Central College will play host to a first-round game in the six-team Iowa Conference men’s basketball tourney tonight. The fourth-seeded Dutch (18-7 overall, 10-6 conference) take on fifth-seeded Luther College (16-8 overall, 10-6 conference) in a 7 p.m. game at P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium.

The two clubs each won on the other’s home floor this season. Luther was a 67-61 victor at Pella January 18th but Central pulled out a 77-74 double-overtime triumph at Decorah February 11th. Luther, which captured the 2011 league title, and Central, the 2010 champ, tied for fourth place but Central got the No. 4 seed through a tiebreaker.

The winner of tonight’s game advances to take on regular-season champion Coe College (18-7 overall, 12-4 conference) Thursday at Cedar Rapids at 7 p.m. in the semifinals. The championship is slated for Saturday. The tourney champ is awarded the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.