Raiders Open NJCAA Tournament Run Against Nine-Seed Cowley Tomorrow Night
NJCAA DI Men's Basketball Championships - Second Round
#9 Cowley vs. #8 Northwest Florida State
Monday, March 25, 2024 | 5:00 PM (CDT)
Hutchinson, Kansas | Hutchinson Sports Arena
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — It's March, and the madness is running through the air. Tomorrow night, Northwest Florida State men's basketball begins its quest for another National Championship as they get set to face the nine-seed Cowley in the second round of the NJCAA Men's Basketball Championships.
The Raiders are coming off a crushing defeat to Chipola in the FCSAA State/Region VIII Championship game, falling to the Indians 50-48 at Raider Arena last Saturday. Despite this, the team secured an at-large bid into this year's national tournament, earning an eight-seed and a first-round bye.
Northwest Florida has earned an NJCAA Tournament berth in eight of their last ten seasons, excluding the 2020 COVID season. The Raiders have made the National Championship game each of the last two years, winning the coveted trophy in 2022 and coming up just short of winning back-to-back titles last season, falling to John A. Logan 73-70 in the final game.
This year, Steve DeMeo and his team look to earn another trip to the championship game but will have to go through the the Tigers first when they meet in the second round of the tournament tomorrow night in Hutchinson.
RAIDERS' résumé
The Raiders concluded their 2023-24 regular season with a 28-5 record, including a 9-3 conference record, 13-4 record at home, 6-0 on the road, and 9-1 record in neutral venues. The team finished second place in the Panhandle Conference, one game behind Chipola, and eventually finished second in the Region VIII Tournament, also behind Chipola.
The Raiders were ranked inside the NJCAA Division I top-ten the entire season, including seven weeks ranked inside the top-five, and three weeks ranked as the number one team in the nation.
Northwest Florida is one of the better rebounding and ball distributing teams in the country this season, ranking 85th in total rebounds per game (38.1) and 39th in offensive rebounds per game (13.0), and 47th in assists per game (16.8).
However, the Raiders bread and butter this season has been their defense. The team ranks second in points allowed (62.1) and 38th in opponents field goal percentage (40.9). The Raiders have held opponents to 60 points or less 16 times this season, going 14-2 in those contest (both losses coming against Chipola).
COWLEY'S résumé
The Tigers come into the tournament as the ninth seed after boasting a 27-5 record, including a 21-3 conference record (KJCCC), 14-2 home record, 12-2 road record and 1-1 record in neutral settings. The Tigers finished second in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) behind Barton - the one seed in this year's tournament - and 11th in the final NJCAA national rankings. Cowley suffered a six-point loss to Hutchinson in the Region VI tournament Semifinals two Fridays ago but still earned an at-large bid into this year's tournament.
The Tigers faced 24-seed Allegany Maryland in the first round today, defeating the Trojans 87-64. Now Cowley looks forward to a date with Northwest Florida tomorrow night in Hutchinson. This will not be the first time the Tigers have faced a top-25-ranked team this season. In fact, Cowley has faced seven top-25 teams this year, including two in this year's tournament (Barton and Hutchinson).
Cowley is dangerous both offensively and defensively. The Tigers rank inside the top-100 in points per game (61st-83.9), field goals made per game (87th-28.6), field goal percentage (65th-46.3), threes made per game (84th-7.2), steals per game (57th-8.7), points per game allowed (26th-68.0), opponents field goal percentage (6th-37.7) and opponents three-point percentage (22nd-29.5)
RAIDERS TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Northwest Florida will be making their 14th National Tournament appearance on Monday - eighth in the last ten years. The Raiders have an overall record of 42-18 in the big dance, which includes three National Championships (1995, 2015, 2022) and three runner-up finishes (2012, 2013, 2023). In addition, the Raiders have produced three National Tournament MVPs: Larry Coast (1995), Brandon Austin (2015) and Deshawndre Washington (2022).
IF THEY ADVANCE
Should the Raiders advance, they will have a day off before playing again on Wednesday, March 27, at 12:00 PT (CDT) against either No. 17-seed Walters State, No. 16-seed Daytona State, or the one-seed Barton. The winner of Wednesday's matchup will advance to Thursday's semifinal game at 5:00 PM (CDT).