EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team will play Gannon University in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Division II Tournament, scheduled for March 12-15 at The University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio. Second-seeded USI (26-4) and seventh-seeded Gannon (18-10) will tip-off at 1:30 p.m. (CST) Saturday.

The Screaming Eagles are making their 17th trip to the big dance and their 12th appearance in the last 13 seasons. USI has advanced to the Elite Eight three times in the last 13 years, reaching the finals in 1994, 2004, and winning the championship in 1995.

USI is coming off its first ever GLVC Tournament championship. The Eagles won convincingly, winning each of the three games by an average of 30 points. The squad also set the tournament record for field goal percentage (62.1 percent, 105-169) and three-point field goal percentage (72.1 percent, 33-45).

Senior forward/center Randy Holbrook (St. Louis, Missouri) was the tournament's Most Outstanding Player by averaging a team-best 19.3 ppg. Freshman guard Carl Richburg (Mason, Ohio) joined Holbrook on the All-Tournament team with 16.7 ppg and a team-best 6.3 assists per game.

The USI-Gannon match-up follows Saturday's 11 a.m. (CST) contest between third-seeded Ferris State University and sixth-seeded University of Indianapolis. The second session on Saturday will feature top-seeded and host Findlay against eighth-seeded Quincy University in the 5 p.m. (CST) game and fourth-seeded Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and fifth-seeded Wayne State University at 7:30 p.m. (CST).

USI is ranked fourth nationally (the final poll will be released on Tuesday) and is riding a school-record tying 16-game winning streak.