2017 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship Qualifiers
NCU,EOU,OIT,CI and CRB to represent CCC
By Spencer Scheve, Athletics Communications and Media Intern
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (Bracket | Championship Schedule | Video Announcement) The National
Intercollegiate Athletics has officially announced the teams and pairings for the 2017 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship. The 32-team event will get underway on March 8 with the Championship game on Tuesday, March 14.
This year’s field includes 22 automatic qualifiers, nine at-large selections and one host berth (College of the Ozarks (Mo.)). Automatic berths were given to teams that either won their respective conference tournament title, regular-season championship, finished runner-up at the conference tournament. The at-large bids were determined by the final 2017 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll announced Wednesday. The Top 25 can be found HERE.
The NAIA Network – the association’s official video streaming home – will video-stream all 30 games live leading up to the final on ESPN3. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-tournament package is available at $29.95. For more information and to pre-register, click here.
Qualifier Highlights
• College of the Ozarks (Mo.) makes its 21st all-time appearance, which leads all active NAIA schools. The Bobcats own a 28-19 overall record at the championship and has recorded one title.
• There are 17 teams from the 2016 event are in the field again this year.
• Four teams make their first championship appearance – Calumet (Ind.), Corban (Ore.), Pacific Union (Calif.) and WVU Tech (W. Va.).
• Defending national champion Indiana Wesleyan makes its 10th all-time appearance. The Wildcats have won two national championships (2014, 2016).
• College of the Ozarks holds the longest active appearance streak in the championship, as 2017 will mark the Bobcats’ 18th-consecutive appearance, dating back to 2000. Bellevue (Neb.) is second with 15-straight appearances.
2017 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship Qualifiers
|
School
|
Qualification
|
Record^
|
Champs Record
|
Appearances*
|
Last Time
|
Titles
|
| Aquinas (Mich.) |
Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up |
19-14 |
1-4 |
5 |
2009 |
0 |
| Bellevue (Neb.) |
North Star Athletic Association Tournament Champion |
22-10 |
21-17 |
18 |
2016 |
0 |
| Bethel (Ind.) |
Crossroads League Tournament Champion. |
29-4 |
30-10 |
14 |
2016 |
3 |
| Briar Cliff (Iowa) |
Great Plains Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champion |
26-7 |
5-10 |
11 |
2016 |
0 |
| Calumet (Ind.) |
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champion (South) |
17-13 |
0-0 |
1 |
N/A |
0 |
| College of Idaho |
At-Large No. 6 |
23-9 |
13-10 |
12 |
2015 |
1 |
| College of the Ozarks (Mo.) |
Host Berth |
20-9 |
28-19 |
21 |
2016 |
1 |
| Corban (Ore.) |
Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament Champion |
17-15 |
0-0 |
1 |
N/A |
0 |
| Cornerstone (Mich.) |
Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champion |
30-3 |
33-11 |
15 |
2016 |
3 |
| Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) |
At-Large No. 4 |
23-9 |
7-8 |
9 |
2016 |
0 |
| Davenport (Mich.) |
At-Large No. 1 |
24-8 |
13-7 |
9 |
2016 |
0 |
| Eastern Oregon |
At-Large No. 2 |
23-8 |
5-6 |
7 |
2013 |
0 |
| Indiana Wesleyan |
Crossroads League Tournament Runner-Up |
26-7 |
22-7 |
10 |
2016 |
2 |
| IU East (Ind.) |
River States Conference Tournament Champion |
26-7 |
3-4 |
5 |
2016 |
0 |
| IU Southeast (Ind.) |
River States Conference West Division Champion |
24-6 |
7-10 |
12 |
2014 |
0 |
| Midland (Neb.) |
At-Large No. 7 |
21-9 |
6-4 |
5 |
2015 |
0 |
| Northwest Christian (Ore.) |
Cascade Collegiate Conference Regular-Season Champion |
24-5 |
1-2 |
3 |
2016 |
0 |
| Northwestern (Iowa) |
Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament Champion |
26-6 |
29-14 |
17 |
2013 |
2 |
| Oregon Tech |
At-Large No. 5 |
24-9 |
33-11 |
15 |
2012 |
3 |
| Pacific Union (Calif.) |
California Pacific Conference Tournament Champion |
18-6 |
0-0 |
1 |
N/A |
0 |
| Reinhardt (Ga.) |
Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up |
22-9 |
0-1 |
2 |
2014 |
0 |
| Robert Morris (Ill.) |
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champion (North) |
26-6 |
7-4 |
5 |
2016 |
0 |
| Rochester (Mich.) |
Association of Independent Institutions Tournament Runner-Up. |
29-2 |
0-1 |
2 |
2013 |
0 |
| Saint Francis (Ind.) |
At-Large No. 3 |
22-10 |
19-7 |
9 |
2016 |
1 |
| Tabor (Kan.) |
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champion |
23-9 |
7-10 |
11 |
2016 |
0 |
| Taylor (Ind.) |
At-Large No. 9 |
20-11 |
2-7 |
8 |
2006 |
0 |
| Trinity International (Ill.) |
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up |
28-5 |
1-3 |
4 |
2007 |
0 |
| Union (Ky.) |
Appalachian Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champion |
30-3 |
1-4 |
5 |
2016 |
0 |
| Warner (Fla.) |
The Sun Conference Tournament Champion |
26-4 |
9-4 |
5 |
2016 |
0 |
| Washington Adventist (Md.) |
Association of Intercollegiate Institutions Tournament Champion |
22-6 |
0-1 |
2 |
2016 |
0 |
| WVU Tech |
At-Large No. 8 |
23-8 |
0-0 |
1 |
N/A |
0 |
| York (Neb.) |
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Champion |
24-9 |
3-2 |
3 |
2016 |
0 |