CHICAGO HEIGHTS - Prairie State has had its best season under coach Mike Manderino and is looking to earn its first-ever berth into the national tournament. However, a Goliath stands in the way in No. 1 Milwaukee Area Technical College. Below is a closer look at the matchup.
Who: Prairie State College vs. No. 1 Milwaukee Area Technical College
What's at Stake: National tournament berth
When: Saturday, 4 P.M.
Where: Moraine Valley Community College
Cost: $5/Ticket
Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/user/MATCStormers
Bracket Link: https://region4sports.com/tournament_central/2020-mens-basketball-d2
 
Prairie State (23-8): The Pioneers are having their best season under Manderino capturing a share of the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference title. Prairie State is the only Skyway team still playing and has 23 wins to date, the most under Manderino. The veteran coach earned Skyway Coach of the Year honors.

After a season-opening loss, Prairie State has been excellent in spurts ripping off nine straight wins inside an extremely tough Skyway schedule. The Pioneers are led by All-American nominee and Skyway Player of the Year Jared Johnson, but he's far from a one-man show. Sophomore Tyler Houston has spearheaded the offensive attack at point guard and has been a relentless defender. Freshman Breion Hill has had an outstanding motor in the paint and makes any post player pay for lackluster effort. Will Mendez has given the Pioneers a 3-point shooting threat in the latter half of the season and Rashaad Williams has been steady all season for Manderino's bunch.

Milwaukee Area Technical College (30-1): The Stormers are loaded and come into this game as the No. 1 team in the country for a reason. They go at least 10 deep and push the ball at an overwhelming pace. Milwaukee has five scorers averaging over 10 points per game. Steven Ross Jr., Yuri Swinford and Jason Webb Jr. are the team's three leading scorers, but this is a team with numerous scoring threats. Not only are the stormers deep, but they have speed and length unlike any team the Pioneers have faced this season.

Milwaukee has won 23 consecutive games and hasn't lost in the 2020 calendar year. On the bright side, the only loss of the season for the Stormers came at the hands of Waubonsee, a team the Pioneers beat twice in conference play.
 
Prairie State: The Pioneers are fresh off two tournament wins against Wright and Bryant & Stratton. Prairie State got outstanding efforts from Johnson, the nation's leading scorer (28.6 ppg), who scored 37 against Wright and 36 against the Bobcats to earn the NJCAA Division II National Player of the Week honors. While the Pioneers breezed by the Rams in the Quarterfinal, Bryant & Stratton gave them all they could handle missing a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game. The win against the Bobcats avenged an earlier season loss at their place.

Milwaukee Area Technical College: The Stormers had a buy in the opening round of the Region IV Tournament and then cruised past Waubonsee in the Semifinal. Just like Prairie State, the Stormers avenged an earlier season loss as the Chiefs stunned them in early December. This meeting looked a lot different as MATC 114-80 on Sunday.