NATIONAL ACCLAIM

Published 3:20 am Monday, March 12, 2018

TJC will find out seeding, opponent Monday during NJCAA bracket release

The Apaches know they are going to the national basketball tournament and on Monday they will find out who they will be playing.

For the first time, the NJCAA will have a live bracket release. The unveiling is set for 11:30 a.m. (Central) Monday on NJCAA.com.

Dr. Tim Drain, Tyler Junior College’s athletic director, said the team will gather for a viewing party.

TJC (26-6) earned an automatic bid to the NJCAA Division I National Basketball Tournament by winning the Region XIV Tournament, defeating Kilgore College 57-54 on Saturday at John Alexander Gymnasium in Jacksonville.

The national tournament is scheduled for March 19-24 at Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kansas.

It is TJC’s 17th national appearance and the second time in four years.

Along with the seeding, the at-large bids will also be announced. Trinity Valley Community College is expected to receive a bid.

Also, the women’s tournament announcement will be online beginning at 10 a.m. San Jacinto won the Region XIV Tournament to receive an automatic bid. Now, Panola, TVCC and Kilgore will wait to see if they are invited. The women’s national tournament is at Lubbock Christian University’s Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock.

“The NJCAA is proud to introduce its newest initiative to provide fans with an exciting atmosphere for college basketball and the upcoming championships,” Ricky Webster, NJCAA Director of Marketing & Communications, said. “Thanks to our great partners at TeamIP, the NJCAA has the opportunity to build a great platform for years to come in not only basketball but a variety of our championship sports with this unique feature.”

The live show, hosted by Robert Williamson of Jock-Jive Sports, will feature bracket reveals, on-air analysis, highlights, exclusive interviews and in-depth information about each tournament.

There are eight at-large bids in both the men and women’s tourneys.

Along with TJC being the District XIV champion, the other automatic bids are: I Salt Lake (Utah) (30-3); II Connors State (Oklahoma) (29-3); III Baltimore City (Maryland) (21-11); IV Highland (Illinois) (26-7); V South Plains (Texas) (24-8); VI Coffeyville (Kansas) (29-

4); VII Motlow State (Tennessee) (22-7); VIII Northwest Florida State (30-2); IX Western Nebraska (26-7); X Cape Fear (North Carolina) (21-11); XI Indian Hills (Iowa) (33-0); XII Snead State (Alabama) (25-7); XIII Central Georgia Tech (25-8); XV Holmes (Mississippi) (24-4); and XVI Vincennes (Indiana) (32-1).

The Apaches grinded out a win over Kilgore College with tournament MVP Brian Warren and all-tourney selection Tajuan Agee hitting four clutch free throws in the final 16 seconds.

“I thought it would come down to free throws or someone making a big shot and that’s what it came down to,” TJC head coach Mike Marquis said. “I want to give all the credit to my players, my assistant coaches, our trainers-unbelievable in getting Dez (Desmond Balentine, who had sprained his ankle in the final regular season game and also in practice) ready to play and keeping the other guys fairly healthy.

“To be a champion of this tournament comes with a great pride for our program because of the great teams, coaches and players in our league. We feel blessed.”

TVCC, Florida SouthWestern State, Eastern Florida State, Odessa and Southern Idaho are all in the top 10 of the NJCAA rankings and did not receive an automatic bid.

San Jacinto (24-10) will represent Region XIV as District L champions at the women’s nationals. Other district champions area: A Chohise (Arizona) (292); B Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (27-4); C Harford (Maryland) (27-2); D North Dakota SCS (29-3); E Odessa (Texas) (22-10); F Seward County (Kansas) (30-3); G Walters State (Tennessee) (28-5); H Gulf Coast State (Florida) (262); I Casper (Wyoming) (312); J South Georgia Tech (28-5); K Moberly Area (Missouri) (32-0); M Salt Lake (Utah) (26-5); N Shelton State (Alabama) (33-0); O Jones County (Mississippi) (26-3); and P Wabash Valley (Illinois) (30-2).

Teams in the top 10 that did not win a district title include No. 3 New Mexico JC, No. 7 Tallahassee (Florida) and No. 8 Northwest Florida State. Also, ASA Brooklyn (New York) is No. 12 with Trinity Valley No. 15. Others ranked in the top 20 without district wins include: No. 16 Iowa Western, No. 17 Collin County (Texas), No. 18 Florida SouthWestern State, No. 19 Hutchinson (Kansas) and No. 20 Panola.