For the third straight season and the seventh time in program history, the Mount Vernon Nazarene University men’s basketball team has qualified to be a part of the 32-team field. The Cougars, who claimed the ninth and final at-large berth into the tournament, will enter play with a 23-7 overall record. The team was ranked No. 22 in the final NAIA Division II poll and lost in the semifinals of the American Mideast Conference Tournament 101-98 in overtime at Malone College in MVNU’s most recent game on March 1. The Cougars are 6-6 in their six previous national tournament trips.

Junior guard Ben Falkenberg leads MVNU in scoring at 21.4 points per game and ranks fourth in NAIA Division II by averaging 4.1 three-pointers made per game. He also ranks second in free throw shooting at 91.3 percent. Junior forward Jadin Thomas adds 15.9 points and leads the team in rebounding (7.9 boards per game) and blocked shots (55). He has posted nine double-doubles this year including five in the past seven games. Junior guard Dan Borcherdt adds 10.8 points per game and leads the team with 128 assists, while senior post Connor Gregg adds 10.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 63.5 percent from the field. Junior wing Andy Francis (7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds) and freshman guard Brandon Short (6.4 points and 41 steals) are also key contributors.

The Cougars will square off with No. 11 seeded Oregon Institute of Technology in the second day of the first round action on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. CST. The Hustlin’ Owls, who also received an at-large berth, will enter play with a 26-6 overall record and were ranked No. 8 in the final poll of the year. They lost to Evergreen State (Wash.) College 93-76 in the semifinals of the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament on March 1 in their most recent game. Oregon Tech is making its 10th appearance in the national tournament with a 20-8 all-time record including a 9-0 mark in the first round. The Hustlin’ Owls have made five Elite Eight appearances, three Final Fours, and won the 2004 national title.

Oregon Tech is led by 6-foot-7 guard Ryan Fiegi, who averages 19.8 points and 6.3 rebounds, has registered 176 assists, 37 blocked shots, and 57 steals. He was named the Cascade Collegiate Conference Player of the Year. 6-foot-10 junior center Christian Cavanaugh adds 15.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while 5-foot-8 junior guard Jguwon Hogges and 6-foot-8 junior post Josh Wetzler added 10.7 points and 10.0 points respectively with Wetzler grabbing a team-best 8.7 rebounds per contest. The Hustlin’ Owls shoot 48.9 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from three-point range, and 71.2 percent from the free throw line. They are coached by Danny Miles, who has a career record of 842-362 in 37 seasons.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to make it back to the national tournament,” said MVNU head coach Scott Flemming. "It is always a great experience with a lot of great teams. We have a tough first-round opponent and we are a little banged up, but we are going to give it our best shot and see what happens.”

The winner of the MVNU-Oregon Tech game will face the winner of the game between No. 6 seed Evangel (Mo.) University and Menlo (Calif.) College in the second round on Friday at 9:15 p.m. CST.

The Cougars are joined in the tournament field by AMC South Division opponents Walsh University and Cedarville University who are seeded No. 4 and No. 15 respectively. Bellevue (Neb.) University is the No. 1 seed for the second straight year, while defending champion MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) University is the No. 2 seed. The single elimination tournament will continue with the second round on Friday, the quarterfinals on Saturday, the semifinals on Monday, and the championship game on Tuesday night.

Every game of the tournament can be watched live on the internet through a subscription service provided by JumpTV. For more information, go to www.watchnaia.com. Each of the Cougars’ games will also be carried live on WNZR 90.9 FM and through the internet at http://wnzr.fm/sports.html.