In our last installment, we previewed the Clayton State Lakers and the Delta State University Lady Statesmen, as both squads advanced to the NCAA Division II women's basketball Elite Eight. Now, it's the men's turn to be profiled.
Augusta State vs. Christian Brothers (NCAA Division II Elite Eight at Springfield, Mass.)--Wednesday Noon EDT
For the Jaguars of Augusta State University (Ga.), and the Buccaneers of Christian Brothers University (Tenn.), the road to an NCAA Division II men's basketball national championship now goes through Springfield, Mass. But there's only one problem. Only one of these teams will get to continue that final journey towards winning it all after Wednesday afternoon.
Before getting to those game notes, though, let's look back at how both teams punched their ticket to Springfield.
Augusta State (Southeast Regional Champions--29-4, No. 4 NABC/Division II Bulletin poll)
The Jags came within inches of not even advancing to round two, let alone the Elite Eight, after holding off eighth-seeded Tusculum, 62-60, on March 14. One night later, though, the ASU men came on strong against fifth-seeded Barton, as they cruised to a 77-61 victory. That set up an all Peach Belt Conference match-up in the Southeast Regional finals on St. Patrick's Day (March 17) against second-seeded USC Aiken. The Jaguars led from start to finish in a 85-57 rout of the Pacers to advance to their second straight national quarterfinals appearance.
Christian Brothers (South Regional Champions--25-6, No. 15 NABC/Division II Bulletin poll)
Unlike Augusta State, Christian Brothers entered the NCAA Division II South Regional bracket as the No. 2 seed, not to mention being a slight underdog. The Bucs opened the tournament with a 63-54 win over Gulf South Conference West Division rival Delta State on March 14. They followed up that win with a 72-53 rout of No. 10 (NABC) Claflin. Then came what was probably their biggest win in school history, as they stunned top seed and host Florida Southern by a 10-point margin (82-72), to advance to the program's first-ever Elite Eight.
Game Notes
Augusta State
Christian Brothers
Webcast: Available at http://www.ncaa.com. Tip-off time is at approximately noon EDT Wednesday.
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