Posted: Nov 09, 2023
HUTCHINSON, Kan.- There was little doubt, but Thursday it became official as the Defending National Champion Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers were named the #1 seed for the upcoming NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.
The Bucs first round matchup couldn't be more of a contrasting story as FSW comes into their fourth straight National Tournament and as the defending champs while they will oppose the Colby Trojans in their opener, a team who hasn't been to the National Tournament in nearly 50 years. Although they have never met on the floor, there is a little bit of familiarity for the Bucs with the Trojans as FSW Head Coach Thais Baziquetto-Allen coached against Colby in the Jayhawk Conference in her four years leading Seward County before beginning the Bucs program in 2019.
FSW heads into the tournament at 27-1 overall after securing their fourth straight Conference Championship and their second straight FCSAA State and NJCAA District Championships in 2023. The Bucs didn't have an easy road by any stretch of the imagination, winning 15 matches over ranked opponents this season including a 3-0 sweep of #3 Miami Dade in the State Championship Game. FSW enters the tournament 7-1 against fellow tournament teams.
Colby goes to Hutch at 22-9 after winning their final nine games of the season and claiming their first NJCAA Region VIII Championship since 1978. The Trojans faced three teams playing in the 2023 National Tournament, going 1-2 with their lone win coming over 14 seed Casper.
The Bucs will be joined in Hutch by two other FCSAA squads as Miami Dade drew the #3 seed for the Tournament while Daytona State earned an at large and will play out of the #12 seed.
The other top seeds in the bracket behind FSW were Northeastern, Miami Dade, and Salt Lake with Trinity Valley taking the #5 spot.
The Bucs second game, win or lose, will come between 8th seeded Odessa and 9th seeded Southern Idaho, who FSW defeated 3-0 earlier this season in Salt Lake City.
The Bucs will begin play on Wednesday, November 15th at 5:00 PM (ET) in the single elimination bracket. The tournament does feature a back draw to let teams play out each of the Top 10 finishing positions.