NAIA basketball: Jimmies to play Faulkner in round of 16

University of Jamestown men's basketball will play the 2001 NAIA Division I national champion next Thursday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Jimmies will take on Faulkner, Alabama, in the NAIA national tournament's round of 16 at 5:30 p.m. Faulkner is 26-2 and was ranked seventh in the final coaches' top 25 poll last month.

The University of Jamestown dismantled third-ranked Louisiana State University Shreveport 87-75 on Saturday, winning its three-team opening-round pod in Omaha, Nebraska, and punching its ticket to Kansas City.

Sixth-ranked Shawnee State, Ohio (27-2) and 18th-ranked Bethel, Kansas (21-6) are also in the Cramer Bracket of the round of 16, along with UJ and Faulkner, and will play Thursday at 3:45 p.m. The two winners will meet in Saturday's quarterfinals.

Faulkner University is located in Montgomery, Alabama. The Eagles' two losses this season have been decided by a combined six points, including an 84-82 setback to No. 1-ranked Indiana Wesleyan (30-2) on Jan. 8 in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Indiana Wesleyan, a three-time NAIA Division II national champion, is the No. 1 seed in the round of 16 and will play Bethel, Indiana (22-10) on Thursday at 7:15 p.m. Also in the Naismith Bracket with Indiana Wesleyan and Bethel are Stillman, Alabama (17-3) and Saint Francis, Indiana (25-8).

Faulkner is scoring 86.7 points per game, good enough for 21st in the NAIA, and is giving up 70.3. C.J. Williamson, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, leads the team in scoring (18.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 rpg). Jordan Hamlette, a 6-3 sophomore guard (16.5 ppg), Garrett Sanderson, a 6-4 senior guard (11.5 ppg) and Trace Hill, a 6-3 junior guard (10 ppg) are also averaging double-digit scoring.

Faulkner breezed past Warner University, Florida, 106-73 on Saturday to win the opening round's B bracket in Montgomery, Alabama.

The NAIA men's basketball national tournament will wrap up in Kansas City with semifinal play on March 22 and the national championship game on March 23.

NAIA Mens' Basketball Championship

At Kansas City, Missouri

(Tournament seeding/records in parentheses)

ROUND OF 16

MARCH 18

NAISMITH BRACKET

G1: (1) Indiana Wesleyan (30-2) vs. Bethel, Ind. (22-10), 7:15 p.m.

G2: (8) Stillman, Ala. (17-3) vs. (9) Saint Francis, Ind. (25-8), 2 p.m.

CRAMER BRACKET

G3: (5) Shawnee State, Ohio (27-2) vs. (12) Bethel, Kan. (21-6), 3:45 p.m.

G4: (4) Faulkner, Ala. (26-2) vs. (13) Jamestown (21-8), 5:30 p.m.

MARCH 19

DUER BRACKET

G5: (14) Lewis-Clark State, Idaho (19-1) vs. (3) Oklahoma Wesleyan (21-6), 3:45 p.m.

G6: (6) Marian, Ind. (23-4) vs. (11) Loyola, La. (14-5) 2 p.m.

LISTON BRACKET

G7: (7) SAGU, Texas (11-2) vs. (10) Morningside, Iowa (21-5), 5:30 p.m.

G8: (2) William Penn, Iowa (25-1) vs. (15) Carroll, Mont. (19-7), 7:15 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS

MARCH 20

NAISMITH BRACKET

G9: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2, TBD

CRAMER BRACKET

G10: Winner G3 vs. Winner G4, TBD

DUER BRACKET

G11: Winner G5 vs. Winner G6, TBD

LISTON BRACKET

G12: Winner G7 vs. Winner G8, TBD

SEMIFINALS

MARCH 22

G13: Winner G9 vs. Winner G10, 6 p.m.

G14: Winner G11 vs. Winner G12, 8 p.m.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

MARCH 23

G15: Winner G13 vs. Winner G14, 7 p.m.