No. 3 Midwestern State battles No. 7 Central Missouri for the NCAA Division II South Central Region title and a trip to the Elite Eight next week at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass next week.

The Mustangs and Mules square off Tuesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7 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 6:45 p.m.
• On the Web - BOB FM's audio broadcast simulcasts on bobradio.com 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 rolled to consecutive double-digit wins over Incarnate Word (91-74) and Tarleton State (74-64)  to advance to the NCAA Division II region final for the second time in school history.

The Mustangs have won each of their six postseason appearances by at least 10 points including three victories in the Lone Star Conference Championships last week in Bartlesville, Okla.

No. 7 Central Missouri bounced back from a first-round exit in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association by claiming wins over conference foes Missouri Western (78-59) and Fort Hays State (80-73) at the South Central Regional.

The Mules are playing in their third regional final in four years and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2007 and 2009.

Mustangs in the South Central Regional

Midwestern State is in the midst of its fifth appearance in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional and, for the first time in school history, the Mustangs are making consecutive NCAA postseason appearances.

MSU is now 5-4 in nine NCAA postseason contests after taking care of Tarleton State in its fifth NCAA South Central Region semifinal showing.

The Mustangs will be making their second regional final appearance and first since falling 92-83 to Missouri Southern on March 11, 2000 in Joplin.

About the Mules

Central Missouri spent four weeks at No. 1 this season after starting the season with 12-straight wins.

The Mules claimed the MIAA regular season championship, but lost two of three games coming into the South Central Regional falling at Missouri Western, then to Washburn in the opening round of the conference tournament.

UCM sandwiched a pair of 12-game win streaks around an 81-71 setback to Fort Hays State to start the season with 24-1 mark.

Daktronics South Central Regional Player of the Year Sanijay Watts stars for the Mules.

The 6-4 forward plays bigger than his size on the block to score 21.5 points per game and leads the team with 9.5 rebounds a game.

Watts makes his living off of fade-away jumpers and hook shots, but muscles his way to the charity stripe an average of 5.9 times per game.

Senior guard Alex Moosmann, a transfer two seasons ago from Miami (Ohio), was a also a Daktronics All-South Central Region first teamer.

Moosmann topped the nation in ball security as he has committed just 25 turnovers while playing 32.4 minutes in 30 games this season.

The Washington, Mo. native is also a proven scorer at 15.4 points a game while shooting 46.2 percent from the 3-point arc.

Junior guard Ryan Harris gives UCM a third double-digit scoring threat at 10.6 points a game while connecting on 38.7 percent of his shots from 3-point range.

Senior forward Tremaine Luellen and junior guard Bryce Brunz bring even more scoring pop to the Mules at 9.9 and 9.8 points per game, respectively. Brunz lights it up from the arc at a 44.6-percent clip.

Central Missouri scores 80.8 points per game and allows 67.1.

Who's hot

Senior forward Michael Godwin snapped out of a four-game slump by delivering his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds to spark Midwestern to a 71-56 win over Tarleton State in the NCAA Division II South Central semifinals Sunday night.

Godwin has scored 10-or-more points in just two of his last 12 games after going for a career-high 20 points at Abilene Christian on Jan. 30.

Senior guard Craig Green paced the Mustangs in scoring for the sixth time in MSU's current nine-game winning streak by pouring in a game-high 28 points in Sunday's win over Tarleton State.

The Keller product has been hot down the stretch as he has poured in 21 points per game while shooting 43.3 percent (55-of-127) from the field and 44.3 percent from the arc (27-of-61).

Green has gone over 20 points in six games during the winning streak.

Senior guard Jason Ebie garnered LSC South Defensive Player of the Year honors, but has proven to be much more over the past nine games.

The transfer from TCU has scored in double figures six times over the last nine games including successive career highs of 20 against Eastern New Mexico, 22 against Northeastern State and 23 in the NCAA South Central Regional opener against Incarnate Word.

Ebie has dished out five-or-more assists in seven of the last nine contests.

Junior Chris Hagan (13.8 points), Charlie Logan (10.9 points, 7.1 rebounds) and Anthony Moore (10.1 points, 5.3 rebounds) have also made substantial contributions during the current winning streak.

Midwestern against the MIAA

Midwestern State will face a current member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association for the 27th time as the Mustangs play host to Central Missouri in the South Central Regional final Tuesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

The results are strongly skewed in favor of the home teams.

MSU is 7-3 against MIAA foes in games at D.L. Ligon Coliseum, but is 1-8 against the same teams on their respective home floors.

The Mustangs have won four of the last six times they have faced an institution hailing from the MIAA.

Central Missouri's visit is just the fourth time an MIAA school visited the dome since the Mustangs made the jump to NCAA Division II for the 1995-96 season.

About the series

Midwestern State and Central Missouri clash for the fourth time on the hardwood Tuesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

The Mules carry a slim 2-1 edge in the series, but Midwestern beat the Mules in the only other trip to D.L. Ligon Coliseum back on Jan. 4, 1986.

NAIA All-American Robert Harris poured in 22 points, Robert Jordan added 16 and Mike E. Smith finished a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds as MSU improved to 11-3 with a 69-57 win over the Mules back in 1986.

Historic season

Midwestern State clinched its third 30-win campaign in school history and will be gunning to match the 1973-74 for the most wins in a single season with a win over Central Missouri Tuesday night in the NCAA Division II South Central championship game.

The 1973-74 team rolled up a 30-7 mark before falling in the Final Four.

The 1974-75 squad raised the bar to 31-6 while advancing to the national championship game.