2021 NorthStar Tournament Bracket
Quarterfinals
February 23rd
#8 Presentation @ #1 Mayville State 7:30pm CTย Live Video
#5 Dakota State @ #4 Viterbo 7:30pm CTย Live Video
#7 Waldorf @ #2 Bellevue 7:30pm CTย Live Video
#6 Dickenson State @ #3 Valley City State 7:30pm CTย Live Video
Semifinals
February 25th
Finals
February 27thย
League Notes:
The top seed:ย Mayville State
NAIA Locks:ย None
NAIA Bubble Teams:ย ย None
Best chances to win this tournament:ย Mayville State, Bellevue, Valley City State
Possible sleeper:ย ย Dakota State
KEY PLAYERS:
Keiron Goodwin 6’4 – Mayville State:ย 14.6ppg, 4.3rpg
Keiron Gordon has been a great addition to this Mayville State team this season. He is a top 5 scorer in the NSAA and was a huge part of helping Mayville win the regular season NSAA crown.
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Jameil King 6’5 – Bellevue:ย 14.1ppg, 3.2rpg, 3.2apg
Don’t let his low PPG numbers fool you, King is a NSAA POY candidate. This Bellevue team just plays at a slower pace than others. King is a tough matchup as a big guard. He is a playmaker, who will look to carry the Bruins to the NAIA National Tournament.
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Kevin Shramm 6’6 – Valley City Stateย 11.5ppg, 6.4rpg
The heart and soul of this VCSC squad. They have a balanced attack offensively, but Shramm is the one to watch here, because if they are going to win this tournament he is going to have toย
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KEY TEAMS:
#1 Mayville State – Latrelle Franklin and Keiron Goodwin lead the way for this tough Mayville State squad. They have been tough at home this season and that gives them a huge edge over the field.
#2 Bellevue – Probably the most talented team in the NSAA, but have struggled to stay consistent at times. They are VERY capable of winning the tournament behind the likes of Jameil King and Lewis Hayes.
#3 Valley City State – Started off the season red hot going 9-1 to start the year. Ended the year winning 8 of their last 10 games. This is definitely a team to watch from the 3-seed!
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UPSET SPECIAL:ย
#4 Viterbo – This is a league where it wouldn’t be surprising to see anyone 1-6 win the tournament, so we will ride out Viterbo as our upset special team.ย
Opening Round Notes:
#8 Presentation @ #1 Mayville State 7:30pm CT Live Video
Mayville State 1-0 – Mayville pounded Presentation 80-49 back in December.
Mayville State has played as consistent as anyone in the NSAA this season. This Presentation has only 1 conference win. Mayville shouldn’t have any issues advancing to the the NSAA semifinals.
#5 Dakota State @ #4 Viterbo 7:30pm CT Live Video
Viterbo 2-0 – Viterbo has wins by 16 and 5 this season
Dakota State has lost 6 of their last 9 games to end the regular season. They seem to of lost some players as well. Viterbo won 6 of their last 7 games with that lone loss being to Mayville State by 3. Viterbo is capable of winning this tournament.
#7 Waldorf @ #2 Bellevue 7:30pm CT Live Video
Season Series tied 1-1
These two teams have really battled in their two head to head matchups this season with neither winning by more than 4pts. Expect another great game today between these two teams.
#6 Dickenson State @ #3 Valley City State 7:30pm CT Live Video
Valley City State 2-0. They have beat Dickenson State by a combined 35pts in 2 games
These two teams did play to a 9 point game just four days ago. It’s always tough to play a team back to back, but this Valley City team gets to return home with a chance to continue their great season.
OTHER NOTES:
The NSAA will be a (1) bid league. The winner of the NSAA Tournament will punch their ticket and represent the NorthStar.
Best Opening Round Matchup: #7 Waldorf @ #2 Bellevue.
Our Pick To Win It:ย ย Valley City State – As good and consistent as Mayville State has been, this conference tournament could quite a few upsets. With that in mind, we will roll with a Valley City State team that has played it’s best basketball against really good teams this season!
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