Playoff Primer: Cobbers Host Knights In MIAC Quarterfinals

MOORHEAD, Minn. (2/23/26)— No.4 seed Concordia will host No.5 seed Carleton in the quarterfinals of the MIAC playoffs on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium. The Cobbers earned their third straight conference playoff appearance, and 15th in program, by going 11-5 in league play and tying for second place in the final MIAC standings.

TICKET INFORMATION: The first 50 Cobber students with ID will be admitted free of charge. Ticket prices for all others are $13 for adults and $3 for any students (5 years old and younger are free). There is no senior discount. MIAC passes will be honored. No other passes will be accepted. Fans can purchase ticked by clicking on the link below.

MIAC Playoff Ticket Site (Hometown Ticketing)

WHAT: MIAC Men's Basketball Quarterfinals

WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Memorial Auditorium – Moorhead, Minn.

TEAMS: No.5 Seed Carleton (16-10/11-5 MIAC) at No.4 Seed Concordia (19-6/11-5 MIAC)

LIVE LINKS:  Live Video (PPV$) | Live Stats

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Concordia used a 5-game winning streak to finish in a 4-way tie for second place and earn the No.4 seed via the tie-breaking procedure. The second-place finish was the highest for the Cobbers since 2013 and their 11 wins in league play are the most since 2024 when they went 12-8 and finished in fifth place. Concordia also had a 4-game win streak starting in the middle of January which helped CC end the year with a 9-1 mark.

Carleton won its last three games of the regular season to also finish at 11-5 and part of the 4-way tie for second place. The Knights also fashioned a 3-game win streak at the end of January and won six of their final eight games on the year. To carry the 3-game win streak one step farther – Carleton opened the conference season by winning its first three games. The Knights went 2-3 in a stretch right after the holiday break before finishing with their 8-game stretch run.

RECORDS VS. OTHER PLAYOFF TEAMS: Concordia went 4-5 against the other five MIAC playoff teams. The Cobbers split their season series with the Knights, St. John's and St. Olaf. CC beat Augsburg in their only match-up of the year and were swept by regular-season champion Gustavus in their two games. Carleton went 4-4 against the other league playoff teams. The Knights only played Gustavus and Augsburg one time each and recorded victories in both of those games. Carleton split their series with Concordia and St. Olaf and were swept by St. John's.       

HOME AND AWAY: Concordia was 10-1 at home this year in all games with their only loss coming in overtime at the hands of Gustavus. CC is 19-3 in the last two years inside the friendly confines of Memorial Auditorium. Carleton was 7-5 on the road this year. The Knights were 5-3 away from home against conference opponents.

PLAYOFF PEDIGREE: Concordia is making its third straight MIAC playoff appearance and 15th overall. The Cobbers are hosting a conference tournament game for the first time since 2016 when they were also the No.4 seed and lost to Bethel. Concordia has lost nine straight MIAC tournament games with their last win coming in 2004 against St. Thomas. CC is 3-13 all-time in MIAC playoff games and won their only conference playoff championship in 1996 when they beat Carleton in the semifinals and Gustavus in the title game. The Cobbers are 2-1 at home in the conference playoffs with their last home victory coming in 2004. CC is 0-3 as the No.4 seed in the tournament.

The Knights are making their 27 overall appearance in the MIAC playoffs and fifth straight trip to the league postseason. Carleton is 13-24 in their previous 26 trips to the conference playoffs and have won the championship on two different occasions (2010, 2023). The Knights are 3-16 on the road in MIAC playoff games with their first two victories coming when they won the title in 2010 and their third in last year's tournament. Carleton is 0-3 lifetime as the No.5 seed in the playoffs.  

PLAYOFF HEAD-TO-HEAD: This will be the time the teams have faced each other in the postseason - and the first since 2010. Both of the previous match-ups came in the quarterfinals and both were played in Moorhead with the Cobbers being the No.3 seed and the Wildcats as the No.6 seed. Concordia came away with an 80-73 win in 2007, while St. Kate's prevailed 79-65 in 2010. Neither team went on to win the following game in the semifinals.      

| 1996 MIAC Semifinal Recap |
   

REGULAR SEASON MATCH-UP: The two teams split their regular-season series with each team pulling off a last-second basket at home to claim the victory. Carleton won 74-73 in the first game of the series in Northfield. Matt Drake was responsible for the game winner as he drained a 3-point shot with 2.5 second left on the clock. The game-winning shot came after Concordia staged a huge second-half rally that saw them trail by as many as  20 points in the second half but used a 27-8 run to tie the game at 62-62 with 4:23 left in regulation. The Cobbers eventually took a 2-point lead when Jackson Loge tipped in a missed shot from Peyton Belka with :06 seconds remaining but the Knights answered with the winner from Drake. 

| Game 1 Recap/Box Score: Concordia 73 at Carleton 74 |

Belka was the last-second hero for the Cobbers in the return leg in Moorhead at the start of February. The game was tied at 73-73 with 2.3 seconds left on the clock and Carleton had the ball under their own basket. They tried to throw a long, down court pass but the ball went out of bounds after not being touched. Concordia then ran an out-of-bounds play for Belka, who banked home a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the Cobbers the win. Once again it was the Cobbers' success in the second half that proved to be the story line. Concordia trailed 32-30 at the break but outscored the Knights 47-41 in the final period of play to come away with the win.          

| Game 2 Recap/Box Score: Carleton 73 at Concordia 77 |

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: How each team ranks in the MIAC for conference games only.

STAT STARS: Concordia has two of the Top 4 rebounders in the MIAC in conference play. Seniors Jacob Cook and Jackson Loge give the Cobbers a 1-2 punch in almost every stat category. Cook led the league in rebounding (12.1 rpg) and was second in scoring (21.4 ppg). He also led the MIAC in offensive rebounds (48) and was tied for fourth in assists per game (3.6 apg). Loge was fourth in rebounding (8.3 rpg), tied for third in blocks 1.0 bpg), sixth in field goal percentage (58.7%) and 14th in scoring (15.3 ppg). Peyton Belka gives Concordia a 3-headed stat monster. Belka led the league in minutes played (35.4 mpg), was ninth in 3-point field goals per game (2.3) and 11th in 3-point field goal percentage (35.9).       

Carleton's offense is led by sophomore guard Matt Drake, who was in the Top 5 in the conference in scoring and 3-point field goal percentage. Drake averaged 19.3 points per game in league play and connected on 43.5% of his attempts from distance. Junior Sam Koelling is the inside presence for the Knights. He was third in the MIAC in rebounding (8.4 rpg), 12th in blocks per game (0.6) and 13th in field goal percentage (54.0%). Omar Kaba is tied for third in blocks per game (1.0).