NAIA Sweet 16 is set for Kansas City. And big games await Jennies, Drury + MIAA teams
Some of the best small-college men’s basketball teams in the nation are coming to Kansas City this week for the Sweet 16 of the 2021 NAIA Tournament, which returns to Municipal Auditorium after taking a year off amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the 83rd edition of the tourney, this year’s format sent the 48-team field for the men, and 48 teams for the women, to various sites around the country in a “pod” system — three men’s and/or women’s teams apiece at each location. The top team in each pod advanced to the Sweet 16s.
Those Sweet 16 games begin Thursday and conclude on Friday, with the men’s quarterfinals Saturday, semifinals Monday and championship game Tuesday evening.
In the Park City pod near Wichita, third-seeded Park University (14-7) lost to No. 2 Oklahoma Wesleyan Friday, 93-65. Oklahoma Wesleyan then advanced to KC with a 100-73 victory Saturday over No. 1 Science & Arts (Okla.).
In Park City’s other three-team bracket, No. 1 William Penn (25-1) also advanced, beating No. 2 Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 85-75
In one of two Wichita brackets, second-seeded Benedictine (21-7) of Atchison, Kan., advanced to the winner-to-KC game with a Friday night victory over No. 3 Central Baptist (Ark.), 73-61. But the Ravens’ run came to an end against No. 1 Saint Francis (Ind.), a 73-65 winner Saturday.
In the other Wichita pod, Bethel advanced with a 76-69 defeat of No. 1-seeded Northwestern (Iowa) 76-69 Saturday after beating No. 3 Voorhees (S.C.) 82-79 Friday. The Threshers (21-6), from Newton, Kan., open the Sweet 16 Thursday at 3:45 p.m. against Shawnee State of Portsmouth, Ohio.
Indiana Wesleyan (30-2), the overall No. 1 seed for the men’s tournament, made the Sweet 16 with a 95-76 win over No. 2 IU South Bend (Ind.) in Marion, Ind., Saturday.
The women’s Sweet 16 begins Thursday at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
In opening-round games across the nation, Benedictine bowed out Friday with a 58-45 loss to Xavier (La.) in Lakeland, Fla. In Omaha, College of the Ozarks also was eliminated Friday with an 82-69 loss to Northwestern (Iowa).
At Park City, No. 1 seed Sterling (Kan.) defeated Columbia College 70-54 Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16. Third-seeded Columbia had reached the Saturday game by beating No. 2 seed Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 85-83 Friday night.
And in one of the two Wichita women’s pods at Hartman Arena, top-seeded MidAmerica Nazarene of Olathe defeated No. 2 Vanguard (Calif.) 75-64 one day after Vanguard beat third-seeded Bethel (Kan.) 67-50. The other qualifier from the two Wichita pods was 1-seed Morningside (Iowa), a 90-70 winner Saturday over No. 3 Saint Xavier (Ill.).
MNU (19-4) opens the Sweet 16 Thursday against Clarke University at 8 p.m.
NAIA MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
At Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium
SWEET 16 GAMES
Naismith Bracket
8. Stillman (Ala.) vs. 9. St. Francis (Ind.), 2 p.m. Thurs.
1. Indiana Wesleyan vs. 16. Bethel (Ind.), 7:15 p.m. Thurs.
Cramer Bracket
5. Shawnee St. (Ohio) vs. 12. Bethel (Kan.), 3:45 p.m. Thurs.
4. Faulkner (Ala.) vs. 13. Jamestown (N.D.), 5:30 p.m. Thurs.
Duer Bracket
6. Marian (Ind.) vs. 11. Loyola (La.), 2 p.m. Fri.
3. Lewis-Clark St. (Idaho) vs. 14. Oklahoma Wesleyan, 3:45 p.m. Fri.
Liston Bracket
7. SAGU (Texas) vs. 10. Morningside (Iowa), 5:30 p.m. Fri.
2. William Penn (Iowa) vs. 15. Carroll (Mont.), 7:15 p.m. Fri.
Quarterfinals: Saturday, times TBD
Semifinals: Monday at 6 and 8 p.m.
Championship game: Tuesday at 7 p.m.
NAIA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
At Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center
SWEET 16 GAMES
1. Thomas More (Ky.) vs. 16. Mt. Vernon Nazarene (Ohio), 1 p.m. Thurs.
8. Sterling (Kan.) vs. 9. Dakota State (S.D.), 3 p.m. Thurs.
2. Westmont (Calif.) vs. 15. Lyon (Ark.), 6 p.m. Thurs.
7. Clarke (Iowa) vs. 10. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), 8 p.m. Thurs.
3. Campbellsville (Ky.) vs. 14. Lewis-Clarke St. (Idaho), 1 p.m. Fri.
6. Southeastern (Fla.), vs. 11. Indiana Wesleyan, 3 p.m. Fri.
4. Marian (Ind.) vs. 13. Concordia (Neb.), 6 p.m. Fri.
5. Morningside (Iowa) vs. 12. St. Francis (Ill.), 8 p.m. Fri.
Quarterfinals: Saturday at 1, 3, 6, 8 p.m.
Semifinals: Monday at 6 and 8 p.m.
Championship game: Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Central Missouri, Drury women reach regional finals
Central Missouri and Drury will play for spots in the NCAA women’s Division II Elite Eight Monday night.
The Jennies (21-4) upset top-seeded Fort Hays State 72-68 on Saturday advancing to the Central Regional final against Nebraska-Kearney at 5 p.m. Monday in Warrensburg. Brooke Littrell and Graycen Holden led Central Missouri with 17 points each and Olivia Nelson scored 16 points. Holden’s jump shot with 3:44 to play put the Jennies in front for good.
No. 2 seed Drury (21-1) beat Truman 66-51 on Saturday in Springfield, led by Paige Robinson’s 26 points. The Panthers will take on No. 5 seed Ashland, which upset top seed Michigan Tech, for the Midwest Regional title at 5 p.m. Monday.
MIAA rematch on men’s side
In the men’s Division II tournament, Northwest Missouri blew out Washburn 85-44 in their a fourth meeting Sunday night in a Central Regional semifinal in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The Bearcats (24-2) will play top seeded and host Northern State for an Elite Eight spot at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
The Ichabods (20-7) and Northwest split their two regular season games, which both went into overtime with each team winning on its opponent’s floor. The third game was won by Washburn on a 57-foot buzzer-beating three-pointer by Tyler Geiman in the MIAA championship game in Maryville.
The top-seeded Truman State men advanced to the Midwest Regional finals in Evansville, Indiana with an 82-63 win over No. 5 seed Ashland on Sunday night. Michigan Tech faced Southern Indiana in the other semifinal.
This story was originally published March 14, 2021 at 1:21 PM.