6 CCC Teams Headed for NAIA Tournaments
NAIA Men’s Basketball Bracket
NAIA Women’s Basketball Bracket
PORTLAND, Ore. – An NAIA-best four teams in the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championships and two teams in the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championships highlight representation from the Cascade Collegiate Conference in tournament brackets released Wednesday.
The 32-team, single-elimination NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championships are scheduled for March 9-15 in Point Lookout, Mo. The 32-team, single-elimination NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championships will take place March 9-15 in Sioux City, Iowa.
On the men’s side, CCC regular season and tournament champion Oregon Tech (29-4) is seeded No. 8 and will face Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) (21-12) in the first round Wednesday. CCC runner-up Eastern Oregon (25-6) is the No. 10 seed and will face Cedarville (Ohio) (20-12) March 10.
Northwest (Wash.) (21-8) will face 13th-seeded Saint Francis (Ind.) (24-9) Wednesday, and Warner Pacific (19-10) will take on 11th-seeded Northwestern (Iowa) (22-8) March 10.
Oregon Tech, which is making its ninth consecutive national tournament appearance, won national titles in 2004 and 2008. Eastern Oregon is making its fourth consecutive tournament appearance, and Warner Pacific its sixth straight. Northwest last went to the national tournament in 2007, when it advanced to the national semifinals.
The CCC is tied with the Great Plains Athletic Conference for most teams in the men’s national tournament.
In the women’s tournament, CCC regular season co-champion and tournament champion Concordia (24-9) is seeded No. 6 on its side of the 32-team bracket. The Cavaliers will face Black Hills State (S.D.) (22-7) in the opening round March 10. College of Idaho (18-13), the other CCC entrant, is seeded eighth on its side of the bracket and will face Northwestern (Iowa) (30-1), the top seed in its half of the bracket, on Wednesday.
Concordia is making its second appearance in the national tournament and first since 2009. College of Idaho is making its third straight appearance and sixth overall.