Men's Basketball 3-20-19 Preview

Men's Basketball Jordan Alves

Tiger basketball set to play Lewis-Clark State in first round of NAIA Tournament on Wednesday

Fans can tune into the CU Sports Network for radio coverage

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the 13th time in Campbellsville men's basketball history, the Tigers are playing in the NAIA DI Men's Basketball Tournament and it all gets started this week. 
 
Campbellsville, which earned the No. 7-seed, will play the two-seeded Warriors of Lewis-Clark State College on Wednesday morning, March 20, at 11:45 a.m. ET. The meeting is the first between the two programs.
 
The tournament is played at historic Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, Missouri for the 53rdtime in history. 
 
Fans can tune in on the CU Sports Network with Matt Payton and Benji Kelly starting at 11:30 a.m. ET. 
 
The NAIA Network - the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast the first 30 games leading up to the championship final on ESPN3. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single-day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-tournament package is available at $34.95. Click HERE for more information.
 
Campbellsville is headed to the national tournament for the 13th time in program history, where they hold a record of 10-12 all-time. In three years as head coach, Brent Vernon has led the Tigers to now two tournament appearances and has a 1-1 record. The Tigers lost last season to No. 11 University of Montana Western after defeating No. 6 Columbia College in the first round. 
 
The Tigers, who boast a 22-9 mark on the season, went 7-7 inside Mid-South Conference play but lost to No. 3 Georgetown College in the tournament semifinals.
 
Overall, Campbellsville picked up three wins over Top 25 opponents, including an 80-71 over Georgetown when the Tigers were No. 6 in the country. CU also took down No. 21 University of the Cumberlands in the opening round of the conference tournament.
 
The Tigers are led by three seniors – Stephaun Adams, Hagen Tyler and Andrew Smith. Adams leads the way with 19.9 points per game and is the first Tiger to score just under 20 points per game since Zach Allender tallied 20 a game in 2008-09. Adams, playing in his first NAIA Tournament after transferring from Tennessee Tech, averaged 2.4 steals per game (No. 2 NAIA), hitting 87.7 percent (No. 4) and has hit 98 3-point baskets (No. 6). 
 
Tyler, a senior from Danville, Ky., is going to go down as one of the best to wear the maroon and gray. He is averaging 18.4 points per game and hitting 44.7 percent from behind the 3-point line. His 93 made 3s are eighth in the country and his 573 points overall is 21st. 
 
Smith has solidified himself as one of the best forwards in the country. He's averaging a double-double of 17 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He's the first Tiger to do that since Florida transfer Damontre Harris tallied 11.4 points and 10.1 boards in 2014-15.  
 
Lewis-Clark State College boasts a 27-6 record and qualified by winning the Frontier Conference Tournament Championship. The Warriors are making their 14thappearance in the big dance – fifth straight - but have a 3-13 record.

In the past two seasons, LC State lost in the first round to Columbia College and LSU Alexandria, respectively. The lone wins for the Warriors in the tournament came in 2000 vs. Birmingham-Southern (79-61), University of Pikeville in 2004 (67-65), and Xavier University in 2016 (69-68).
 
The Warriors are led by Dana Abe's 14.6 points per game in only 21.5 minutes of action. The Warriors have averaged a scoring margin of 23.4 points per game to be the highest in the country. Lewis-Clark State also takes care of the ball and has an assist/turnover ratio of 1.76 – which is No. 2 in the country. 
 
Lewis-Clark State is led by head coach Austin Johnson in his first year leading the Warriors. He's recently spent the past two seasons at Corban University in Oregon. Coach Johnson was an assistant for LC State from 2010-16. He's led the Warriors to the best winning percentage since 2005 after going 27-6 this season. 


 
#WeAreCU
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Andrew Smith

#32 Andrew Smith

F
6' 10"
Senior
Johnson City, Tenn.
Hagen Tyler

#24 Hagen Tyler

G
6' 3"
Senior
Danville, Ky.
Stephaun Adams

#14 Stephaun Adams

G
6' 1"
Senior
Virgin Islands

Players Mentioned

Andrew Smith

#32 Andrew Smith

6' 10"
Senior
Johnson City, Tenn.
F
Hagen Tyler

#24 Hagen Tyler

6' 3"
Senior
Danville, Ky.
G
Stephaun Adams

#14 Stephaun Adams

6' 1"
Senior
Virgin Islands
G