Overtime postseason home win sets the stage for Rockford University men's basketball
Kevin Diemer, Micah Swanson and the Rockford University Regents are on to the next round.
After hanging on for a 75-72 overtime win over Concorida Wisconsin in their first postseason men's basketball home game since 2021 on Tuesday night, the Regents will now have the honor of taking on the No. 1-seeds, and the regular-season conference champions, Wisconsin Lutheran in a quick turnaround on Thursday night. And it's on the road no less.
The winner of that game then moves on to Saturday's NACC conference tournament championship.
Rockford has never won a NACC conference tournament title, which comes with an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III national championship tournament. The Regents last made it into the NCAA D-III tourney in 2003 with an at-large bid.
And now Rockford (18-8) will head to Milwaukee with a tall task. That is where they lost 84-68 to Wisconsin Lutheran (22-4) on Jan. 13.
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"I've never seen (our gym) like that, and it was just a great experience for our guys, and so much fun for this entire program," Rockford head coach Jeremy Reigle said of Tuesday's home postseason matchup. "And now, well I guess it's on to Wisconsin Lutheran. That's saying a lot. Because they are good."
Rockford showed Tuesday that it is playing some of its best basketball of the season, too. Diemer, who finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds, drained a 3-pointer to tie the game with 18 seconds left in regulation. He also dished out to Swanson, who finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and five blocks, for a key bucket late in the OT victory. Jaden Bell added eight points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Regents.
"This was such a credit to our guys and how they can just adjust to find a way," Reigle said. "And now, we're going to have to keep finding ways."
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star, and for over 30 years all together.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford men's basketball wins first-round home playoff game in OT
