WPU Earns Top Seed in Duer Bracket, Draws Loyola in First Round
William Penn’s #0 Torren Jone prepares to grab the rebound against Central Methodist (file photo)
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen men’s basketball team claimed one of the top seeds and will again face a program for the first time as it opens the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship next Wednesday.
#1 seed William Penn (30-3) will take on #8 Loyola (La.) (22-9) in the Duer Bracket Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. The full bracket can be found by going to http://www.naia.org/fls/27900/1NAIA/SportsInfo/Championships/2017DIMBB/2017DIMBBBracket.pdf?&DB_OEM_ID=27900
The WPU/LU winner will then face the winner of the #4 seed Georgetown (Ky.)/#5 seed Park (Mo.) contest on Friday at 2:15 p.m.
The Championships are again held in Kansas City, Mo., in Municipal Auditorium Gymnasium from March 15-21.
The second-ranked Statesmen earned an automatic bid as the Heart of America Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champions, while the 29th-ranked Wolf Pack, members of the Southern States Athletic Conference, earned the last of the 17 at-large bids. This will be the first-ever meeting between the programs.
All of William Penn’s games at the Championships will be broadcast on KBOE/KMZN radio. More info will become available in the upcoming days.
Fans can pay to watch the games online as well through the NAIA Network by going to https://portal.stretchinternet.com/naia/ The per-day option costs $9.95, while the entire tournament (through the semifinals) can be purchased for $29.95. The championship game will be broadcast solely on the internet on the ESPN3 website.
Game tickets are available through the WPU Athletics Department at 641-673-1018 or by email at thompsonj@wmpenn.edu
If and when the tickets get sold out, they can then be purchased through the NAIA by going to http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=205708386
William Penn
John Henry, in his 16th season (338-188 record entering nationals), is leading the Statesmen to their seventh NAIA Nationals appearance and fifth in the last six years (8-6 all-time record).
William Penn is led by Heart Player and Newcomer of the Year Torren Jones (Sr., Chandler, Ariz., Sociology), who is averaging 19.8 points and 11.8 rebounds. Lionel Ellison (Sr., New Orleans, La., Kinesiology) was also a first-team pick, averaging 11.7 points, 4.6 boards, 4.7 assists, and 2.2 steals.
Jarvis Haywood (Sr., Charlotte, N.C., Business Management), with 20.3 points, and Charles Knowles (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education), with 11.1 points, also earned second-team honors this winter.
WPU enters as the nation’s best scoring and rebounding team. The Statesmen outscore opponents 92.8-77.6 and outrebound them 46.5-34.2. The Statesmen are shooting 47.8% overall (opponents at 40.6%), including a 37.6% clip from beyond the arc. They are in the top 10 in the NAIA in numerous other categories, including being second in rebounding margin (+12.4), sixth in scoring margin (+15.2), seventh in both three-pointers (301) and assists (553), and eighth in blocks (126). William Penn is 70.2% from the line.
The Statesmen have won 12 games in a row.
Loyola
Stacy Hollowell, in his third season (53-35 record), will be taking the Wolf Pack back to nationals for third time ever and the first time since way back in 1946 (7-2 all-time record).
LU, which placed fourth in the Southern State’s regular season (14-6 record), fell in the tournament semifinals. The team had reeled off an eight-game winning streak prior to the tourney loss. First-team all-conference performers John Griffin Jr. and Nick Parker are pacing their team; both players average 14.5 points, while Griffin also pulls down 10.0 rebounds per game. Jalen Gray, who averaged 12.0 points per contest, was also chosen as a second-teamer.
The Wolf Pack have outscored their foes 76.9-71.1 and outrebounded them 38.3-37.0. They are also better from the field with a margin of 46.0%-40.8%. Loyola is shooting 66.7% at the line and 35.1% from deep as well. LU ranks ninth in the nation in defensive field-goal percentage.
Additional Tournament Information
The Crowne Plaza (816-474-6664) and The Aladdin (816-421-8888) have been selected as the host hotels for all 32 teams. WPU will be staying at Crown Plaza and fans are welcome to stay at either hotel.
KC Live! Block will host a Tip-Off Event in the Kansas City Power & Light District that will include all 32 teams on March 14 with dinner at 5:30 p.m. and the program at 6:30 p.m.
