NAMPA, Idaho – The adage made famous by Norman Dale in the movie Hoosiers is that it doesn't matter where you play, the court is the same length and the rims are the same height.

While Jake Knight and Lexi Tubbs won't be playing basketball this weekend, Dale's theory still holds true.

The pair will compete at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field National Championships in Pittsburg, Kansas. Tubbs runs in the 60-meter hurdles preliminaries at 1:30 p.m. MST on Friday, with finals scheduled for 4 p.m. MST on Saturday. Knight competes in the shot put at 4:05 p.m. MST on Saturday.

And while the stage is certainly bigger and there is a ton of hoopla, at the end of the day the shot put ring is the same and the hurdles are the same height.

"I have been to a lot of national meets," NNU assistant coach Oscar Duncan said. "There is a lot of people, a lot of fanfare and you have to be careful not to get drawn up into the whole experience.

"You have to stay inside of yourself and stay away from the distractions."

All of that is easier said than done, especially for nationals newcomers like Knight and Tubbs. But both have competed on very big stages, albeit in different sports.

Knight was a Boise State football player and Tubbs went to nationals in basketball her senior season.

"I think it will definitely benefit them," former NNU pole vaulter Payton Lewis said. "I think they'll both do really good and they understand what kind of athlete they are. I'm really excited to see how they do."

Lewis certainly knows what happens at national track and field meet. He qualified eight times, winning the outdoor pole vault title as a junior in 2017.

"The environment is crazy," he said. "Tons of people there watching and just warming up for the event, you see different athletes which gets your adrenaline pumping.

"The first one I went to as a freshman, I was stressing and doing things I shouldn't do. I was warming up too early."

Staying with the routine that helped them qualify in the first place is something both Lewis and Duncan, as well as three-time nationals qualifier Ellie Logan all said is key.

"It is just kind of a balance that you want to take it all in and enjoy the extra stuff, but stick to what you do in a normal meet," said Logan, who placed third at the 2018 outdoor meet in the javelin. "If you have something you always eat on the day you compete, then you should eat it. Just trying to keep it as normal as possible."

Tubbs gets very nervous before every race whether it is on the NNU track or at a giant meet.

"I try not to think about it too far ahead, because it mentally drains me," Tubbs said. "It's a lot of pressure thinking about all the stuff you have to do. It is the same amount of nerves for 40 minutes of basketball, but jammed into eight seconds."

Knight said he doesn't get very nervous, rather he just tries to clear his mind before a competition and not really think about anything – rather just trusting the practice he has put in.

He spends time a few days before envisioning his perfect throw and what he wants it to look like.

"It's hitting all the key positions that I'm working on in practice," he said. "You just know when it comes off your hand. It feels like nothing, because your technique is so good."

And that perfect throw or perfect race could happen anywhere. Even on the national stage.