Game Time... Northwestern College is set to open play at the 2020 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship Tournament against No.1 overall seed College of Idaho on Wednesday, March 11 in Sioux Falls, S.D. Tip-off at the Sanford Pentagon is set for 8pm, just after the NAIA Parade of Champions. 

Northwestern, one of four teams from the Great Plains Athletic Conference, has a 20-11 record; College of Idaho, ranked first in the final two NAIA D-II Coaches poll, has won 24 straight games and has a 30-3 overall record. 

    Follow the game live via the following links:  

            Live Stats | KSOU Audio | Watch via NAIA Network (payment required)

All-Time...This will be the third meeting between the two teams, all at the D-II Championship. Northwestern is 2-0 all-time, earning an 88-79 win the 2001 quarterfinals and again in 2007 when they defeated the Yotes 99-77 in the first round. (College of Idaho was named Albertson College at that time).

How They Qualified...Northwestern earned the host bid into the 32-team field by way of its 60% win percentage in the regular season. College of Idaho, one of three teams from the Cascade Collegiate Athletic Conference to qualify for the championship, earned an auto bid by winning the conference regular season title. 

Championship History...Northwestern is making their 19th tournament appearance at the D-II Championship, 22nd overall trip to the national tournament – winning both the 2000 and 2003 titles and advancing to the national quarterfinals seven times. The Red Raiders are 31-18 all-time at the championship. 

College of Idaho is making its 15th trip to the NAIA Division II Championships, having posted a 20-13 record in the tournament – including trips to the quarterfinals in 1993, 2001 and 2015, semifinal appearances in 2018 and 2019, and winning the 1996 NAIA title. C of I also made eight trips to the NAIA National Championships prior to the creation of two divisions in 1992 – going 5-8 – including trips to the national quarterfinals in 1988 and 1989.

Scouting Reports...

    #1 College of Idaho Coyotes: 20-0 (1st), 30-3 overall            Head Coach: Colby Blaine (2nd year)

The Yotes bring a 24-game win streak into the D-II Championship, having not lost since an 86-76 setback to NAIA D-I The Master's (Calif.) on a neutral floor on Nov. 29. They have also lost to Northwest Nazarene and Lewis-Clark State (Idaho). College of Idaho is 30-3 on the season, going a perfect 20-0 in conference play, as well as 3-0 in the CCC postseason tournament. They defeated Oregon Tech, also a national tournament qualifier, 82-77 in the conference championship. 

Blaine, in his second year as the Head Coach and sixth overall season on the Yotes sidelines (4 years as ass't), returns three starters and eight players from a 2018-19 team that lost to Oregon Tech in the national semifinals. Blaine, the CCC Coach of the Year, does return his top two scorers (Nate Bruneel and Talon Pinckney) from last year. College of Idaho has reached the national semifinals the last two years. 

   By the Numbers: (NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Scoring Offense: 79.8ppg 
    Scoring Defense: 66.3ppg (3rd)
    Field Goal Percentage: 45% 
    3pt Percentage: 36%, 301 3pters 
    Free Throw Percentage: 69% 
    Rebound Margin: +9 (8th)

    Top Players:  (NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Nate Bruneel (3x All-Conference) - 13.6ppg, 61 3pters, 40% 3pt, 4.2rpg
    Talon Pinckney (All-American; 2x Def. Player of Year) - 10.6ppg, 127 assists, 65 steals, 32 3pters
    Ricardo Time - 10.4ppg, 75 3pters, 46% 3pt, 5.3rpg
    Ivory Miles-Williams (All-Conference) - 9.5ppg, 5.5rpg

  Northwestern: 12-8 (T4th), 20-11 overall        Head Coach: Kris Korver (20th year)

The Red Raiders finished the regular season tied with Concordia for fourth place in the GPAC with a 12-8 record. They are 20-11 overall and have lost three straight games heading into the championship, falling to championship qualifiers Dakota Wesleyan, Morningside and Concordia.

Korver is in his 20th season as the Red Raiders Head Coach (since the 2000-01 season). He has led Northwestern to a pair of national titles and 14 trips to the championship during his time. 

Four Red Raiders earned all-conference honors this season; Trent Hilbrands (1st), Jay Small (2nd), Craig Sterk (HM) and Grant Rohrer (HM).

     By the Numbers: (NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Scoring Offense: 84.9ppg 
    Scoring Defense: 78.3ppg 
    Field Goal Percentage: 48% 
    3pt Percentage: 37%, 346 3pters (7th)
    Free Throw Percentage: 76% (10th)
    Rebound Margin: +4 

    Top Players:  (NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Trent Hilbrands (All-American) - 17.5ppg, 87 3pters, 44% 3pt, 74 assists 
    Jay Small (2x All-Conference) - 14.6ppg, 84 3pters, 6.5rpg, 80 assists 
    Craig Sterk (2x All-Conference) - 14.2ppg, 40 3pters, 5.3rpg, 32 blocks
    Grant Rohrer (All-Confernce) - 10.7ppg, 67% FG, 4.6rpg