The no. 5-seeded Spring Arbor University basketball team will face off against no. 4-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan in the first round of the 2020 NAIA Basketball National Championship. Tipoff for round one of the tourney for the two programs will come on Wednesday at 1pm ET in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Spring Arbor, last year’s national champion, is making its second straight appearance in the tournament, and its fourth trip in program history. Head coach Ryan Cottingham has guided the Cougars to a 20-12 record so far this season.
First Team All-Crossroads League selections Paul Marandet and Brandon Durnell lead the team averaging 18.9 and 17.2 points per game. In addition to his scoring, Marandet is one of the nation’s top playmakers, ranking first in assists (5.9 per game) in the the Crossroads League and fourth in the NAIA. Jeff Beckman, an All-Crossroads League Honorable Mention selection, and Luke Barber are averaging more than 10.0 points per game while Payton DeWildt is chipping in 9.5.
The Cougars rank sixth in the NAIA shooting 50.7 percent from the field this season, and rank 21st shooting 38.5 percent from 3-point range.
Oklahoma Wesleyan booked its eighth trip in program history to the national tournament by winning the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Tournament title. The Eagles and ranked 14th in the final Top 25 Poll, and currently hold a 25-8 record this season.
Oklahoma Wesleyan is led by Brooks Haddock, who ranked among the KCAC leaders in scoring this season averaging 16.7 points per game. Haddock was also one of the conference’s top 3-point shooters, making 85 shots from behind the arc at a .417 clip. Kaleb Stokes and Lance Tipton are also averaging double figures in scoring.
As a team, Oklahoma Wesleyan ranks second in the country in field goal percent defense, holding opponents to 39 percent shooting. The Eagles are also top-10 in scoring margin and scoring offense.
This article was written using information and media generated by the Spring Arbor University sports information department. For more college sports, follow us on Twitter@MWSNsports or like our page on Facebook.
