One year ago, the Central College men became the first team in Iowa Conference history to win the league’s basketball tournament with three road victories. Tuesday night, the Dutch started down that path again with a win over Simpson in the quarterfinals.

Tonight, fifth-seeded Central heads west to take on regular season league co-champ Nebraska Wesleyan, and Coach Craig Douwma says that his guys are ready for the challenge.

“This is the healthiest we’ve been since Wash U, and our guys are playing with confidence. We have a lot of seniors here who aren’t ready to let the season die. They’re ready to play, they have a vision and they have goals. Next step is that we have to go on the road and beat Nebraska Wesleyan. That’s our only focus, and they’re a really good team.”

The Prairie Wolves swept Central during the regular season, winning 93-86 in Pella in late January and 101-80 in Nebraska earlier this month.

Opening tip is at 7:00 tonight in Lincoln, with the winner advancing to the IIAC championship game on Saturday.