No. 3 Midwestern State opens the NCAA Division II South Central Regional on its home floor Saturday night against 8th-seed Incarnate Word.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m
Where to find the game
- 100.9 BOB FM - The broadcast features the play-by-play voice of former Lone Star Conference Broadcaster of the Year Bill Powers. The Taco Casa Pregame Show begins at 5:45 p.m.
- On the Web - BOB-FM's audio broadcast simulcasts on bobradio.fm and on MSUMustangs.com.
- Live Stats - Live Stats are available through South Central Regional Tournament Central at MSUMustangs.com.
How they got here
No. 3 Midwestern State claimed its second-straight Lone Star Conference championship and third in the last four last weekend at Bruin Field House in Bartlesville, Okla.
The Mustangs have won each of their last seven games and 14 of their last 15 while racing to their best regular season in school history with a 28-2 mark.
Midwestern also claimed its third LSC South Division title in the last four seasons with a 10-2 record.
Incarnate Word rolled to a second-straight - and last - Heartland Conference championship by taking a pair of narrow wins at least week's conference tournament in San Antonio.
The Cardinals defeated Dallas Baptist 106-103 in overtime before surviving St. Mary's (Texas) on a buzzer beater by Eric Stewart to come away with a 65-63 victory.
Incarnate Word has won it last 10 games and brings a 23-6 overall record into Saturday night's contest.
Mustangs in the NCAA Division II regional
Midwestern State is making its fifth appearance in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional and, for the first time in school history, the Mustangs will make consecutive NCAA postseason appearances.
MSU is 3-4 in seven NCAA postseason games, but has advanced at least to the semifinal round in each of its appearances which includes a regional final run in 1999-2000.
The Mustangs are 2-0 in quarterfinal games which includes an 86-81 win over West Texas A&M in 2007 and an 87-82 victory over Incarnate Word last season - both games were played on the campus of the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.
Midwestern State played host to the regional in 1999, but fell in the semifinals 81-68 to Truman State (Mo.), who reached the national semifinals.
About the Cardinals
Incarnate Word has won its last 10 games and brings a 23-6 mark into the NCAA Division II postseason.
The Cardinals are paced by senior guard Pierce Caldwell, who leads a quartet of UIW players in double figures with 18 points per game.
The San Antonio native connects on just over three 3-pointers a game where he has buried 88 of his 219 shots from beyond the arc this season. Caldwell pulls in 3.7 rebounds and dishes out 2.0 assists a game.
Junior forward Tracy Robinson gives UIW a quality inside option at 13.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while junior guard Eric Stewart guides the offense with 13 points and 2.7 assists a game.
Sophomore forward Chris Johnson pitches in 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds a contest.
Incarnate Word scores 80.3 points a game and allows 71.5.
Who's hot
Senior guard Craig Green couldn't have picked a better time to shine for the 3rd-ranked Mustangs.
The Keller product poured in 20 points in five-straight games from Feb. 13-March 3 and has notched 21.6 points a game during the Mustangs' current six-game winning streak.
Green has connected on 46-percent of his 3-point efforts during the same stretch and has hit 36-of-40 free throws (90 percent) while pulling 4.3 rebounds per game.
Senior point man Jason Ebie, who was named MVP of the LSC Championships last weekend, has been even hotter than Green.
The Houston native and TCU transfer has connected on 51.9 percent of his 3-pointers over the past six games, but that's not even his most notable contribution.
The all-around Ebie is scoring 13.7 points, pulling in 5.3 rebounds and dishing out 7.0 assists per game.
Senior guard Chris Hagan (13.7 points), senior forward Anthony Moore (11.6 points, 6.1 rebounds) and junior forward Charlie Logan (11 points, 7.9 rebounds) are also scoring better than 10 points a contest during MSU's six-game winning streak.
About the series
Midwestern State and Incarnate Word clash for the 18th time on the hardwood Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
Incarnate Word owns a 10-7 edge in the series which dates back to 1992, but the Mustangs have won the last three meetings of the series including an 87-82 win in the NCAA Division II South Central quarterfinals on March 14, 2009 in Warrensburg, Mo.
This will be the third postseason meeting for the teams as the Cardinals edges MSU 93-88 in the NAIA District 8 Playoffs on March 7, 1992.
Incarnate Word has a commanding 6-2 edge of the Mustangs in games played at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
Green, Ebie lead MSU All-LSC South picks
Senior guards Craig Green and Jason Ebie garnered first-team All-Lone Star Conference South Division honors, while Chris Hagan was named a second-teamers after leading the Mustangs to a 25-2 regular season and a division title.
Ebie, who is fifth in NCAA Division II with 2.8 steals per game, was named LSC South Defensive Player of the Year.
... and named second-team Daktronics All-South Central Region...
Senior guards Craig Green and Jason Ebie were the lone members of the No. 3-ranked Midwestern State squad to earn Daktronics NCAA Division II All-South Central Region accolades as voted on by the region's sports information directors and released on March.
Green and Ebie were each named to the second team.
MSU in the Lone Star Conference Championships
Midwestern State owns the highest winning percentage in Lone Star Conference postseason tournament games by peeling off a 17-5 (.773) in 10 tournament appearances.
The Mustangs claimed its fifth LSC championship in its 10th appearance in the LSC Championships last week. Only West Texas A&M has claimed more tournament titles with six in 18 showings.
MSU has won its last nine games in the LSC Championships claiming titles in 2007, 2009 and 2010. The Mustangs missed the tournament in 2008.
One for the index, one for the ring and one for the pinky
Senior forward Michael Godwin become a member of his third Lone Star Conference championship team after Midwestern claimed three wins last week at Bruin Field House.
Godwin was a true freshman when the Mustangs defeated Southeastern Oklahoma 89-80 for the league title in 2007 and a junior last season when MSU took Southwestern Oklahoma 66-60 in the championship game last season.
Central Oklahoma was the last team to win three titles in four seasons (1995, 1997, 1998), but no player was a member of the Bronchos for each of the titles.
Abilene Christian won three-straight titles from 1985-87, but a search of the through the LSC career basketball championship statistics yielded no player making appearances for the Wildcats in each of the three postseason appearances.
Godwin is first individual player to claim three LSC postseason championships.
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-- MSUMustangs.com --
