10th-ranked Northwestern College is set to play No.23 Bellevue (Neb.) in a first round match-up Wednesday night, March 7, at the 2018 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 pm. Northwestern, a No.3 seed, bring a 25-6 overall record into Wednesday night’s match-up. Bellevue, a sixth seed, is 21-11 on the year.
Northwestern is 11-3 all-time against Bellevue, dating back to the 1982-83 season. They last played in 2009 where the Red Raiders defeated Bellevue 81-73 at the Defenders Classic. The Red Raiders are 1-1 against Bellevue at the D-II Championship, defeating the Bruins in the second round of 2004-05 (72-69) and losing in the national semifinals in 2007-08 (70-67).
Northwestern is making its 18th appearance at the NAIA D-II National Championship, second most among the 32-team field (behind Bellevue-19). This is the Red Raiders second consecutive trip to the D-II Championship and have a 30-15 overall record at the championship, the fourth most wins in the field (Cornerstone-37, Oregon Tech-33, Bethel-32). Northwestern won the national championship in 2001 and 2003, finished as runner-up in 1992 and have reached the semi’s in 2002, 2007 and 2008.
