INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Tipoff times and seedings for next week’s NCAA Division II Elite Eight men’s basketball championship tournament at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas were announced Wednesday by the NCAA Division II Seeding Committee.
Coach Jim Crutchfield’s No. 5-ranked West Liberty (30-3) squad has been seeded No. 4 and will take on unranked and No. 5 seed Stonehill, Mass. (24-8) in the second quarterfinal game of the afternoon session on March 23. The Hilltoppers and Skyhawks will tip off at approximately 3:30 p.m. (EDT) following a 1 p.m. opener between No 1-ranked and top-seeded Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. (32-2) and unranked No. 8 seed Barry, Fla. (26-6).
The evening session is set for a 7 p.m. start with No. 2-ranked and No. 2-seeded Augustana, S.D. (31-2) tipping off against unranked No. 7 seed Tarleton State, Texas (24-8). Action concludes with a 9:30 p.m. quarterfinal featuring No. 3-ranked and No. 3-seeded Western Oregon (30-3) going up against No. 25-ranked and No. 6-seeded Saginaw Valley State, Mich. (25-7).
Wednesday’s afternoon session winners will meet in a 7 p.m. (EDT) semifinal on Thursday with the survivors of the evening quarterfinals tangling at 9:30 p.m. The NCAA Division II championship game is set for a 3 p.m. tipoff on March 26 and will be televised live on CBS.
THE ELITE EIGHT
Quarterfinals – Wednesday, March 23
No. 1 Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. (32-2) vs. Barry, Fla. (26-6), 1 p.m.
No. 5 WEST LIBERTY (30-3) vs. Stonehill, Mass. (24-8), 3:30 p.m.
No. 2 Augustana, S.D. (31-2) vs. Tarleton State, Texas (24-8), 7 p.m.
No. 3 Western Oregon (30-3) vs. No. 25 Saginaw Valley State, Mich. (25-7)
Semifinals – Thursday, March 24
Lincoln Memorial/Barry winner vs. WEST LIBERTY/Stonehill winner, 7 p.m.
Augustana/Tarleton State winner vs. Western Oregon/Saginaw Valley winner, 9:30 pm
Championship – Saturday, March 26
Semifinal winners, 3 p.m.
