By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The No. 2-seed Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team (25-2) is set for its Elite Eight matchup against No. 7 seed West Liberty (18-4).
Tip-off is set for Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. This season marks the Bearcats' fifth Elite Eight appearance in program history, including the third in the last five years.
Northwest head coach Ben McCollum tells KFEQ in an interview that this string of recent success is a testament to the winning culture that he, his staff, as well as current and former players, have established in recent years.
"We've just had good kids, good teams and a good culture," he said. "That helps to be able to have continued success."
The only team that has more Elite Eight appearances than Northwest in Division II is West Liberty. The Hilltoppers are in their sixth Elite Eight, and are seeking their first national title. They were runners-up to Central Missouri in 2014.
West Liberty is playing in its nation-leading 12th straight NCAA tournament and have won four straight Mountain East Conference titles.
The Hilltoppers lead the nation with 102 points per game, and they're led by senior Dalton Bolon, who was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II All-America Team.
Bolon averages 21.6 points and eight rebounds per contest. He also leads all active Division II players with 2,232 career points and 349 three-pointers.
"They're a very good basketball team and they play extremely hard," McCollum said of West Liberty. "It's going to be a tough game for us."
Northwest is seeking its third national title as a program after winning it all in 2017 and 2019.
For all-conference performers like senior Ryan Hawkins, and juniors Trevor Hudgins and Diego Bernard, playing on the big stage is familiar territory for them. McCollum says that remains a key advantage for his squad.
"We've been here before and won championships," McCollum said. "So, that eliminates some of that 'happy to be there excitement.' We understand what it does take."
The 2020 NCAA tournament, as we know, was wiped out due to COVID-19. The Bearcats were 31-1 entering that tournament and riding a 23-game winning streak.
No one will ever know what might have been last year, but McCollum is appreciating this year's postseason run a little bit more. Simply due to of all of the hard work that had to be done for this season to start and finish successfully.
"Whenever you have an opportunity to play for a championship, you need to make the most of it and understand what kind of opportunity you have," said McCollum, who's won 14 of his last 15 NCAA tournament games as coach.
"Right now, we have a big time opportunity and we need to make sure we make the most of it. I think our kids are going to and are ready for that. As long as you give your best effort, I think we'll be okay."
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