NAIA National Tournament Preview: Lewiston Bracket A

Teams Inside the Pod

#1 Lewis-Clark St.

18-1 Overall

Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament Champions

#4 Overall Seed

Ranks Number 3 in Division I in Defensive
Rebounds per Game (32.632)

Ranks Number 3 in Division I in Field Goal
Pct Defense (0.376)

Ranks Number 4 in Division I in Scoring
Margin (20.789)

Ranks Number 6 in Division I in Scoring
Defense per Game (65.421)

Ranks Number 8 in Division I in Total
Rebound Margin (9.789)

Ranks Number 8 in Division I in Field Goal
Pct (0.508)

Ranks Number 8 in Division I in Assists per
Game (18.737)

Ranks Number 9 in Division I in Total
Rebounds per Game (42.579)

Ranks Number 13 in Division I in
Assist/Turnover Ratio (1.391)

Ranks Number 15 in Division I in 3-Pt Fg
Pct Defense (0.304)

Ranks Number 22 in Division I in 3-Pt Fg
Pct (0.383)

Ranks Number 23 in Division I in Scoring
Offense per Game (86.211)

Ranks Number 30 in Division I in 3-Pt Fg
Made per Game (9.789)

Ranks Number 33 in Division I in Total
Rebound Defense (32.789)

Ranks Number 41 in Division I in Total
Assists (356)

#2 Vanguard

8-3 Overall

GSAC West Champions

#32 Overall Seed

Ranks Number 1 in Division I in Total Rebound Defense (29.091)

Ranks Number 9 in Division I in Total Rebound Margin (9.727)

Ranks Number 23 in Division I in Defensive Rebounds per Game (30.091)

Ranks Number 23 in Division I in Field Goal Pct Defense (0.409)

Ranks Number 27 in Division I in Scoring Margin (9.909)

Ranks Number 30 in Division I in Scoring Defense per Game (70.273)

Ranks Number 31 in Division I in 3-Pt Fg Pct Defense (0.313)

Ranks Number 35 in Division I in Field Goal Pct (0.482)

Ranks Number 45 in Division I in 3-Pt Fg Pct (0.368)

Ranks Number 48 in Division I in Assists per Game (15.273)

Ranks Number 48 in Division I in Assist/Turnover Ratio (1.135)

#3 BenU - Mesa

5-8 Overall

CalPac Tournament Champions

#46 Overall Seed

Making 1st ever NAIA National Tournament appearance

Top Players

#12 Damek Mitchell 5'9 Sr. - 14.7ppg, 5.8rpg, 4.89apg

2020-21 CCC Player of the Year

2019-20 3rd Team All-American

Ranks Number 32 in Division I in Assists
per Game (4.895)

Ranks Number 48 in Division I in Total
Assists (93)

Trystan Bradley 6'9 Jr. - 16.33ppg, 6.4rpg

2019-20 All-American

#24 Garrett White 6'4 Jr. - 14.2ppg, 6.7rpg

2020-21 All-GSAC

Ranks Number 8 in Division I in Free Throw Pct (0.914)

#5 Aziz Seck 6'7 Sr. - 12.5ppg, 5.9rpg

2020-21 All-GSAC

#24 Maurice Walton 6'9 Sr. -

Only played in 5 games.

Points Per Game Leaders

1. Maurice Walton BenU – Mesa 18.8

2. Trystan Bradley LCSC 16.33

3. Damek Mitchell LCSC 14.7

4. Tre Carolina BenU Mesa 14.2

5. Austin Denham Benu Mesa 14.2

Rebounds Per Game Leaders

1. Maurice Walton BenU Mesa 10.4

2. Jake Albright LCSC 6.81

3. Garrett White Vanguard 6.7

4. Trystan Bradley LCSC 6.4

5. Aziz Seck Vanguard 5.91

Assist Per Game Leaders

1. Isaac Davis Vanguard 7.0

2. Damek Mitchell LCSC 4.89

3. Jake Albright LCSC 3.43

4. Tre Carolina BenU Mesa 3.08

5. Khalil Stevenson LCSC 2.68

Matchups

Friday, March 12th 7:30pm PT Live Video

The West Coast NAIA leagues all had to come up with unique ways to get their auto-bids. The GSAC was one of them as they elected to not have a conference tournament. Without it, the winners of each division were given the conference auto-bids!

vs.

The CalPac was unique in the sense that only 3 teams finished the season. Those 3 teams ended up playing in a round robin type tournament with BenU Mesa coming away with the CalPac regular season. This team has played some D1 games in exhibitions, so they have played up in competition and will be tested in that sense.

Saturday, March 13th 7:30pm PT Live Video

This Lewis-Clark State team was able to get 19 regular season games in plus a few extra exhibition games. Their only regular season loss was a road loss to #5 Arizona Christian. A loss that they turned around and avenged the day after. Mitchell is one of the best PG’s in the country and Trystan Bradley has proven to be a tough matchup for most teams. Austin Johnson is one of the best young coaches in the NAIA and has already had the Warriors in one Final Four. They will have a great shot to reach another one.

vs.

Winner of #2 Vanguard vs #3 BenU Mesa

Vanguard and BenU Mesa didn’t end up playing one another during the year, but they do have a like opponent in Saint Katherine who is in the CalPac with BenU Mesa. Those two teams really played some fun games and if anything, it should give BenU Mesa a shot of confidence that they can play with Vanguard.

Without a ton of games under their belt, it’s hard to get a great gauge on Vanguard and BenU-Mesa. One thing is for certain, the winner of Round 1 will have their hands full with a very good Lewis-Clark State team. It’s no secret that the Warriors are one of our favorites in the country to watch. They are a tough group who play well together. They are led by one of the Top players in the NAIA in Damek Mitchell. Damek is a winner and competes hard. It’s hard to think he will let the Warriors lose on their home floor!