via Oregon Tech Athletic Communications
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Oregon Tech earned one of 29 at-large bids to the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championships, with the Hustlin’ Owls headed to Fullerton, Calif., for first and second-round match-ups.
Tech (19-11) will head to Nationals for the 25th time and the third trip in four seasons, earning the No. 11 seed in the Cramer Quadrant and a first-round date against No. 6-seed Keiser (Fla.). Game time next Friday is set for 5:30 p.m. with the game broadcast live on 92.5 KLAD-FM.
It will be the fourth all-time meeting against the Seahawks (24-5), including a 100-92 overtime win two seasons ago in a first-round game. The two teams met in the 2012 NAIA Division II national title game, also won by OIT.
KU, from West Palm Beach, Fla., advanced to the third-round of last season’s tournament and are making their 15th all-time appearance. Sun Conference Player of the Year, Camerin James (17.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg) leads an offense averaging 85 points a game, with forward Cameron Baldwin (7.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg) earning Sun Defensive Player of the Year, recording 79 blocks and helping the Seahawks to a plus-10 rebound margin.
Host Hope International is no stranger to the Owls, topping Tech twice this season – once in Klamath Falls and once in Fullerton. The Royals (23-6) earned a No. 3-seed – thanks to an offense led by standout forwards Nick Hopkins (15.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg), the Great Southwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Aman Haynes (16.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg), the GSAC Freshman of the Year. HIU is looking to snap a 5-game losing streak in the tournament and are making their 12th all-time appearance.
First-year program Georgia Gwinnett makes their tourney debut after finishing as the Continental Athletic Conference Tournament runner-up. The Grizzlies (25-6) are an offensive juggernaut, averaging 92 points a game and make 10 3-pointers a game – thanks to CAC Player of the Year Devontre Chaney (15.4 ppg, 9.3) and Jahiem Berry (13.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg).
The winner of the Fullerton pod will advance to the tournament final site in Kansas City, Mo.
Four other Cascade Conference teams earned bids – Lewis-Clark State (No. 7 seed in Billings, Mont.), College of Idaho (No. 12 seed in Orange City, Iowa), Eastern Oregon (No. 12 seed in Langston, Okla.) and Corban (No. 15 seed in Glendale, Ariz.)
