WPU Earns Top Seed, Will Face Science & Arts in Opener
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen men’s basketball team enters as one of the favorites to take home the crown as it competes in the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship.
#1 seed William Penn (27-4) will take on #8 seed Science & Arts (Okla.) (21-10) in the Cramer Bracket Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
The WPU/USAO winner will then face the winner of the #4 seed Dalton State (Ga.)/#5 seed Cumberlands (Ky.) contest on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The full bracket is at http://www.naia.org/fls/27900/1NAIA/SportsInfo/Championships/2018DIMBB/2018DIMBBBracket.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=27900
The Championships are again held in Kansas City, Mo., in Municipal Auditorium Gymnasium from March 14-20.
The fourth-ranked Statesmen earned an automatic bid as the Heart of America Athletic Conference regular season champions, while the 31st-ranked Drovers, members of the Sooner 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 KMZN 99.5 FM.
Fans can pay to watch the games online as well through the NAIA Network at http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=205423392&utm_medium=Email%20&utm_source=NAIANetworkEmail_Week1&utm_campaign=NAIANetworkEmailWeek1 The per-day option costs $9.95, while the entire tournament (through the semifinals) can be purchased for $34.95. The championship game will be broadcast solely on the internet on the ESPN3 website.
Tickets are still available through the WPU Athletics Department at 641-673-1070. If and when the tickets get sold out, they can then be purchased through the NAIA at
http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=640716&SPID=96230&DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=211666352
William Penn
John Henry, in his 17th season (368-193 record entering nationals), is leading the Statesmen to their eighth NAIA Nationals appearance and sixth in the last seven years (11-7 all-time record).
William Penn is led by first-team all-conference performers Dominique Shaw (Sr., Lufkin, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) and Terrell Thompson (Sr., Indianapolis, Ind., Wellness and Recreation). Shaw is averaging 19.3 points, while Thompson, who was the Heart’s Newcomer of the Year, has 17.6 points per game.
The Heart’s Defensive Player of the Year, JC Washington (Sr., Houston, Texas, Sociology) was a second-team pick with 11.5 points and 9.7 rebounds, while Aakim Saintil (Sr., West Orange, N.J., Business Management) (13.3 points) and Corbin Medley (Sr., Rogersville, Mo., General Accounting) (9.9 points) are also major assets for the navy and gold.
WPU enters nationals as the NAIA’s top team in numerous categories, including points (102.4), rebounds (47.7), and assists per game (20.3). The team is also second in assist/turnover ratio (1.46), fourth in blocks per game (4.7), fifth in scoring margin (17.7), ninth in field-goal percentage (49.6%), and 10th in three-pointers made (301).
The Statesmen are also shooting 66.5% at the line and 34.6% behind the arc. William Penn has owned two double-digit winning streaks, including a high of 11 to start the year.
Science & Arts
Chris Francis, in his third season (57-36 record), will be taking the Drovers back to nationals for the second-straight year and eighth time overall (10-6 all-time record).
USAO, which placed fifth in the Sooner’s regular-season standings (11-9 record), fell in the tournament quarterfinals and is 3-7 in its last 10 games (including one forfeit win). Brandon Scott, with 18.7 points per game, was a first-team all-conference performer, while Julius Foster (15.5 points) was a third-team pick.
The Drovers have outscored their opponents 84.4-81.0 and outrebounded them 39.4-34.3. They are just slightly better from the field with a margin of 45.8%-45.2%. Science & Arts is shooting 69.4% at the line and 34.2% from three-point land as well.
Additional Tournament Information
The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center has been selected as the host hotels for all 32 teams. The group rate is available through Thursday and rooms can be booked at https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/events/start.action?id=1801085304&key=1F7FAC15
The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center
1 East Pershing Road
Kansas City, MO 64108
816-474-4400
All other information is also available at http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=640716&SPID=96230&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=211665957
