2021 Mid-South Tournament Bracket
Opening Round
#10 Campbellsville @ #7 Pikeville 5pm ET Live Video
#9 Life @ #8 Cumberland 6pm ET Live Video
#11 Bethel (TN) @ #6 Freed-Hardeman 8pm ET Live Video
#12 Lindsey Wilson – Forfeit @ Martin Methodist
Quarterfinals
February 28th – (Bowling Green)
vs #4 Cumberlands (KY)
vs #2 Georgetown
vs #3 Thomas More
Semifinals
March 1st-(Bowling Green)
Finals
March 2nd- (Bowling Green)
League Notes:
The top seed: #6 Shawnee State
NAIA Locks: Shawnee State, Georgetown
NAIA Bubble Teams: Cumberlands, Thomas More
Best chances to win this tournament: Shawnee State, Georgetown, Thomas More, Cumberlands
Possible sleeper: Freed Hardeman
KEY PLAYERS:
EJ Onu 6’11 – Shawnee State: 17.53ppg, 7.7rpg, 3.96blg
Several of the scouts we have talked with think that EJ has the best pro ceiling of anyone in the NAIA right now. Hard to disagree when the big fella has been so good on both sides of the ball this season. EJ has developed so much over the past couple years and is one of the best players in the NAIA.
Kyran Jones 6’5 – Georgetown: 17.62ppg, 12.6rpg
Kyran is a walking double-double. While the Tigers haven’t been as dominant as years past, Kyran has really filled the shoes of former NAIA NPOY Chris Coffey, pretty well. He’s got a huge motor and seems to snag every rebound!
Tevin Olison 6’4 – Cumberlands (KY) 23.4ppg, 5.0rpg, 2.48apg, 1.56spg
Olison is one of the best scorers in the NAIA. When he has it turned on, you could argue that he is one of the best players in the NAIA. He has been Mr. Clutch in his career making big play after big play, in big time games. He won’t shy away from the moment in the MSC Tourney!
KEY TEAMS:
#1 Shawnee State – One and James Jones have led the Bears to 19 straight wins. This is a team that is tough to score on and tough to stop. One of the best teams in the NAIA.
#2 Georgetown – Limping into the tournament a bit, but if they come in fully healthy it’s hard to pick against a Chris Briggs led team. He will have his guys tournament ready!
#4 Cumberlands – A very talented group with one of the leagues best in Tevin Olison! This group was a Top 10 NAIA team at one point. Have been inconsistent, but have the tools to play with anyone!
UPSET SPECIAL:
#6 Freed Hardeman – It was a bit of a rough stretch in the middle of the season for this FHU crew, but they seemed to have righted the ship and have some momentum headed into the MSC Tournament. They have one of the best guards in the country in Kortland Martin and have good complimentary pieces in Wanya King and John Musslewhite. They are capable of pulling off the upset!
Opening Round Game Notes
#10 Campbellsville @ #7 Pikeville 5pm ET Live Video
Pikeville 2-0. Upike swept regular season series this season.
Both of these teams haven’t had the season they were hoping for coming into the season. Campbellsville is entering the tournament on a 4 game losing streak, UPike comes in losing 3 of it’s last 5 games. It’s hard to beat a team 3 times in one season though, so we will see what type of energy we get in this late afternoon matchup!
#9 Life @ #8 Cumberland 6pm ET Live Video
Season Series tied 1-1.
These two teams met just 3 days ago with Cumberland winning 69-53. Life has some good talent, just struggle to score at times. Cumberland is very similar. Cumberland has shown they can play with some of the top teams in the league, but have been inconsistent. Both get a chance today to get a MSC Tournament win and at this time of year you can throw records out! It’s survive and advance time!
#11 Bethel (TN) @ #6 Freed-Hardeman 8pm ET Live Video
Season series tied 1-1.
Freed won the most recent battle between these two teams. Both protected their home court in the series. This Bethel team has some good youngsters on their team. FHU has some good talent and were really rolling early. They have won 3 straight coming in, so maybe they can find their groove again to make a BIG run!
#12 Lindsey Wilson – Forfeit CoVid @ Martin Methodist
OTHER NOTES:
– Tournament Page: 2020-21 MSC Men’s Basketball Tournament
– Teams who play tonight will be reseeded after tonight’s games.
– Lindsey Wilson had to drop out of tournament due to CoVid. Martin Methodist advances to the Quarterfinals.
Best Opening Round Game: #11 Bethel @ #6 FHU.
Our Pick To Win It: Shawnee State – Winners of 19 straight games, hard to pick against them. They are so big, and so good on both ends of the floor. Even if they get beat in the MSC Tournament, they are one of our favorites to win a National Title this season!
