The 2018 Northwest Conference men's basketball playoff tournament begins Thursday in eastern Washington. The Linfield Wildcats travel to Walla Walla to meet the undefeated and top-ranked Whitman Blues in one semifinal game. The Puget Sound Loggers head to Spokane to tackle the Whitworth Pirates in the other semifinal. The winners play Saturday night at the highest remaining seed with the victor earning the NWC's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
 
The Wildcats (16-9, 10-6 NWC) reached the NWC tournament in back-to-back seasons after missing the cut every year since 2009-10. An elite defense that features length, experience and young stars in the making, Linfield is on the cusp of breaking through as one of the up-and-coming Division III men's basketball programs.
 
Wildcats by the numbers
First team all-NWC selection Jordan Clark is the centerpiece for the 'Cats defensively. Holding down the paint this season, Linfield allowed a conference-best 67.8 points per night. The next-closest team was Willamette with a 71.7 points-against average. Clark scores more than 10 points per night with nearly six rebounds. Linfield's leading rebounder is Tyler Watts, who averages 6.4 boards per night, fifth-most in the conference.
 
One of the sparks behind the Wildcats offense is NWC Freshman of the Year Dempsey Roggenbuck. The lanky 6-foot-3 guard has scored more than 20 points four times this winter, including a season-high 25 points in a 35-point rout of George Fox last month.
 
The Linfield offense averages more than 74 points per night while shooting 46 percent from the floor. The 'Cats have the fourth-highest three-point average in the NWC at 36 percent. Riley Bruil, who set the career record for the most made three-point shots (143), headlines the list of long-ball specialists. Bruil tops the NWC in three-point percentage at 46 percent from behind the arc.
 
Battling Whitman in a closely contested game in McMinnville last month, Linfield has shown that it can contend with the NWC champion Blues and has a better shot than most to upset the unbeaten powerhouse. The 'Cats fell to the Blues in McMinnville 82-78 and had their chances to pull the game out in the closing minutes. Linfield was forced into 23 turnovers in the January meeting which became the difference at the final buzzer. The Wildcats need a stellar performance from one of its top scorers to knock off the Blues on their home court.
 
Blues best
Whitman (25-0, 16-0 NWC) is led by two of the top scorers in the conference. Joey Hewitt (18.1 points per game) and Tim Howell (17.4 ppg) rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the NWC this season. Whitman scored a conference-best 100 points per game through the regular season. The Blues shot 48 percent from the floor and averaged the third-fewest turnovers per game (15.2).
 
Undefeated Whitman has had its fair share of close calls this year. The Blues won six games by five or fewer points. Against the playoff field, Whitman narrowly escaped Puget Sound (111-108) Whitworth (100-99) and Linfield (82-78). However, in its last three games, Whitman has won by an average of 24 points.
 
Game details
The Wildcats meet the Blues Thursday at 8 p.m. at Sherwood Center. The winner advances to the NWC championship game Saturday night to face the winner either Puget Sound or Whitworth. Live audio coverage is available with Joe Stuart calling the action on the Linfield Sports Network.