NJCAA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT | QUARTERFINAL ROUND | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
NJCAA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT BRACKET
MATCHUP: No. 6 FSW (30-2) vs. No. 3 Vincennes Univ. (33-1)
TEAM RANKINGS:
FSW – No. 2 (NJCAA); No. 9 (Massey Ratings)
Vincennes – No. 3 (NJCAA); No. 2 (Massey Ratings)
WHEN: Thursday, March 22, 2018 | 9:00 p.m. ET
WHERE: Hutchinson Sports Arena (Hutchinson, Kansas)
LIVE STREAM: NJCAA TV (www.njcaatv.com) | Single Broadcast Pass: $4.99 | Tournament Pass: $12.99
LIVE STATS: FSWBucs.com (available at tipoff)
HUTCHINSON, Kansas – The 6th-seeded Florida SouthWestern men's basketball team (30-2) will continue NJCAA Tournament play with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 3 seed Vincennes University (33-1) at 9:00 p.m. ET on Thursday (March 22) at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Thursday's game, along with every game of the National Tournament, will be streamed live on NJCAA TV (www.njcaatv.com). There is a small fee to watch the games (Single Broadcast Pass: $4.99 | Tournament Pass: $12.99). NJCAA TV is available on both your desktop and mobile/tablet devices, as well as through NJCAA TV specifice over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Apple TV. In addition, the NJCAA TV app is available for iOS in the App Store and Android on Google Play. Mobile devices including iPhone, iPad, and Android will work with the default web browser. Devices should be kept up to date and connected to a reliable data connection for optimal playback. Apple users and owners of an AppleTV device can simply 'throw' the webcast from their iPhone or iPad using the AirPlay feature. Computer users can output their display directly to an HDMI signal if supported, otherwise a converter may be required.
The winner of Thursday night's game will advance to Friday's (March 23) semifinal round against the winner of 2nd-seeded Northwest Florida State and 10th-seeded Southern Idaho at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Under the leadership of 2018 Suncoast Conference Coach of the Year Marty Richter, the Buccaneers earned the program's first Suncoast Conference championship (12-0 conference record), secured their second consecutive berth to the NJCAA District VIII Championship and were awarded the highest seed of the at-large bids to the National Tournament (6-seed).
As a team (through games played on March 13), FSW leads the nation in opponents' field goal percentage (36.7 percent) but they also rank in the top 25 nationally in multiple categories, including blocks per game (7.2; 4th), assists per game (20.9, 4th), defensive rebounds per game (32.2, 7th), steals per game (10.5, 11th), field goal percentage (51.2 percent, 13th), opponents' three-point field goal percentage (30.0 percent, 13th), points per game (91.5; 19th) and total points (2,837, 24th).
The Buccaneers have a lot of depth and balance as five different players average in double figures and seven players average 8.0 points per game or more, led by Tremell Murphy (17.0 ppg) and Tyler Cheese (15.1 ppg).
Tremell Murphy, the 2018 Suncoast Conference Player of the Year and two-time NJCAA National Player of the Week honoree, leads the Bucs in scoring (17.0 points) and ranks second in rebounds (6.5). In conference play, the Griffith, Ind. native averaged 16.8 points and 7.6 boards, while shooting 50.5 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from behind the three-point line. A 2017 Suncoast Conference All-Conference First Team selection, who has a pair double-doubles on the season (eight in his collegiate career), has scored in double figures in 26 of the 27 games he's played in, including 15+ points on 18 occasions.
Cheese, a 2018 Suncoast Conference first team selection, ranks second on the team in scoring (15.1 points) and leads the team in assists (6.8 assists). His 6.8 assists per game are second-best in Region VIII and rank him 13th in the nation. He has scored in double figures 20 times during the season, including scoring a career-high 40 points (13-of-26 shooting from the field and 13-of-15 from the charity stripe) against IMG (Jan. 5). Cheese has recorded the program's only two triple-doubles (vs. IMG on Jan. 5, 2018 - 40 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists; at Central Florida on March 7, 2018 – 36 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds).
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | VINCENNES UNIVERSITY
The Trailblazers are 33-1 overall and have won nine consecutive games. VU received their automatic bid to the National Tourney after defeating Southwestern Illinois 95–69 to win the 2018 District 16 Championship (March 10).
In Vincennes' 86-82 win over Motlow State in the second round of the NJCAA National Tournament, VU saw five players reaching double-figures in points, led by Keith Clemons' team-high 19 points (including four 3-pointers). Lony Francis, Jr. doubled his totals in the second-half, finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds. Isaiah Tisdale recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds and he also added eight assists. Ty Gadsden recorded the other Trailblazer double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. CJ Hedgepeth was the fifth player to reach double-figures, with 10 points and five boards.
VU STAT SUMMARY
Points Per Game: 89.6 ppg
Field Goal Percentage: 49.8%
Three-Point Percentage: 37.9%
Free-Throw Percentage: 65.5%
Rebounds Per Game: 39.5 rpg
Assists Per Game: 16.6 apg
FSW WATCH PARTY
Mona Lisa Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria in Fort Myers will be the official watch party location for the Florida SouthWestern men's basketball teams' NJCAA National Tournament (Quarterfinal Round) matchup against No. 3 Vincennes on Thursday, March 22 at 9 p.m. ET.
Buccaneer fans are encouraged to wear their Purple and Aqua and join other Buc fans at Mona Lisa's (7091 College Pkwy.).
ABOUT THE NJCAA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
The 71st NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship will take place at the Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kansas, March 19-24, 2018. The 2018 edition of The Tournament marks the 70th consecutive year the event will be hosted by Hutchinson and organized and directed by the American Legion Lysle Rishel Post #68.
The Tournament features the top 24 teams in Division I men's basketball of the NJCAA. The single-elimination seeded bracket is comprised of 16 District Champions, four at-large selections and four 'zone' qualifiers. The top eight seeds receive first-round byes.
FOLLOW THE BUCS
For the latest news on FSW Athletics, log on to FSWBucs.com or stay connected to the Bucs on social media. Follow the Buccaneers on Twitter @FSWBucs, on Instagram @FSWBucs, on Facebook at Facebook.com/FSWBucs and on Snapchat at BucsSnaps.
SUNCOAST CREDIT UNION ARENA
The Buccaneers compete in the brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Suncoast Credit Union Arena is approximately 75,000 square feet and is home to the FSW basketball teams and a student athletic center. The arena seats approximately 3,300 fans and includes six skyboxes, a hospitality event center, competition courts that convert into recreational courts, athletic office space, student, faculty and staff wellness, and an athletic center with a fitness pavilion, men's and women's locker rooms and a weight training area. The arena has two Daktronics displays, on the north and south walls, that each measure 10 feet high by 20 feet wide. Both displays incorporate variable content zoning to each show one large image or they can be divided into multiple windows to show any variety of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages. One-hundred feet of ribbon displays have been installed on the east and west walls of the arena. The ribbons provide the opportunity to supplement the content on the main displays as well as highlight sponsors throughout events.
FLORIDA SOUTHWESTERN
The Florida SouthWestern State College athletic program is a member of the Florida College System Athletic Association (FCSAA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The Buccaneers are one of 25 schools in the NJCAA Region 8 and are one of six schools in the Suncoast Conference. Florida SouthWestern State College currently supports four intercollegiate athletic programs (Baseball, Softball, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball).
Baseball and Softball began their regular season competition in 2016 at the City of Palms Park in Fort Myers. Located on the Thomas Edison (Lee) Campus in Fort Myers is the brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena (completed in fall 2016), where FSW's men's and women's basketball teams compete.
THE NJCAA
The movement to form a unique sports association dedicated to America's two-year colleges arose in 1937 when several track and field coaches gathered in Fresno, California. A year later, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rejected a petition from 13 two-year colleges in California to grant their teams and athletes permission to compete at the NCAA Track & Field Championships.
In the spring of 1938, following the NCAA's rejection, those same 13 two-year colleges gathered again in Fresno to organize and form an association that would promote and supervise a national athletics program exclusively for junior and community colleges…and the rest is history.
On May 14, 1938, the first constitution of the National Junior College Athletic Association was accepted by its charter members and the organization held its first national championship event a year later in May 1939.
The NJCAA has played a vital role in collegiate athletics for the past eight decades and continues to be the leader in championing academic and athletic opportunities for student-athletes. This section of the association's website is dedicated to celebrating the NJCAA's rich history and tradition as the national governing body of two-year college athletics.
For more information on the NJCAA log on to www.NJCAA.org.
THE FCSAA
The Florida College System Activities Association, Incorporated (FCSAA) is a statewide non‑profit corporation regulating, coordinating, and promoting intercollegiate activities in: Athletics, Brain Bowl, Forensics, Music, Student Government, Student Publications, and Theatre.
Membership in the Florida College System Activities Association is open to any of the 28 colleges in the Florida College System. Each member institution is represented in the policy‑making deliberations of the Association through that institution's President or other designated representative. The institutional representatives constitute the FCSAA Presidents Assembly, the ultimate authority in FCSAA.
For more information on the FCSAA log on to www.TheFCSAA.com.
NJCAA REGION 8 & THE SUNCOAST CONFERENCE
Member colleges of the NJCAA are allotted to a specific NJCAA Region upon membership to the association. Unlike other collegiate organizations that defer to conference affiliation, the NJCAA guarantees each member college's membership within the regional structure of the association. In most cases, region assignment is based upon geographic location of the college.
The region structure of the NJCAA is the primary method used by all sponsored sports of the association in determining qualification for national championship tournaments. In certain sports, two or more regions are partnered to form a competition 'district', which is then used for national championship qualification. The organization of districts varies per sport and is formulated every two years under the authority of the association's board of directors.
FSW is in Region 8 and is joined by ASA College Miami (Region 8 only; non-FCSAA member), Broward College, Chipola College, College of Central Florida, Daytona State College, Eastern Florida State College, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Gulf Coast State College, Hillsborough Community College, Indian River State College, Lake-Sumter State College, Miami Dade College, Northwest Florida State College, Palm Beach State College, Pasco-Hernando State College, Pensacola State College, Polk State College, Santa Fe College, Seminole State College of Florida, South Florida State College, St. Johns River State College, St. Petersburg College, State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota and Tallahassee Community College.
The Bucs are also in the Suncoast Conference with Hillsborough Community College, Polk State College, South Florida State College, St. Petersburg College and State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota. The women's basketball program is also in the Suncoast Conference, but with only three other teams (Hillsborough Community College, St. Petersburg College and Eastern Florida State College).
For more information on Region 8 log on to www.TheFCSAASports.com.