2014 NAIA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 2014 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball national championship was held in March at Keeter Gymnasium in
Point Lookout, Missouri Point Lookout is an unincorporated community in Oliver Township, Taney County, Missouri, United States, near Branson and Hollister. Point Lookout is in the U.S. postal service ZIP code 65726. Point Lookout is part of the Branson Micropolitan ...
. The 21st annual NAIA
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
tournament featured thirty-two teams playing in a single-elimination format. The championship game was won by Indiana Wesleyan of
Marion, Indiana Marion is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Indiana, United States, along the Mississinewa River. The population was 28,310 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is named for Francis Marion, a brigadier general from ...
over
Midland University Midland University is a private Lutheran university in Fremont, Nebraska. It has an approximate enrollment of 1,600 students on campus. Known as Midland Lutheran College from 1962 to 2010, the college is affiliated with the Evangelical Luther ...
of
Fremont, Nebraska Fremont is a city in and the county seat of Dodge County, Nebraska, Dodge County in the eastern portion of the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. The population was 27,141 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it t ...
by a score of 78 to 68.


Tournament field

The 2014 tournament field was announced March 5, 2014. The field featured defending champion and top seed
Cardinal Stritch University Cardinal Stritch University was a private Catholic university with its primary campus in Fox Point and Glendale, Wisconsin, United States. Its enrollment as of fall 2021 was 1,365. The university closed in May 2023 due to financial challenges a ...
as well as runner-up
William Penn University William Penn University is a private university in Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States. It was founded by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1873 as Penn College. In 1933, the name was changed to William Penn College, and fina ...
. Two conferences, the
Crossroads League The Crossroads League (formerly the Mid-Central College Conference) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Its members are private Christian colleges in Indiana, Michigan, a ...
and
The Sun Conference The Sun Conference (TSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Eight of the ten full member institutions are located in Florida, with two in Georgia. The Sun Conference com ...
garnered four bids apiece, while four other conferences received three bids each. The field included five first-time attendees:
Cincinnati Christian University Cincinnati Christian University (CCU) was a private Christian university in Cincinnati, Ohio. CCU was supported by the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, which are part of the Restoration Movement. The university was accredited by the Hi ...
, Northern New Mexico College from
Española, New Mexico Española is a city primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. A portion of the central and eastern section of the city is in Santa Fe County. Founded as a railroad village some distance from the old Indian town of San Juan de ...
, Northwest Christian University from
Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...
,
Reinhardt University Reinhardt University is a private university with its main campus in Waleska, Georgia, and its Cauble School of Nursing and Health Sciences in Jasper, Georgia, Jasper. Over 50 graduate and undergraduate programs are offered on campus and online ...
of
Alpharetta, Georgia Alpharetta is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Alpharetta's population was 65,818; in 2010, the population had been 57,551. History In the 1830s, ...
and
Southeastern University Southeastern University is a Private university, private Christian university in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It was established in 1935 in New Brockton, Alabama, as Southeastern Bible Institute, relocated to Lakeland in 1946, and became ...
of
Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along Interstate 4, I-4 east of Tampa and southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando, it is the List of municipalities in Florida, most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 ...
.
College of the Ozarks College of the Ozarks is a Private college, private Christian college in Point Lookout, Missouri, United States. The college has an enrollment of 1,426 and over 30 academic majors in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs. The colleg ...
, who received an automatic bid as the host team, leads the field in total invitations with eighteen, while Bethel College of
Mishawaka Mishawaka () is a city on the St. Joseph River, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 51,063 as of the 2020 census. Its nickname is "the Princess City". Mishawaka is a principal city of the South Bend-Mishawaka, Indi ...
,
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
leads the field with three national championships. Defending national champion Cardinal Stritch of
Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
,
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
earned an automatic berth as regular-season champions out of the
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) is a List of college athletic conferences in the United States, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Its 12 members are loc ...
, the Wolves eleventh championship appearance overall and fifth-straight. They entered the championship as the top ranked team in each of the last seven Coaches' Polls.


Highlights


First round

The first round was fairly typical, with higher seeded teams winning most games with only a couple of exceptions. Unseeded William Penn from
Oskaloosa, Iowa Oskaloosa is a List of cities in Iowa, city in, and the county seat of, Mahaska County, Iowa. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Oskaloosa was a national center of bituminous coal mining. The population was 11,558 in the 2020 U ...
and sixth seed Dordt College of
Sioux Center, Iowa Sioux Center is a city in Sioux County, Iowa. The population was 8,229 at the time of the 2020 census. Sioux Center is notable for its Dutch heritage, agribusiness, and as the location of Dordt University. Geography Sioux Center is located at ...
played a memorable double-overtime game. The teams combined for two hundred and thirty-four points, besting the old mark for most combined points in a game (two hundred twenty-two) set by
Cornerstone University Cornerstone University is a private evangelical Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Cornerstone University has undergraduate and graduate programs, two seminaries ( Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and Asia Biblical T ...
from
Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...
,
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
and Bethel in 1999. With less than a minute in the second overtime, Kelly Madison hit a step-back three to put the William Penn Statesmen on top one hundred eighteen to one hundred sixteen for the win over the Defenders. Madison recorded the tournaments highest individual scoring performance with thirty-eight points while teammate Alex Schwab scored twenty-seven. Blake Walker managed a triple-double with ten points, eleven rebounds and ten assists. For Dordt, Austin Katje put in thirty-three points, tying for the third most three-pointers made with eight and three-pointers attempted with eighteen. Nathan Rindels tallied a triple-double as well, with twenty-one points, eleven rebounds and fourteen assists. Two other Defenders, Kyle Lindbergh (twenty, ten) and Dalton Franken (twenty-five, ten) achieved double-doubles. Dordt played the entire second overtime with just one starter (Lindbergh) on the floor due to fouls. The Thursday evening session began with the first overtime game of the day as Demarko Nash of Robert Morris hit a three-pointer with two seconds left in regulation put the game into overtime. Robert Morris continued to defeat number fourteen Saint Francis sixty-nine to sixty-three. The big upset of the day came as the Bobcats from host school College of the Ozarks shot sixty-one per cent from the field while using their home-court advantage and huge games from junior Alex Santiago and Nathan Simniok to upset the number two-seeded
College of Idaho The College of Idaho (C of I) is a private liberal arts college in Caldwell, Idaho. Founded in 1891 by Rev. William Judson Boone as a Presbyterian college, it is the state's oldest private liberal arts college and has an enrollment of over ...
Yotes. In another close game, St Thomas Bobcats’ guard Kevin Hincapie knocked down a three-pointer from the left win as time expired to propel his team to victory over Union.


Second round

While the first round was quiet, the second round of the 2014 tourney was filled with upsets as the three remaining top-four seeds went down. Unseeded Southeastern University from
Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along Interstate 4, I-4 east of Tampa and southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando, it is the List of municipalities in Florida, most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 ...
, led by a twenty-nine point, eight for eight from the field (four for four from beyond the arc) performance by Jake Hodges, needed a three pointer from Dwayne Johnson with two tenths of a second left to take down top seed and defending champion Cardinal Stritch. After ten lead changes in the last eight minutes, Stritch had a two-point lead with less than five seconds remaining. Johnson brought the ball the length of the floor and fired a three at the buzzer for a one-point
Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...
win. In spite of a twenty-one point performance by Vernon Payne, the unseeded Robert Morris Eagles made a 7-0 run to finish the game and eliminated the three seed
Indiana University Southeast Indiana University Southeast (locally known as IU Southeast or IUS) is a public university in New Albany, Indiana, New Albany, Indiana. It is a regional campus of Indiana University. History The Indiana University Falls City Area Center was ...
Grenadiers, 71-66. Fourth seeded Cornerstone met their match in unseeded Friends. Friends came out shooting and cruised to an eighteen-point lead behind NAIA player of the year Joe Mitchell, ultimately winning the game seventy-nine to sixty-nine. When the round was over, the only seeded teams remaining were number five Indiana Wesleyan, number nine
Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality *Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...
, and number ten, Midland.


Elite Eight

After scoring two-hundred and twenty-two points in the first two rounds, the William Penn Statesmen's run was brought to an end by Robert Morris (Illinois) in a seventy-nine to seventy-eight contest. The Statesmen scored the first eight points of the game, but the Eagles turned to Harry Singh off the bench for three three-pointers and Jarrell Turner for a two to gain the lead at 29-28. William Penn regained the lead on a three by Demarko Nash and held a narrow lead until layups by Blake Walker and Alec Schwab brought the margin to one point with just over a minute left. Neither team was able to score for the rest of the contest, leaving Robert Morris to advance to the Fab Four by virtue of a one-point victory. First-time guest Southeastern continued its run of victories over higher-seeded teams with a three-point win over Davenport, while the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats continued its streak of double-digit wins with a ninety-five to seventy-nine win over Friends. The fourth semifinal position was claimed by the Midland Warriors with a seventy-six to seventy win over three-time champion Bethel College.


Fab Four

As befits a tournament of upsets, three of the four teams were in their first-ever Fab Four appearance. In the first semifinal game, Indiana Wesleyan took off to an early lead over the Southeastern Fire. A Jake Hodges free throw for Southeastern tied the game at eight, but IWU answered right back and never trailed again, although the Fire would pull back within three just before the half on a layup by Dana Thomas. Indiana Wesleyan used disciplined offense and unrelenting defense to gradually pullaway to a ninety-eight to seventy-seven victory. Jordan Weidner scored twenty-nine points for the Wildcats and was joined in double figures by brothers R.J. Mahurin and Lane Mahurin, Nathan Bubash and Zac Vandewater. For the Fire, Dwayne Johnson led with 28 points, followed by Hodges and Thomas with eleven and Timothy Mitchell with ten. On the other half of the bracket, Midland recorded an impressive one hundred to sixty-one shellacking of Robert Morris. In what was to become the widest Fab Four margin of victory in tournament history, Midland jumped to a sixteen to two lead over Robert Morris just three minutes into the game. Ben Imig led Midland with twenty-seven points, while Alex Starkel and Galen Gullie added fourteen and thirteen respectively. Jarrel Turner led Robert Morris with fourteen points while Sean Montgomery added ten points. Courtney Bell grabbed eleven boards for Robert Morris.


Championship game

The fifth-seeded
Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats The Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Indiana Wesleyan University, located in Marion, Indiana, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing ...
became the first team in the history of the tournament to win all of its contests by double digits as they defeated the Midland Warriors by ten points for the crown. IWU never trailed in the game, building a ten-point lead just seven minutes into the game. Midland closed to within one point on a three pointer by Avery Langford, but baskets by Zac Vandewater and Lane Mahurin quickly put IWU back up by five. In the second half, Indiana Wesleyan took control, ultimately winning the game by a score of seventy-eight to sixty-eight. Jordan Weidner led the Wildcats in scoring with twenty-one. He was joined in double figures by RJ Mahurin with nineteen, Lane Mahurin with eleven and Zac Vandewater with ten. Vandewater led all teams in rebounding with ten. For Midland, Ben Imig led in scoring with seventeen, along with a team leading six assists. He was closely followed by Franklin Marcus with fifteen and Alex Starkel with ten. Starkel added nine rebounds, while Brandon Williams grabbed seven.


Tourney awards and honors

*Dr. James Naismith/Emil Liston Team Sportsmanship Award: Indiana Wesleyan


Individual recognition

*Most Outstanding Player: Jordan Weidner, Indiana Wesleyan *Championship Hustle Award: Lane Mahurin, Indiana Wesleyan *NABC/NAIA Division II Coach of the Year: Greg Tonagel, Indiana Wesleyan *Rawlings-NAIA Division II National Coach of the Year: Todd Eisner, Midland *2014 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball All-Championship Team **Joe Mitchell-Friends (Kan.) **Dwayne Johnson-Southeastern (Fla.) **Tim Mitchell-Southeastern (Fla.) ** Dominez Burnett-Davenport (Mich.) **RJ Mahurin-Indiana Wesleyan **Ben Imig-Midland (Neb.) **Galen Gullie-Midland (Neb.) **Jarrell Turner-Robert Morris (Ill.) **Alec Schwab-William Penn **Kelly Madison-William Penn


Statistical leaders

(minimum 4 games)


Bracket

*  * denotes overtime.


Epilogue

Only two players who made it to the tournament Fab Four, Jordan Weidner of Indiana Wesleyan (who was named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player), and Dwayne Johnson of Southeastern were named to the NAIA All-America team. The post-season coaches poll on the other hand was heavily influenced by the outcome of the tournament, as Indiana Wesleyan and Midland wound up in first and second place respectively, while Southeastern and Robert Morris wound up third and fifth. Cardinal Stritch fell to fourth in the rankings. Indiana Wesleyan head coach Greg Tonagel was honored as the NABC Division II Men's Basketball Coach of the Year and Todd Eisner of Midland (Neb.) was named the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Coach of the Year. Mitchell Wiggins of Southeastern was drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters.


NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball All-America Teams


See also

*
2014 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2014 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City, Missouri), Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 77th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams ...
*
2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2013-14 ...
* 2014 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament *
2014 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament The 2014 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship, NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 62 teams held to determine the men's college basketball, collegiate basketball national champion of Na ...
* 2014 NAIA Division II women's basketball tournament


References

{{NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament NAIA men's basketball championship
Tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
2014 in sports in Missouri