Teams Inside the Pod
#1 William Penn
24-1 Overall
Heart of America Regular Season Champions
Heart of America Tournament Champions
#2 Overall Seed
Ranks Number 1 in Division I in Assists per Game (20.400)
Ranks Number 1 in Division I in Defensive Rebounds per Game (36.040)
Ranks Number 1 in Division I in Scoring Offense per Game (101.160)
Ranks Number 1 in Division I in Total Rebounds per Game (50.880)
Ranks Number 1 in Division I in Total Rebound Margin (17.840)
Ranks Number 1 in Division I in Total Total Rebound Offense (1272)
Ranks Number 2 in Division I in Scoring Margin (26.280)
Ranks Number 3 in Division I in Total Assists (510)
Ranks Number 4 in Division I in Offensive Rebounds per Game (14.840)
Ranks Number 4 in Division I in Total Blocks (132)
Ranks Number 4 in Division I in Total Scoring Offense (2529)
Ranks Number 6 in Division I in Field Goal Pct (0.517)
Ranks Number 6 in Division I in Blocks per Game (5.280)
Ranks Number 7 in Division I in Field Goal Pct Defense (0.387)
Ranks Number 16 in Division I in Assist/Turnover Ratio (1.371)
Ranks Number 28 in Division I in Total 3-Pt FG Made (234)
Ranks Number 40 in Division I in Total Rebound Defense (33.040)
Ranks Number 41 in Division I in Total Steals (179)
Ranks Number 44 in Division I in 3-Pt Fg Made per Game (9.360)
#2 MACU
11-4 Overall
SAC Tournament Runners-Up
#24 Overall Seed
Ranks Number 5 in Division I in Field Goal Pct Defense (0.383)
Ranks Number 15 in Division I in Defensive Rebounds per Game (30.733)
Ranks Number 31 in Division I in Total Rebounds per Game (40.400)
Ranks Number 33 in Division I in 3-Pt Fg Pct Defense (0.314)
Ranks Number 36 in Division I in Scoring Margin (8.733)
Ranks Number 45 in Division I in Scoring Defense per Game (71.333)
#3 Holy Cross
13-6 Overall
CCAC Regular Season Runners-Up
#40 Overall Seed
Ranks Number 3 in Division I in 3-Pt Fg Pct (0.414)
Ranks Number 20 in Division I in Total Rebound Defense (31.947)
Ranks Number 26 in Division I in Free Throw Pct (0.745)
Ranks Number 37 in Division I in Assist/Turnover Ratio (1.200)
Ranks Number 40 in Division I in Field Goal Pct (0.480)
Ranks Number 43 in Division I in Scoring Defense per Game (71.211)
Top Players
#2 Kevion Blaylock 6’7 Sr. – 17.1ppg, 9.9rpg
2020-21 Heart of America Player of the Year
2019-20 3rd Team All-American
Ranks Number 10 in Division I in Total Total Rebounds (246)
Ranks Number 14 in Division I in Field Goal Pct (0.622)
Ranks Number 15 in Division I in Defensive Rebounds per Game (7.640)
Ranks Number 16 in Division I in Total Rebounds per Game (9.840)
Ranks Number 38 in Division I in Free Throw Pct (0.845)
Ranks Number 46 in Division I in Total Scoring (428)
#0 Kamari Newman 6’4 Sr. – 15.7ppg, 3.3rpg
2020-21 1st Team All-Heart of America
2019-20 All-American
Ranks Number 19 in Division I in Total 3-Pt FG Made (70)
Ranks Number 50 in Division I in 3-Pt Fg Made per Game (2.800)
#23 Eddie Daily 6’9 Sr. – 9.3pprg, 7.5rpg, 1.5bpg
2020-21 HM All-Heart of America
Ranks Number 29 in Division I in Blocks per Game (1.524)
Ranks Number 31 in Division I in Total Blocks (32)
#1 Tony Dorsey 6’0 Sr. – 11.8ppg, 4.5rpg, 3.3spg
2020-21 HM All-SAC
#3 Jordan Gains 6’4 Sr. – 13.4ppg, 3.4rpg
2020-21 1st Team All-CCAC
Points Per Game Leaders
1. Storm Cook HC 17.39
2. Terrence Jones MACU 17.42
3. Kevion Blaylock WP 17.12
4. Kamari Newman WP 15.72
5. Noel Mpie HC 14.11
Rebounds Per Game Leaders
1. Kevion Blaylock WP 9.84
2. Noel Mpie HC 8.42
3. Terrence Jones MACU 8.25
4. Eddie Daley WP 7.48
5. Domminick Ford MACU 6.2
Assist Per Game Leaders
1. Chanze Cruesoe WP 4.4
2. Q Cager WP 3.84
3. Jordan Gaines HC 3.26
4. Tony Dorsey MACU 3.25
5. Beau Ludwick HC 2.95
Matchups
This is a MACU team that was preseason Top 5 in the NAIA. They have seemed to have struggled to be at full strength all season! They will once again enter the weekend without their leading scorer Terrance Jones. However, this same squad that will be taking the floor did knock off #8 SAGU in the SAC Semifinals. This is still a very capable group who is so well coached!
vs.
This Holy Cross team kind of got the short end of the stick in the CCAC Tournament when they were the 2-seed and had to go up against the defending CCAC Tournament Champions IUSB due to South Bend not playing a regular season game. IUSB went on to win the CCAC Tourney for a 2nd straight year. We will see if that lights a fire under the Saints! They tend to play a slow, methodical style of play and let Gains and Cook beat you late in the shot clock. There best hope to make it to KC is to control the tempo in both games!
The Statesmen are one of the most deep teams in the NAIA Tournament. They like to sub 5 guys in and out and it has allowed their guys to play so hard every time out on the floor. The formula has worked for the Statesmen as they eventually wear on teams enough to take over and win games! This team is dangerous when they decide to defend people too, they are very underrated defensively because they give up so many points with the tempo they play at and giving up a lot more possessions over the course of a game.
vs.
Winner of #2 MACU vs #3 Holy Cross
MACU being a preseason Top 5 team makes them a bit of a wildcard here! We know they aren’t fully healthy, but they are still really talented and if they are hitting 3’s they can win this game. They hit 17 of them in the upset win over #8 SAGU in the SAC Semi’s. Holy Cross is going to try to force both teams to play slow! They work to get great shots and make you pay for breakdowns. The 1st game, especially being an 11am start, could be a really long, slow, drawn out game!
The winner will get the high flying, high tempo Statesmen of William Penn. WP shares the ball so well and looks like they have a lot of fun playing with one another. Sure the two All-Americans are really dang good, but this is a team that twice now has scored 95pts or more without a single player going for more than 15pts in the game. It’s hard to just focus a game plan on 1 or 2 guys!
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