Josh Cottle (right) and Eastern Oregon will be among four teams carrying the CCC banner at the NAIA Division II men's basketball national tournament this week outside of Branson, Mo.
4 CCC Teams Eye Men's NAIA Championship
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – The 19th Annual NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship is set to begin on Wednesday and feature 31 games ending on March 16. College of the Ozarks (Mo.) hosts for the 11th straight season from Point Lookout, Mo. Thirty-two teams will compete for the National Championship title, including Oregon Tech, Eastern Oregon, Warner Pacific and Evergreen of the Cascade Collegiate Conference.
The championship game will be played March 16 at 7 p.m. CST. It will be televised live on CBS College Sports.
Starting with 8:30 a.m. games the first four days and ending with near midnight tip-off times, teams have to win five games to be crowned National Champion. Sioux Falls (S.D.) and No. 16 Grand View (Iowa) lead off the event with the early game on Wednesday. For ticket information, call 417-335-NAIA.
The No. 1-seed is Walsh (Ohio) out of the American Mideast Conference. The Cavs have been ranked No. 1 in the Coaches’ Top 25 poll for the final three rankings. With a 28-2 overall record, Walsh is trying to become the sixth No. 1 seed to win the National Championship in the history of the event. They will begin play on Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. against Maine-Fort Kent. This Championship appearance is the sixth straight and 10th overall for the Cavs. Walsh has won nine straight games and leads the NAIA in several statistical categories, including field goal percentage (.513) and field goal percentage defense (.372).
Defending champion No. 6 Oklahoma Wesleyan earned a berth as the At-Large #1 after running through the regular season with a 27-4 mark. The Eagles set an NAIA Division II record with a 39-game winning streak earlier this season. Oklahoma Wesleyan, in its third overall Championship, is attempting to become the first repeat champion since Bethel (Ind.) accomplished the feat in 1997 & 1998. The Eagles open up play on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against Jamestown (N.D.). Senior guard Steve Briggs, who has surpassed 2,000 career points, ranks 12th in the NAIA in scoring (21.4 ppg).
As Championship hosts, Ozarks is making its 14th Championship appearance and 11th straight, a best among the 32-team field. The Bobcats are 22-12 overall in the event. Scoring leader Jared Howerton (15.4 ppg) leads the program into its first-round game against No. 10 Cornerstone (Mich.) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. The 20-10 Bobcats have advanced to the quarterfinals in each of the past four events.
Winners of nine straight and the Cascade Collegiate Conference regular season and tournament champs, No. 2 Oregon Tech earns its highest seed in school history. The Hustlin’ Owls compete in their 12th event and seventh straight and bring a Championship-best 26-9 record. The Hustlin' Owls are one of two teams in the current field with multiple trophies winning it all in 2008 and 2004. Leading the country in wins this year, Oregon Tech (29-4) is scheduled to face Judson (Ill.) on Wednesday at 5:45 p.m.
The other team this year with multiple Championships (three), No. 9 Bethel (Ind.) is playing in its ninth event and is 25-5 in the postseason. The Pilots advanced to the Semifinals last year before falling to Ozarks. They have advanced past the first round in seven of their eight previous Championships. On Wednesday at 1:45 p.m., Bethel takes on Friends (Kan.). Ryne Lightfoot, who is the son of head coach Mike Lightfoot, was an All-Mid-Central College Conference First Team pick and leads the team in scoring (17.6 ppg) and assists (4.8 apg).
Two conferences will send four representatives each to Point Lookout. The Cascade Collegiate Conference has No. 14 Eastern Oregon, Evergreen State (Wash.), Oregon Tech and Warner Pacific (Ore.) while the Mid-Central College Conference has Bethel, No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 15 Saint Francis (Ind.) and Spring Arbor (Mich.).
Of the 32 teams, there are four teams appearing in their first Championship. Davenport (Mich.), Maine-Fort Kent, McPherson (Kan.) and William Jessup (Calif.) are breaking the seal to their postseason. Five other programs are searching for their inaugural victory in Championship action.
The first 30 games of the national championship will be video-streamed by NeuLion, the parent company of JumpTV. Three different subscription plans for basketball (Men's and Women's Division I; Men's and Women's Division II) will be available for tournament coverage. Users can purchase the All-Tournament pass, which includes every event offered on College Sports Direct from all four basketball tournaments for $39.95. Each of the four basketball tournaments can be purchased separately for $24.95 and any single day can be purchased for $9.95. In order to view the streaming, click here.