KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Oklahoma City University begins pursuit of its seventh men’s basketball national championship meeting Southern Polytechnic State (Ga.) at 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 17 in the NAIA Division I Tournament at Municipal Auditorium.
Six-time national champion OCU captured titles in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008. The 16th-ranked Stars were the sixth at-large team selected to the tournament.
The Stars finished third in the rugged Sooner Athletic Conference, going 17-9, 15-7 in the SAC. OCU was seeded 16th in the tournament.
“The goal the team articulated at the beginning of the season was to get to the national tournament,” OCU coach Kevin Morrissey said. “I’ve challenged them since we’ve made it to reset their goals. Let’s go up there and win games. We’re talented enough to make a run and win five games in a row. We have to be ready to play.”
OCU owns a 47-12 record all-time in the tournament, ranking second in wins among current NAIA institutions. OCU has advanced to the tournament 19 times and 12 out of the last 13 years.
“I’ve been talking to them about the tradition of OCU basketball,” Morrissey said. “They have to hold up the tradition of OCU basketball, and it’s tremendous. Hopefully that is going to be a motivating factor for us when we head to Kansas City.”
OCU boasts of Chris Brown, a 6-foot senior from Spencer, Okla., who became a first-team all-SAC pick this season. Brown averages 17.5 points and 1.08 steals a game while shooting 50 percent from the floor. He ranks fifth in the conference and 31st nationally in scoring.
Corey Bingham, a 6-2 junior from Lynn, Mass., picked up third-team all-conference honors. Bingham posts 11.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.19 steals a game.
Kavon Lytch and Jerome Phillips made honorable-mention all-SAC. Lytch, a 6-7 junior from Brooklyn, N.Y., totals 14.1 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 56.5 percent from the field. Lytch ranks third in the SAC and 25th nationally in field-goal percentage.
Phillips, a 6-5 senior from Chickasha, Okla., averages 9.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest. Bryant Williams, a 6-9 junior from Austin, Texas, led the SAC with 2.19 blocked shots per game.
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Fans can follow the tournament via live audio on Sports Radio KC.
The first 28 games of the Championships will be video-streamed live on the NAIA web site. Click here for details. The semifinal round and national championship game will air live nationwide March 22-23 on CBS College Sports Network.