Elite Eight: Meet the teams competing for the D-II men's basketball title in Evansville
EVANSVILLE — The NCAA Division II Elite Eight is at Ford Center this week and the champion will be someone other than Northwest Missouri State for the first time since 2018.
None of the eight qualifiers have ever won the national championship on the D-II level, and the most recent finalist in the field to reach this stage was in 2016. Games begin Tuesday and the tournament concludes Saturday with the national championship on CBS.
Let's get to know the participating teams in order of their seeding:
1. Nova Southeastern
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida (population: 182,760)
Mascot: Razor the Shark. The “handsome beast,” as the school’s website describes, can be seen on his Shark Cart and watching Discovery Channel.
Trip to Evansville: 1,044 miles
Famous alumni: St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas, former Panamanian vice president Isabel Saint Malo, former Houston Astros pitcher Mike Fiers, Boston Red Sox right fielder J.D. Martinez
About the team: The Sharks come into Evansville as the favorite to win the championship. Nova Southeastern is a perfect 33-0 this season averaging 103.1 points per game and outscoring opponents by an average of more than 25 points. Four players — Will Yoakum, RJ Sunahara, Jonathan Pierre and Kobe Rogers — all average more than 13 points. Nova Southeastern opens the tournament against Missouri- St. Louis.
2. West Liberty
Location: West Liberty, West Virginia (population: 1,548)
Mascot: Topper the Bear. Topper defended his title in the West Virginia Mascot Mania dance off in 2016.
Trip to Evansville: 456 miles
Famous alumni: country music star Brad Paisley, information scientist Elizabeth Feinler
About the team: The Hilltoppers finished 31-3 with two losses coming in conference play. West Liberty, like Nova Southeastern, averages over 100 points and outscores opponents by nearly 20 per game. Bryce Butler is the offensive standout, averaging 22.6 points, while Christian Montague, Milik McKinney, Steve Cannady and Ben Sarson also average double figures. The Hilltoppers open against New Haven.
3. Black Hills State
Location: Spearfish, South Dakota (population: 12,358)
Mascot: Sting the Yellowjacket. Sting received their name in 2008 after a vote from the student body.
Trip to Evansville: 1,175 miles
Famous alumni: strength athlete Brian Shaw, international fugitive and author Dan Davis, artist Dick Termes, chef Sean Sherman
About the team: The Yellowjackets, including former University of Evansville signee Matthew Ragsdale, are riding a three-game winning streak into Ford Center after falling in their conference semifinals. BHSU’s offense scores plenty, though not as much as the top two seeds, and limits opponents to fewer than 70 points per game. Ragsdale is the second-leading scorer on the team behind Joel Scott, who averages 22.8 points per game. The Yellowjackets face Minnesota-Duluth.
4. California State-San Bernardino
Location: San Bernardino, California (population: 222,203)
Mascot: Cody the Coyote. Cody used to have a “companion” named Cadee, but they were never named as an official mascot. Sad.
Trip to Evansville: 1,956 miles
Famous alumni: UFC lightweight fighter Ernest Chavez, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre executive chairman Ahmed Sultan Bin Sulayem, former Atlanta Hawks forward Ivan Johnson, Hawaii women’s basketball coach Laura Beeman
About the team: Another 30-win team, the Coyotes come to Evansville on a 15-game winning streak and score 88.5 points per game while allowing 74. Brandon Knapper and Dontrell Shuller are the leading scorers with averages of 19.2 and 16.5 points, respectively. CSUSB faces Lincoln Memorial in the national quarterfinal.
5. Lincoln Memorial
Location: Harrogate, Tennessee (population: 4,327)
Mascot: Abraham Lincoln the Railsplitter. Yes, it is an Abraham Lincoln costume. “Railsplitter” was a nickname used when he ran for the presidency because he was named “the rail candidate” when he won the nomination.
Trip to Evansville: 231 miles
Famous alumni: golfer Dan Bradbury, former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Scot Shields, businessman Pete DeBusk
About the team: The 30-4 Railsplitters, who were formerly led by Indiana State coach Josh Schertz, average a 16.8-point margin of victory and shoot 52% from the field. LMU has balanced scoring with seven players scoring at least 9.5 points per game and no one above 15. The Railsplitters face California State- San Bernardino.
6. Minnesota-Duluth
Location: Duluth, Minnesota (population: 86,372)
Mascot: Champ the Bulldog. Champ got “an updated look” in 2022, per the school website, but the old costume returned after UMD “heard from our students, fans, alumni and supporters.”
Trip to Evansville: 766 miles
Famous alumni: St. Louis Blues NHL Hall of Famer Brett Hull, Miracle on Ice players John Harrington and Mark Pavelich
About the team: More famous for its hockey, the 26-9 Bulldogs knocked out Southern Nazarene, which beat the defending title holder Northwest Missouri State. UMD plays in close games, averaging just an eight-point difference per night. The Bulldogs are heavily reliant on Drew Blair, who averages over 20 points, but have Charlie Katona, Joshua Brown and Austin Andrews also in double figures. The Bulldogs open against Black Hills State.
7. New Haven
Location: West Haven, Connecticut (population: 135,081)
Mascot: Charlie the Charger. Charlie is “an all-around great horse,” per their Facebook page.
Trip to Evansville: 928 miles
Famous alumni: Former NFL coach Tony Sparano, former Saudi Arabian princess Ameera Al-Taweel, businesswoman and congresswoman Dorinda Keenan Borer
About the team: New Haven comes to Evansville at 23-10 but is 3-0 on a neutral court. The Chargers hold opponents to 61.8 points per game yet only score 68.3. Their defense is their strong suit, anchored by 7-foot-1 center Majur Majak, who has 101 blocks this season. Ty Perry and Quashawn Lane both average more than 15 points. The Chargers face West Liberty in the Elite Eight.
8. Missouri-St. Louis
Location: St. Louis (population: 293,310)
Mascot: Louie the Triton. Louie is a newt whose home is the Mississippi River. The school website makes note that newts’ toxic skin keeps predators away.
Trip to Evansville: 162 miles
Famous alumni: Phyllis Smith from "The Office," former St. Louis mayors Lyda Crewson and Vincent Schoemehl, Kohl’s CEO Kevin Mansell
About the team: The Tritons beat their local Great Lakes Valley Conference rival McKendree to earn their second-ever Midwest Regional title and are 24-10 overall. UMSL holds opponents to 66.1 points per game while scoring 75.4. Isaiah Fuller is the Tritons’ main scorer with Victor Nwagbaraocha and Bowen Sunquist both averaging double figures. UMSL opens against top-seeded Nova Southeastern.
Division II Elite Eight full schedule
Tuesday
Noon — #6 Minnesota Duluth vs. #3 Black Hills State
2:30 p.m. — #7 New Haven vs. #2 West Liberty
6 p.m. — #8 Missouri - St. Louis vs. #1 Nova Southeastern
8:30 p.m — #5 Lincoln Memorial vs. #4 Cal State San Bernadino
Thursday (CBS Sports Network)
1 p.m. — Semifinal #1
3:30 p.m. — Semifinal #2
Saturday (CBS)
2 p.m. — National Championship
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Division II Elite Eight: Meet the 2023 teams headed to Evansville
