The Milwaukee Area Technical College men’s basketball team is heading back to the big dance.
For the fifth straight season, the Stormers will play in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II national tournament.
MATC earned its berth in the field by defeating Bryant & Stratton College 84-68 on Saturday, March 7 in the NJCAA Region 4 Division II (Midwest District A) championship game at Rock Valley Community College in Rockford, Ill.
The Stormers, now 30-3, have won 23 games in a row. Heading into the playoffs, they were ranked No. 5 in the national Division II poll.
On Saturday, MATC led 36-30 at halftime, but outscored Bryant & Stratton 48-38 in the second half. Jayden Hackett finished with a game-high 21 points, while Turon Rivers added 18 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. QiAndrew Washington scored 13 and Raydelh Boutin had 12. Jordan Jones scored 10 points off the bench.
The Division II national tournament will be held at Danville Area Community College in Danville, Ill., about 230 miles from Milwaukee. Games start Monday, March 16 with the championship game Saturday, March 21.
MATC will find out its tournament path at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 10 at the NJCAA Division II tournament selection show.
Kirkwood (Iowa) Community College won the 2025 Division II championship. The Eagles (33-3) knocked off Parkland in the final game, 55-54, to win the fourth national title in program history.
MATC will be making its sixth national tournament appearance since switching to NJCAA Division II play in 2018. The Stormers won the national championship in March 2023, placed fifth in the 2019 tournament and finished sixth in 2024.
In 2020, MATC was 31-1 and ranked No. 1 in the nation when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the national tournament. The 2021 tournament was also cancelled.
This season, MATC was 14-0 at home. Under veteran head coach Randy Casey, the Stormers have won 30 or more games five times since 2018 and have compiled a 207-50 record over the past eight seasons.
MATC has lost only three games by a combined 11 points. One loss came in the Oct. 31, 2025, season opener to Iowa Central Community College, 93-91. The Stormers also lost to Morton College in Cicero, Ill., 88-80, on Nov. 22, and to Lansing Community College in Michigan, 70-69, on Dec. 5.
About MATC: As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 35,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 45 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.