INDIANAPOLIS – Six teams will battle it out in Owensboro, Ky., this week for the right to claim a new trophy in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship later this week.
Tournament host Kentucky Wesleyan polished off and undefeated regular season in the conference schedule to earn the top seed and regular-season title in the G-MAC with a record of 26-2.
The Panthers are flying high ranked fourth in the Midwest Region and coming in as defending conference tourney champs and an NCAA Championship Midwest Regional qualifier.
All games in the G-MAC Men’s Basketball Championship will be streamed online with live stats available to all viewers. To view available multimedia links along with general admission information, click to view the official championship page
here.
If the ending of the regular season with a four-overtime finish between Alderson Broaddus and Davis & Elkins was a sign of things to come for March Madness, fans will be in for a real treat this postseason
March Madness officially begins with quarterfinal action on Thursday, March 2, with last year’s runner-up, No. 6 Trevecca Nazarene, and No. 3 Davis & Elkins tipping off at 11 a.m. CST. Following will be No. 5 Cedarville contesting No. 4 Malone with an approximate 1:30 p.m. CST start time.
D&E’s three-time G-MAC Player of the Week and league scoring king Kevin Bracy-Davis poses a tough mismatch on the floor. Big man Rickenjee Bellevue has gobbled up reobunds and blocked shots at a record-setting pace and sophomore floor general Kevin Simpson is the reigning G-MAC Freshman of the Year. Not to mention senior guard Wesley Sprinkle, who joined the small list of 1,000 career-point club this season.
The Senators (12-14, 7-5 G-MAC) completed the regular-season sweep against the Trojans (8-20, 3-9 G-MAC), who showcase sniping long-range marksman Jacob Williams and an impressive-looking rookie in Devin Whitfield, who led the team in scoring with 15.7 ppg. Donovan Donaldson has come on strong while senior Percy Blade also averages double-digit scoring.
Cedarville (13-15, 5-7 G-MAC) is paced by smooth scoring J.C. Faubion, who has quietly surged up the career scoring leaderboard to third in conference history. At this time last year, Robert Okoro really showed promise in the post while the highlight-reel acts of Dazhonetae Bennett and Justice Montgomery are primed for more flair.
Malone (13-12, 6-6 G-MAC) has arguably played Kentucky Weselyan the toughest, taking the Panthers down to the wire in Canton. Mitchell Spotleson has been a two-time G-MAC Athlete of the Week while the three-headed guard monster of Ty Jordan, Nate Shppard and Christian Graves, is balanced.
Kentucky Wesleyan awaits the winner of Cedarville and Malone in the semifinals on Friday for the late game at 1:30 p.m. CST. The nationally ranked No. 9 Panthers have been led all year by seniors Ken-Jah Bosley and Jordan Jacks – it’s another dangerous unit with the potential to advance far in this year’s regional bracket.
Earning the other first-round bye was Alderson Broaddus and the Battlers will wait and see who emerges from the TNU/D&E matchup. Like a few other teams, AB lost virtually it’s entire starting lineup and program core from a year ago, but the Battlers have grown together to emerge as conference title contenders. Freshman forward Malik Bocook is a double-double machine while the likes of Sam Sanders, Dorrell Foster, Exvaier Cooper or Jordan Haywood, can be the team’s leading scorer on a given night.
The 2016-17 G-MAC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Team will be announced on Wednesday evening following a championship banquet on the KWC campus. All-conference teams are voted upon by the league’s seven coaches.