KANSAS CITY, Mo. - No. 2-seed Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball is set to face No. 3-seed Arizona Christian in the 2024 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Round of 16 presented by Ballogy. The Wildcats tip-off at 4:00 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon in the Municipal Auditorium. IWU reached the Round of 16 after a 105-99 double-overtime win over No. 15-seed Columbia College in the First Round, followed by a 92-81 win over No. 7-seed University of Tennessee Southern to punch their ticket to Kansas City.
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SCOUTING ARIZONA CHRISTIAN |
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- The Firestorm come into the Round of 16 as the No. 3-seed in the Duer Quadrant with a 25-7 record and 10-4 in the Golden State Athletic Conference play.
- ACU downed Saint Kathrine on Friday night, 76-74, before eliminating Crossroads League member Huntington on Saturday, 73-69, to advance to Kansas City.
- Arizona Christian earned an automatic bid to the National Tournament after winning both the GSAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships.
- The Firestorm are making their 10th appearance at the national tournament and their sixth consecutive appearance.
- ACU hold an all-time record of 11-8 in tournament play and have advanced to the semifinals one time in 2022.
- Mikah Blackwell (SR | F | 6-6)
- Blackwell was named the GSAC Defensive Player of the Year.
- He was tied for third in the GSAC with 0.9 blocks (25 total).
- He averaged 10.6 points while pulling down a team high 5.9 rebounds (9th in the GSAC).
- He produced five blocks against Bushnell and finished the year with two double-doubles.
- Trent Hudgens (JR | G | 6-1)
- Hudgens was named to the All-GSAC Team.
- He topped the Firestorm with 14.6 points which ranked ninth in the GSAC
- He added 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
- His 23 points against Jessup was his GSAC scoring high of the season.
- Dennis Flowers III (SR | G | 6-2)
- Flowers was named to the All-GSAC Team.
- He was second on the team with 14.1 points per game.
- He led the team with 3.1 assists while grabbing 4.1 rebounds.
- His season high of 26 points came against Hope International.
- The Firestorm are 11th in three-point percentage (38.6%), and 15th in field goal percentage (50.3%) in the NAIA.
- Anthony Howell ranks 4th in the NAIA with a field goal percentage of 69.4%.
- Hudgens's 52 steals rank 50th in the NAIA, while his 42.3% from three ranks 67th.
- Blackwell's 28 blocks are 92nd in the nation.
- The winner of Arizona Christian/IWU will face the winner of No. 1-seed Langston (Okla.) and No. 12-seed LSU Shreveport in the quarterfinals at 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 23.
- To see the full bracket, click HERE.
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