Contact: Chassidy Holloway, Assistant Executive Director, holloway@midwestconference.org
 
GRINNELL, Iowa – After winning its first Midwest Conference (MWC) regular season title since 1999, Ripon College will host the 2022 MWC Men’s Basketball Tournament as the top seed.
 
The four-team tournament will feature two men's semifinal games on Friday, February 25. First action begins at 1:30 p.m. with No. 2 Cornell College taking on No. 3 Grinnell College. Ripon will meet No. 4 Illinois College at 6:00 p.m. in the second semifinal.
 
All four qualifying teams split 1-1 against each other during the regular season.
 
The reigning Tournament Champion Red Hawks went on a seven-game win streak to conclude the regular season with a 13-3 Conference record (17-8 overall). Ripon’s last loss came at the hands of Cornell back on January 29.
 
The Rams finished the season 12-4 in league play (17-8 overall) to make their third postseason appearance in the last six seasons. Cornell had a shot at a share of the league title before suffering a loss to Grinnell with just two games left in regular season.
 
Grinnell enters the tournament weekend with a 10-6 MWC record (16-8 overall). The Pioneers knocked off Cornell to clinch their spot in the four-team field before dropping their final two games of the season against Lake Forest and Illinois College.
 
After defeating Grinnell on Sunday, Illinois College (10-6 MWC, 14-10 overall) needed one more win in the final game of the season to make the Conference tournament. The Blue Boys defeated Knox on Tuesday to clinch the fourth and final spot in the field over Lawrence University.
 
The winners of both semifinals will meet at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 26, to compete for the tournament title and the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Fans can visit the men’s basketball tournament page for more information.

Ripon will serve as host to both the men's and women's basketball culminating events. The full event schedule is as follows: 

Friday, February 25 
Men's Semifinal #1 -- 1:30 PM -- #2 Cornell College vs. #3 Grinnell College
Women's Semifinal #1 -- 3:30 PM -- # Monmouth College vs. #3 Knox College
Men's Semifinal #2 -- 6:00 PM -- #1 Ripon College vs. #4 Illinois College
Women's Semifinal #2 -- 8:00 PM -- #1 Ripon College vs. #4 Illinois College

Saturday, February 26
Men's Championship Game -- 3:00 PM --- Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2
Women's Championship Game -- 6:00 PM -- Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2