Earlier today, the NAIA national office released the entire tournament field, seedings, and first-round pairings. And while the seeding went as expected for Azusa Pacific, what was a surprise is the Cougars’ first-round opponent. The Cougars open against Voorhees College of Denmark, S.C. on Thursday (March 25) at 10:30 a.m. (PST). While Azusa Pacific heads into the NAIA Tournament with a fine 31-4 record that includes an NAIA-leading 18-game winning streak, Voorhees, on the other hand, is the only sub-.500 team in the tourney with a 12-17 mark.
Normally, the lone sub-.500 team would be reserved for the top-seeded team, however, No. 1 Mountain State (W. Va.) played Voorhees twice during the season, and the NAIA Tournament Games Committee tends to avoid first-round match-ups between teams that have already played each other. Therefore, Mountain State is paired in the first round with Reinhardt College, a team that has won 13 straight and is 22-13.
As for the Cougars, Azusa Pacific locked up its ninth straight berth (longest such streak ever by a California school) into the NAIA Tournament by winning its 11th Golden State Athletic Conference regular-season title in the past 12 years. The Cougars then went on to down defending national champion Concordia, 66-41, in last night’s GSAC Tournament championship game in Fullerton, Calif.
“Obviously, we don’t know much about Voorhees,” said Cougar coach Bill Odell, “but already we’ve been able to gather that they are quick and athletic. I think last year’s showing had a rather sobering effect on us, and it should remind us that you have to come ready to play in the NAIA Tourney.”
A year ago as a No. 7 seed, Azusa Pacific was bounced out of the NAIA Tournament on the opening day with a 70-67 upset loss to John Brown University (Ark.).
Voorhees is making its third NAIA Tournament appearance and its first since 1999. The Tigers garnered a berth by winning the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (EIAC) Postseason Tournament, upsetting the conference’s top seed, Barber-Scotia, 91-79, in the semifinals before downing Edward Waters, 83-78, in the championship game.
This is the third time in the past 6 years that Azusa Pacific is opening the NAIA Tourney against an EIAC team. In 1999 and again in 2001, the Cougars beat Edward Waters in first-round action, posting a 75-67 decision in 1999 and an 82-70 verdict in 2001.
Regarded as the most difficult national championship to win, a team is required to play 5 games in 6 days in order to capture the NAIA crown. Azusa Pacific is 13-11 all-time in the NAIA Tournament play, having advanced to the NAIA Final Four in 1998, 1999 and 2001.
Click here to view the entire NAIA Tournament bracket with tip-off times for all 31 games.
