KANSAS CITY, Mo. – William Jessup University (19-10) is slated to face No. 12 Mid-America Nazarene University, KS (26-8) in game two of the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship tournament after defeating University of Pikeville in Round 1 of the tournament.
With 16 teams remaining and having knocked of the number 2 seed Pikeville, Jessup goes up against the number 3 seed Pioneers. Mid-America Nazarene defeated 6 seed Oklahoma City in overtime in their first tournament game 87-82. You could say that Nazarene found their advantage over Oklahoma City in rebounds, grabbing 16 points off of second chance opportunitites compared to seven by their competitor, and outrebounding Oklahoma City 48-43.
Mid-Nazarine ranks fourth in the national in total rebounding offense. This could play toward Jessup's strengths, as Pikeville found much success over the course of the year off of the boards but the Warriors were able to outrebound them 49-34, with seniors Floyd, Smith, and Clement combining for 34 rebounds. While the Warriors currently sit 34th nationally in total reboundoing offense, they rank fourth in the nation in total rebounding margin.
The Pioneers are led by senior guard Nick Syrie who averages 13.5 points per game while junior transfer Justing Randall, a 6-7 forward, grabs 5.6 rebounds per game along with 12.4 points. The Warriors are led offensively by senior Corey Clement averaging 16.28 points per game, while senior Andre Smith standing at 6-9, averages over 10 rebounds and almost 12 points per game.
The Warrior defense will be looking to force the Pioneers to shoot off the dribble and to stifle the Pioneer's generally fluid offense. Mid-America Nazarene leads the nation in both total assists and assists per game, averaging over 20 per game as a team, led by Syrie who is the NAIA's individual leader in assists averaging 7.74 a game.
Between defensive speed from Micheal Patterson and Saajid Polite; along with rebounding from Floyd, Smith, and Clement, Jessup has the tools to shut down historically stong aspects of the Pioneer's game. The Warriors might also have a very small advantage in endurance after Mid-Nazarene played through overtime last night. Regardless the eventual result, this game should be a classic post-season college battle.
Tonight's game is scheduled to tip-off at 6 p.m. PST, and is available to watch live at bit.ly/watchjessupsports. Follow along the entire NAIA Naitional Championship by visiting NAIA.org.
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William Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on William Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: William Jessup University Athletics (Facebook), @WJUSports (Twitter), and @JessupAthletics (Instagram, and Snapchat).
