DII Report: Welcome March - It's Time for the DII College Basketball Tournament
DII Report: Welcome March – It’s Time for the DII College Basketball Tournament
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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to March. What a week on the hardwood as the Conference Championships all come to a climax as we prepare for Sunday’s DII Men’s and Women’s Trials, which begin at 10 p.m. ET.
WATCH THE SELECTION HERE: Men | Women’s
On Sunday evening, 48 men’s and 48 women’s teams will hear their names called to fill in the gap and sort out some unfinished business from last March. For now, we’ll let the selections speak for themselves and put the Power 10 leaderboard on hold. Instead, this week we’ll take a look at the Conference Championships on a few things that caught our attention.
We will also check the diamond. There is always room for a small DII baseball. Oh, and there was also some DII football being played.
Get pumped, DII Nation. It’s tournament time! Let’s start with the last DII report.
Upset city: DII men’s basketball conference championships
The northwestern state of Missouri looked ready for the tournament. The Bearcats scored 100 points in the first two games of the MIAA tournament, shooting 60 percent or better in both games. Ryan Hawkins recorded the second triple-double in Bearcat history in the semifinal victory, with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
And then came Washburn.
The Bearcats and Ichabods had played twice before this season. Both games were memorable, with the teams sharing two very close games that ended up in overtime. The MIAA Finals seemed to be heading in that direction. Washburn dominated the first half, leading 30-19 after the first 20 minutes. The Bearcats fought to the end, tying the game at 66 with seconds left. Diego Bernard was fouled with less than three seconds on the clock and managed both free throws for a 68-66 lead. It was not enough. Tyler Geiman threw a half-court shot that sealed the MIAA title for the “Bods”.
What else impressed us?
- UIndy beat the nation’s No. 2 team in Truman, 75-73 in the Greyhounds’ opener of the GLVC tournament. They were down sharply, trailing up to 13 points in the second half in a remarkable comeback. Now sixth-seeded Drury and fifth-seeded Lewis will play for the GLVC Men’s Title and an automatic playoff bid on Sunday. How much more March can you get than that?
- St. Edward’s had an impressive run in the Lone Star Conference tournament. The Hilltoppers beat Lubbock Christian (7th) and Texas A & M-Kingsville (14th) in consecutive games before finally succumbing to West Texas A&M in the final. Qua Grant had a monster 34-point, 12-rebound performance as the Buffs won their fourth straight LSC title.
- Who made Malone win the G-MAC? The Pioneers won their ninth straight game, beating No. 9 Hillsdale, sending them to their first-ever G-MAC Championship game. There, Malone disposed of Cedarville 77-59 to claim the automatic bid for the tournament. The Pioneers shot 54% in the second half, from 3 to 10 for 19, to get away.
- The MEC comes down to the two teams we’ve been waiting for, despite the regular season not going as we expected. West Liberty needed a Malik McKinney buzzer batsman to fend off Glenville State 95-92 but advance to the final on Sunday. The very hot Hilltoppers, who have won 11 in a row, will face one of our preseason sleepers at Fairmont State. The Falcons absolutely dominated Charleston (WV), 12th and seed, 85-70. Dale Bonner and Isaiah Sanders totaled 53 points.
- Understandably, the GLIAC Championship game will not feature either the No.1 seed or the No.2 seed. Instead, No.3 Michigan Tech will face No.5 Ashland. It’s exactly the same game on the women’s side. Oh hello, March.
West Liberty qualifies for MEC title match on buzzer beater
DII women’s basketball sees its share of upheavals
It’s weird to have the Ashland Eagles in a conversation about the upheavals, but voila, they’re back in another GLIAC Championship game. The Eagles finished the regular season with a modest 11-7, but have played basketball at Ashland ever since, winning all three games of the GLIAC tournament averaging 22.6 points per game. After upsetting Northwood – then beating No. 7-seeded Parkside, who upset Grand Valley State the day before – the Eagles will face No.1 seed Michigan Tech on Sunday for their automatic ticket to the DII Women’s Basketball Championship.
Lee’s women’s basketball team is back in familiar territory. The No.3 seeded Flames defeated No.1 State of Valdosta in a hotly contested 74-71 Southern Gulf semi-final game to reach Sunday’s title game for the second time in three years .
5th Tiffin defeated 1st Cedarville in the women’s G-MAC semifinals. It was the Dragons’ second surprise in as many games. Aarion Nichols led the charge dropping 22 points and nine rebounds. One game later, the 5-seeded Dragons beat Kentucky Wesleyan in overtime to clinch their support ticket and win the G-MAC title. Nichols was big again, scoring 22 while Savanah Richards poured 23.
Although this is not a tournament game, we have to thank Amy Baum from Hawaii Pacific. OK OK, another kudos to Baum, whose prolific career so far has been highlighted several times on NCAA.com. The junior landed a triple-double – the second of her career – in the Sharks’ season finale as they finished a perfect 13-0. They haven’t lost since November 2019.
Around the Horn: DII Baseball Battles on the Diamond
Quincy and Davenport faced off in a preseason sleeper battle. The Panthers had just won a series of statements against Central Missouri, while the Hawks were thrilled to be back on the diamond for the first time in a year. And it turned out well.
The Hawks won Game 1 impressively. Riley Martin scored seven points, striking out 11 and four home runs for the Hawks in the 10-2 win. In the first game of a doubles program on Saturday, Quincy broke for 20 points, this time propelled by five players throwing bombs, Lance Logsdon and Michael Nielsen having made two home runs. Davenport finally got back on track in Game 3, exploding for 16 points. Nolan Anspaugh hit for the round, going 4 for 5 with four RBIs.
How about Lindenwood’s return to action. The Lions, who are loaded for 2021, came out and threw two shutouts to start the season. In fact, in their first three games, the pitching staff allowed a total point. Kyle Hentis threw a dandy on the Lions’ opening day, winning seven scoreless innings with 11 catches on holds and no walks.
John Michael Faile, one of my preseason players to watch, is off to a ridiculous start for North Greenville. He reached 0.448 with an OPS of 1.328, five homers and 26 RBIs in 15 games. But it was Marek Chlup who stole the show this weekend. The NC State transfer blew up three home runs on Friday night, including two in the same 12-point set. He stayed warm on Saturday, throwing a two-point bomb in the first inning of a doubles program. In 14 games, he reached 0.417 with seven home runs and 20 RBIs.
Speaking of preseason players to watch, several have had great games this week.
- Haydn McGeary went 2-for-5 with his second homer of the season to go with seven RBIs in Colorado Mesa’s 29-1 win.
- Erik Webb had a pair of home runs and five RBIs in a well-deserved victory for Central Missouri.
- Think Luke Trainer from Millersville wanted to get back on the baseball field? The senior catcher and designated hitter completed the cycle in the Marauders’ first game in action since last March. Millersville swept the doubles program and Trainer went 4-5 with eight RBIs in the first 18-5 win.
- Benjamin Elder’s dirty start to the season continued for No.1 Angelo State. He is now 3-0 with a 0.64 ERA and 10.95 WHIP after striking six strikes in six innings against Lubbock Christian on Saturday.
- Jacob Teeter of Florida Southern, one of the best players DII has to offer, has returned to diamond in the Jacob Teeter way. The star first baseman had two homers to give the Mocs a 1-0 start. It is safe to expect many more on the way.
- Erskine’s baseball wasn’t on my radar to start the season, but Livan Reinoso has certainly done her best to put them there now. The junior third baseman is hitting 0.538 with an OPS of 1.594 and best DII eight homers across 16 games.
Spring is in the air … and on the pitch: the return of DII football
Although there is no championship, we will be entitled to some spring DII football in 2021. Several teams from my pre-season top 25 will enter the field. Lenoir-Rhyne will be entering the field soon, as will UIndy and Lindenwood, just three of the teams in action who were set to do big things in 2020.
West Alabama and Limestone played a little DII football last weekend. Quarterback Jack McDaniels had 264 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 27-17 victory. Senior running back Derrick Underwood was scooped 148 rushing yards while Tyriq Martin was the main beneficiary of McDaniels arm, registering 166 yards and one touchdown.
Newberry spoiled Tusculum’s debut for DII superstar quarterback Rogan Wells, beating the Pioneers 21-6. In fact, it was Wolves quarterback Dr. Harris who stole the show. Harris threw for 166 yards and one touchdown and ran for two more touchdowns to account for all runs.
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