Springfield, OH -- The 2023 Great Lakes Invitational is coming to Springfield, OH to take place at the home of the NCAA Division III's winningest men's basketball program. Wittenberg University will serve as the event host site when the tournament takes place November 17-18, 2023.
The Invitational is the creation of Ryan Whitnable, host of the This Week in Great Lakes Basketball Podcast. The two-day event features eight nationally-prominent programs from the Great Lakes region as well as Division III teams from around the country. Calvin University, Illinois Wesleyan University, LaRoche University, Marietta College, Middlebury College, University of the Redlands, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Wittenberg University are scheduled to compete at the 2023 Invitational.
The pairings have been announced for the two-day event which will feature four conference finalists (Marietta, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Redlands and La Roche). La Roche, Middlebury and Wisconsin-Oshkosh were all selected for the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Titans from Wisconsin-Oshkosh made their way to the Elite Eight before bowing out to eventual Runners-Up Mount Union.
"From the West Coast to the East Coast, the 6th annual Great Lakes Invitational this year again brings together the elite programs of Division III for a supersized weekend of NCAA Tournament level competition at an elite venue," said Whitnable. "The participants this year allowed us to bring together some teams that don't see each other often and created some match ups that I think will excite teams and fans alike."
2023 Great Lakes Invitational Schedule
| Friday | November 17, | 2023 | |
| 1:00 PM | La Roche | vs. | Wisconsin-Oshkosh |
| 3:00 PM | Marietta | vs. | Calvin |
| 5:00 PM | Redlands | vs. | Middlebury |
| 7:30 PM | Illinois Wesleyan | vs. | Wittenberg |
| Saturday | November 18, | 2023 | |
| 1:00 PM | La Roche | vs. | Calvin |
| 3:00 PM | Wisconsin-Oshkosh | vs. | Redlands |
| 5:00 PM | Marietta | vs. | Illinois Wesleyan |
| 7:30 PM | Middlebury | vs. | Wittenberg |
Great Lakes Invitational Notes
- Wittenberg is the third NCAC schoot to host the event (Wooster - 2019, Wabash - 2022).
- The Wittenberg/Illinois Wesleyan game features two of the top five winningest men's basketball programs in NCAA Division III. With Wittenberg being the all-time leader and Illinois Wesleyan at third in wins.
- This is the sixth all-time meeting between the two powers of division three, Wittenberg and IWU, and the first time since 2012.
- This is Wittenberg's third appearance in the Great Lakes Invitational (2017,2021), holding a 2-2 record overall.