOURNAMENT REGIONAL SCHEDULE:

First Round - Friday, March 7

4 PM CT - #9 Illinois Wesleyan vs. Bethany Lutheran
6:30 PM CT - #7 Saint John's (MN) at (RV) UChicago

Second Round - Saturday, March 8

6:30 PM CT - Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2