WALLA WALLA, Wash. - The Blues find themselves in unfamiliar territory to start the postseason. After loses in its final two games, the Whitman College men's basketball team finished third in the Northwest Conference standings and will make a return visit to second-seed and NWC co-champion Linfield when the league tournament gets underway this Thursday. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at Ted Wilson Gym.

Whitman and Linfield split the season series with each team winning on its home court. The Blues had a shot at their fourth consecutive regular season title when they visited Linfield this past Friday but came up just short after rallying from a 21-point second-half deficit. Linfield topped Whitworth the following day and secured the second-seed for itself and the No. 3 seed for Whitman.
 
Opening the league tournament against the defending champion Blues will be no small task for Linfield. The Blues travel to McMinnville armed with talent on both sides of the ball. Seniors Andrew Vickers and Trevor Osborne can light it up at any moment. Vickers leads the NWC in three-point shooting percentage (47.2%) and is fourth in points per game (17.2). Osborne is averaging 12.1 ppg and has connected on a team-high 78 three pointers this season.

Add to the mix inside and outside offensive threat Jaron Kirkley and two-way paint big Robert Colton. Kirkley is third on the team in scoring average (13.3 ppg) and Colton turned in 10.2 ppg and boasts a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game.

Per Linfield, as this is a Northwest Conference championship event, admission prices are as follows: Adults $8, seniors $5, high school students with school ID $5. Children 5 and under are free. Linfield and Whitman students will be admitted free of charge with college ID.