ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Northwestern College men’s basketball team is in the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time.

The Eagles gained the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference’s first automatic postseason bid. They’re at St. Thomas on Friday night in the first round. Northwestern is in the St. Paul suburb of Roseville.

The Tommies are no stranger to the tournament. This will be the sixth straight appearance for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions.

Also in Division III, on the women’s side, Minnesota-Morris plays Coe College in Iowa and Concordia College of Moorhead takes on Simpson College in a first-round game in Wisconsin.

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