The nationally-ranked West Liberty University men’s basketball team has not only earned an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA Division II Atlantic Region tournament, Coach Jim Crutchfield’s No. 10 Hilltoppers get to open the tournament in the friendly confines of the ASRC.
West Liberty (27-2) received the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Regional and will host No. 7 seed Alderson-Broaddus (24-6) in a regional quarterfinal doubleheader on Saturday at the ASRC.
No. 3 seed St. Augustine’s, N.C. (25-4) and No. 6 seed Kutztown, Pa. (22-7) fill out Saturday’s twinbill with the winners returning to the ASRC on Sunday for a regional semifinal showdown.
The NCAA has split this year’s Atlantic Region between two sites. No. 1 seed Indiana, Pa. (26-2) will host the other four-team mini-regional at Memorial Field House in Indiana, Pa.
The Crimson Hawks will play No. 8 seed Fairmont State (22-7) in one quarterfinal with No. 4 seed West Virginia State (28-3) taking on No. 5 seed East Stroudsburg, Pa. (21-5) in Saturday’s other game at IUP. The winners return to Memorial Field House on Sunday for the regional semifinal.
The Atlantic Regional championship game is set for Tuesday night on the home floor of the higher-seeded regional semifinal winner.
West Liberty, which rolled to its first WVIAC regular-season title since 1961, came up a few ticks short of a WVIAC tournament championship Saturday night when West Virginia State scored with just 3.8 seconds remaining to escape with a 108-107 victory in the highest-scoring WVIAC title tilt in 73 years.
It was only the second loss of the season for the Hilltoppers, who had reeled off a school-record 22 consecutive wins since dropping a 117-116 overtime decision at West Virginia State.
Crutchfield has led West Liberty to six straight 20-win seasons and is taking the Hilltoppers to their second NCAA Division II postseason appearance in his six years at the helm.
West Liberty earned an at-large bid to the 2007 NCAA Division II East Region tournament, falling to California (Pa.) by an 82-79 score in overtime during the quarterfinal round.
Starting times and ticket information for all games will be announced early this week.
NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball – Atlantic Region Tournament
Saturday, March 13 – Regional Quarterfinals (at West Liberty, W.Va.)
No. 2 WEST LIBERTY vs. No. 7 Alderson-Broaddus, TBD
No. 3 St. Augustine’s (N.C.) vs. No. 6 Kutztown (Pa.), TBD
(at Indiana, Pa.)
No. 1 Indiana (Pa.) vs. No. 8 Fairmont State, tba
No. 4 W.Va. State vs. No. 5 East Stroudsburg (Pa.), TBD
Sunday, March 14 – Regional Semifinals (at West Liberty, W.Va.)
WEST LIBERTY/Alderson-Broaddus winner vs. St. Augustine’s/Kutztown winner, tba
(at Indiana, Pa.)
Indiana/Fairmont State winner vs. W.Va. State/East Stroudsburg winner, TBD
Tuesday, March 16 -Regional Championship
(at higher-seeded team TBD)
