Top Games
RV Indiana Wesleyan @ Spring Arbor (MI) | 4pm CT
You could probably put every Crossroads game here on out in these as almost every game has either Conference or National seeding on the line! For this one, IWU is coming off a nice Top 10 win against Bethel (IN). It’s their 2nd Top 25 win in the past 3 games. IWU, after tonight, has 4 of their final 5 games at home. Their only road game remaining would be against last place Goshen! The Wildcats have had a tough go on the road this season, but with the remaining schedule, if they can get one tonight against a struggling SAU squad then IWU may find themselves with major momentum headed into the Crossroads League tournament! As we mentioned, Spring Arbor comes in on the struggle bus a bit, as they have lost five of their past six games. The Cougs also have a VERY tough remaining schedule. They have a group behind them that sits just 1-game back, so it’s going to be a real battle the next couple weeks for those last few seeds in the Crossroads League Tournament! A win tonight would not just keep SAU in the Top 5 of the league, but could, depending on what else happens in the league, give them some more cushion between them and the “out line” for the 8 and final seed in the Crossroads League.
Rochester Christian @ Lourdes | 4:30pm CT
Big game for both here as Rochester is a bubble team who needs some wins and Lourdes continues to battle for position on an possible WHAC auto-bid! For RCU, after a home loss to Cornerstone, this sets up a HUGE week for them, starting with tonight’s game and then a home game on Saturday vs a surging Madonna squad. Lourdes currently holds the 2nd spot in the WHAC as they own the tiebreaker over Cornerstone. While they are pretty safe on the bubble at this moment, a win tonight should help secure them at least an at-large selection. Coach Jake DuPree just recently had his interim tag removed, but I can promise you that this is still a very hungry Gray Wolves squad who also boasts the NAIA’s leading scorer in Shaunn Monroe.
No.7 Bethel (IN) @ RV St. Francis (IN) | 6:30pm CT
Speaking of BIG Crossroad games, after Bethel suffered a couple losses last week, they now find themselves in a tie for 1st place, with Grace, for the Crossroads League title. They head to St. Francis tonight where the Cougars are 5-2 on the season. Bethel, has been without Alonis Peciulis these past two losses. Alonis has been great for the Pilots this year, so if he can’t go again tonight then it will make this game even more interesting! For USF, the Cougs are coming off a tough road loss to No. 19 Huntington. They two have a very tough schedule the rest of the way including two very tough road games after tonight. Both teams in need of a big win tonight for different reasons, so should be a fun one!
Milligan (TN) @ Bryan (TN) | 6:30pm CT
Bryan College Athletics YouTube
Milligan currently sits just outside of our current projected NAIA Tournament field. As a bubble team, this would be a huge road win for them! As for Bryan, they are coming off a blowout loss at Pikeville. A game that was for 1st place in the AAC. They are 6-2 at home this season though and will look to pick up a tough win tonight. The AAC currently sits with 3-teams in, but that number can be anywhere from 2 teams to 4 teams. A lot will come down to the AAC tourney, which tends to have some chaos of its own! Pikeville is safe with or without an auto-bid. But the AAC, including both of these teams, could certainly help themselves with a strong finish to the season!
No. 16 Northwestern (IA) @ No. 8 Dordt (IA) | 7:45pm CT
If there was a “Game of the Night” this would be the one! Dordt handed Northwestern their 1st loss of the season back in a thriller on January 15th. That loss sent NWC to a 3-game skid. They have bounced back to win 2-straight and would love to return the favor tonight by beating Dordt on their home court. Dordt is 9-0 at home and you can bet that the crowd and students will be rocking De Witt Gymnasium in this one! Two of the best and most efficient offenses in the NAIA and two teams who can make deep runs in the National Tournament! For tonight though, big GPAC title implications! A Dordt win means they stay 1-game up on CUNE and move to 2-games up on NWC and Morningside. A NWC win could mean a 3-way tie for 1st!
