NCAA DII Championships Bracket

NAMPA, Idaho - For the first time in program history, Northwest Nazarene men's basketball has earned a selection to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championships. 

The Nighthawks, at 11-4 overall on the season, will be the five seed in the West Regional. NNU will face fourth-seeded Point Loma in the opening round on Friday, March 12. The time for the contest will be made known on Monday. The winner between the Nighthawks and the Sea Lions will play top-seeded Colorado Mesa. The other side of the West Regional includes two-seed Colorado Mines, three-seed Biola, and six-seed Fresno Pacific.

"It's incredible, getting to go to the NCAA tournament for the first time at the Division II level at NNU," said head coach Paul Rush. "Even more so, being able to see these guys get to continue to play basketball together is really special." 

The regional will be played at Lockridge Arena in Golden, Colorado, hosted by Colorado School of Mines. Per local guidelines, fans will not be permitted to attend the games at the regional site. Links for live streaming and stats will be added to the men's basketball schedule when they become available.

After making the move to NCAA Division II prior to the 2001-02 season, NNU's selection is the program's first-ever bid to the NCAA Championships. The last time that NNU reached a postseason tournament for men's basketball was the 1998-99 season, when they played in and hosted the NAIA DII tournament.

"It's been a special thing, to start here when Coach Rush became the head coach and to get to build the program alongside him," said senior Sam Roth. "It feels like a step towards the future for NNU men's basketball. It is just a really special feeling to see the success come out of all of the hard work."

The Nighthawks finished the regular season with an 11-4 record, opening the year with a 75-72 road upset of Division I Portland State. After the loss to Point Loma, NNU proceeded to win eight straight games. The streak included a sweep of four games from Saint Martin's and a sweep of three games over Western New Mexico.

"This year has had so many ups and downs, especially at the beginning when we weren't sure if we were going to play," added Roth. "But it's a testament to all of the guys, we worked really hard and were selfless all season and I'm really proud of what we've been able to do."

Ezekiel Alley leads the Nighthawks through the 15 games with an average of 19.9 points per contest while also dishing out 3.0 assists per game and shooting 44.7% from deep. The senior also claimed four GNAC Player of the Week honors this season. George Reidy is next with 12.7 points per game, followed by James Nelson with 9.7 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game. Kobe Terashima also leads the Nighthawks with 4.6 assists per game while contributing 7.9 points per contest.

"We've really been trying to build this program and to become a team that's making the national tournament on a regular basis," added Rush. "This is the first step in that direction, and it's a great step, and I'm just really proud of the guys for everything that they've accomplished this year."