THE RUNDOWN
DBU punched its ticket to the NCAA DII Men's Basketball Championship on Sunday with a 77-57 win over Oklahoma Christian in the Heartland Conference Tournament Championship Game. The Patriots (26-5) won both the regular season and postseason conference championships in 2017-18.

DBU never trailed, as it defeated the seventh-seeded Eagles (12-18), making their first-ever Heartland Conference Tournament appearance. Carter Brown, Jordan Manse, and Patrick Burke either scored or assisted the Patriots' first 11 points, as DBU jumped out to an 11-2 lead and never looked back.

Four Patriots scored at least 11 points, and eight scored at least six. Manse led DBU with 12 points and recorded eight rebounds. Zach Lord's 11 rebounds were a game high and a personal best.

Boy Van Vliet, Chandler Jacobs, and Patrick Burke were named to the All-Conference team, and Burke was named tournament Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career.

 THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Patriots advance to the NCAA Championship for the second time in three years and will play in the postseason for the fifth straight season.
- DBU's 26 wins are a single-season program high.
- The Patriots will find out their first-round opponent at 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON WHAT THIS CHAMPIONSHIP MEANS
"I'm so proud of our guys.  They have taken us on a fun ride this year.  Today was one of our best defensive performances of the year.  Everyone made significant contributions that were necessary for us to win.  It was such a selfless team effort and what a special way for Burke, Boy, and Luke to win a conference title as seniors.  Burke has been tournament MVP not twice in three years and that's an incredible accomplishment."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
.583 – DBU shot .583 from beyond the three-point line.
11 – The Patriots outrebounded Oklahoma Christian 47-36. 
.889 – DBU is 8-1 in its last nine Heartland Conference Tournament games.

All-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Patrick Burke - DBU - MVP
Jordan Box - OC
Landon Goesling - SEU
Chandler Jacobs - DBU
Elijah Strickland - OC
Boy Van Vliet - DBU

 
UP NEXT
The Patriots will learn their first-round assignment Sunday night. The NCAA selection show starts at 9:30 p.m.