MARIETTA, Ohio — With two programs ranked in the Top 25 and a combined record of 86-25 — a winning percentage of 77.5 — the opening round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament at Marietta College just might be the strongest in the nation.

It's the third consecutive season Marietta has hosted the opening two nights of the tournament and the seventh-ranked Pioneers (24-4) will face Calvin (17-10) at 8 p.m. Friday in Ban Johnson Arena. The opener will pit No. 23 Guilford (23-5) against Thomas More (22-6) at 5 p.m.

The winners of each game will play at 7 p.m. Saturday to see who advances to the Sweet 16. Marietta is the only team in the group that made the 2016 tournament. The Pioneers lost in the opener last season, but reached the Elite 8 in 2015.

Guilford hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since it reached the national semifinals in 2010 when the Quakers finished 30-3. Thomas More is playing in just its second NCAAs. The Saints went one and out in 2009.

Calvin has been a D3 basketball powerhouse, including two national championships (1992 and 2000).  The Knights are making their 21st appearance in the tournament —  their most recent appearance was in 2015 when they lost to Mount Union in the second round.

Marietta College employees will be able to purchase pre-sale tickets in the lobby of Ban Johnson Arena from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thursday. All tickets must be purchased in person and are limited to TWO tickets per person. NCAA Tournament single game ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens (age 62 and older) and students. All ticket purchases are cash-only transactions. Employees wanting to purchase more than two tickets may do so when tickets go on sale to the general public from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Thursday.

The gates will open at 3:30 p.m. for game one and as quickly as possible prior to game two. The arena will be cleared between games.

Thomas More (22-6) vs. Guilford (23-5)
5:00 p.m., Friday, March 3rd

About Thomas More
Conference: Presidents' Athletic Conference
Nickname: Saints
Coach: Drew Cooper, fourth season (71-39)
Winning streak: 11 games

About Guilford
Conference: Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Nickname: Quakers
Coach: Tom Palombo, 14th season (371-180)
Winning streak: 4 games

Thomas More, who hasn't lost since January 21st, enters the first round of the tournament on a roll. The Saints cruised through the PAC Tournament by routing Geneva (96-74), Thiel (73-53) and top-seeded Saint Vincent (79-68).

The Saints have a balanced scoring attack that is led by sophomore Damion King, a 5-foot-10 guard, who is averaging 14.3 points. He has also made 38 of 80 3-point baskets for an impressive 47.5 percent. King paced the Saints in the PAC title game with 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Junior Simon Clifford, a 6-foot-6 center, is a force in the post. He is averaging 13.3 points a game while making 58.2 percent of his shots. Sophomore Ryne Callahan, a 6-0 guard, is also averaging in double digits with 10.8 points a game.

Thomas More dominated teams on its home floor this season, winning 14 out of 15. However, the Saints managed just an 8-5 record on the road.

In three games at the Salem (Virginia) Civic Center last week, Guilford went 3-0 while downing two teams that defeated the Quakers during the regular season — Hampden-Sydney (63-53) and Emory & Henry (64-54) in the title game. In the semifinals, Guilford had a tougher fight with Virginia Wesleyan, but eventually pulled out a 67-64 win.

Sophomore Carson Long, a 6-4 forward, leads the Quakers in scoring with 14.3 points a game. He was named first team All-ODAC and scored 11 points in the conference championship game. Sophomore Alston Thompson, a 6-5 forward, was a third team All-ODAC selection after averaging 11.0 points and 7.8 rebounds a game.  Senior Zachary Houston, a 6-0 guard, was also a third team choice after averaging 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Freshmen Jaylen Gore and Kyler Gregory each scored 13 in the ODAC championship game. Gore is a 5-11 guard and Gregory is a 6-5 forward. Long, Gore and senior Dominique Henderson were named to the all-tournament team.

Calvin (17-10) vs. Marietta (24-4)
8:00 p.m., Friday, March 3rd

About Calvin
Conference: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Nickname: Knights
Coach: Kevin Vande Streek, 21st season (411-179)
Winning streak: 5 games

About Marietta
Conference: Ohio Athletic Conference
Nickname: Pioneers
Coach: Jon VanderWal, 10th season (188-89)
Winning streak: 15 games

Calvin and Marietta will face off for the first time in program history Friday night.

More than likely, the Knights needed to win the MIAA tournament championship to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Now Calvin is looking to disrupt the party.

The Knights defeated Trine 75-64 and Hope 86-83 to earn the automatic bid. Calvin came back from a 12-point halftime deficit to win its 12th MIAA Tournament championship. Senior Cam Denney, a 6-6 forward, was a key reason the Knights are still playing. He had 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the win over rival Hope. Denney is a second team All-MIAA selection.

Junior Michael Wilks, a 6-5 forward, leads Calvin with 13.4 points a game, while Denney is averaging 12.7. Denney is the top rebounder with 8.4 a game.

Calvin is 34-22 all-time in the NCAA Division III tournament with two national championships and four semifinal appearances.

The Pioneers learned last year to not overlook their first-round opponent. Marietta fell to Gwynedd Mercy 86-85 last season.

This year, though, Marietta is entering the tournament after winning the OAC regular season and tournament championships — something the Pioneers have not done since the 2010-11 season.

Senior A.J. Edwards (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg), a 6-5 post, has regained his form of late and is showing why he is a two-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection. Edwards had 28 points and eight rebounds as Marietta defeated Baldwin Wallace 83-74 in the tournament final.

Edwards is averaging 18.4 points and 8.5 rebounds a game, while senior Keith Richardson (Englewood, Ohio/Northmont) is averaging 15.3 points and 3.5 assists a game. Richardson, a 5-9 point guard, also earned first team All-OAC honors this winter.

Marietta has plenty of other scoring threats, including sophomore Anthony Wallace (Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School), junior Dillon Young (Laurelville, Ohio/Logan Elm), senior RaNeal Ewing (Westerville/Dublin Scioto), sophomore Kyle Dixon (Poland, Ohio/Poland Seminary) and senior Jack Thome (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Chagrin Falls).

Wallace, a 6-2 wing, is averaging 14.1 points, while Young, a 6-0 guard, is averaging 10.6 points. Ewing, a 6-0 wing, has only played in 14 games, but he is averaging 10.4 points a game.

Dixon, a 6-4 wing, is at 9.5 points a game and Thome, a 6-6 post, is at 8.8 points.