Sioux Falls, South Dakota — Northwestern College is set to open play at the 2020 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship Tournament against No.1 overall seed College of Idaho on Wednesday, March 11 in Sioux Falls, S.D. Tip-off at the Sanford Pentagon is set for 8pm, just after the NAIA Parade of Champions.
Northwestern, one of four teams from the Great Plains Athletic Conference, has a 20-11 record; College of Idaho, ranked first in the final two NAIA D-II Coaches poll, has won 24 straight games and has a 30-3 overall record.
This will be the third meeting between the two teams, all at the D-II Championship. Northwestern is 2-0 all-time, earning an 88-79 win the 2001 quarterfinals and again in 2007 when they defeated the Yotes 99-77 in the first round. (College of Idaho was named Albertson College at that time).
Northwestern earned the host bid into the 32-team field by way of its 60% win percentage in the regular season. College of Idaho, one of three teams from the Cascade Collegiate Athletic Conference to qualify for the championship, earned an auto bid by winning the conference regular season title.
Northwestern is making their 19th tournament appearance at the D-II Championship, 22nd overall trip to the national tournament – winning both the 2000 and 2003 titles and advancing to the national quarterfinals seven times. The Red Raiders are 31-18 all-time at the championship.
College of Idaho is making its 15th trip to the NAIA Division II Championships, having posted a 20-13 record in the tournament – including trips to the quarterfinals in 1993, 2001 and 2015, semifinal appearances in 2018 and 2019, and winning the 1996 NAIA title. C of I also made eight trips to the NAIA National Championships prior to the creation of two divisions in 1992 – going 5-8 – including trips to the national quarterfinals in 1988 and 1989.
