The Elite Eight - There Are NO Cinderellas

 

To make it to the Elite Eight in NJCAA Basketball, you need three things:

• A great coach
• Funding (scholarships)
• Good players

This year's Elite Eight features the best of the best.

1-Seed #2 John A. Logan (30-2) vs. 8-Seed Midland (28-6)

First-year Head Coach, Tyler Smithpeters, has the John A. Logan Volunteers playing a fun uptempo style of basketball.

 

They lost back-to-back games on November 9th and 11th to Indian Hills and Northeast Mississippi. Since then, the Vols have won 28 consecutive games.  

 

Center, K.J. Debrick, is tremendously improved from a season ago. He is a defensive presence and a strong anchor inside.

 

Logan has improved their offensive halfcourt execution throughout the season. In years past, a key was constantly stopping the Vols transition game. Currently, they are just as potent playing in a halfcourt game.

 

First-year Midland coach, Tra Arnold, has instilled tough-nosed defensive principles into the Chaparrals.  

 

Midland is giving up only 58.4 points per game.

 

Offensively, Doug Young and Keonte Jones have done a lot of the heavy lifting throughout the season combining for almost 38 points per game.

 

During the past month of the season, a trio of Chaps (Trent Johnson, Brison Waller, and Christian Villegas) have made considerable strides in making them a national title contender.

 

Both teams are battle tested and have played tough competition throughout the year.

 

13-Seed #13 Dodge City (25-9) vs. 12-Seed #7 Tallahassee (30-5)

The big news of Hutch this week comes from Tallahassee.  

 

Sophomore guard, Malachi Davis, has been incredible in two games at the national tournament. Davis scored a career-high 48 points in an overtime win over Salt Lake.

 

In addition, the Eagles' head coach Rick Cabrera accepted the head coaching position at NCAA D1 Northwestern State.

 

If Tallahassee can win today, All-American candidate Addison Patterson will be reinstated after a three-game suspension. Patterson was ejected in the District 8 title game versus Northwest Florida State.  

 

Tallahassee only allows 69.3 points per game.

 

Dodge City, led by Jason Edwards, has had a fantastic first two games at the national tournament (26 & 31 points).

 

Dodge City also has a new head coach, Brad Witherspoon. The Conquistadors were the regular season Jayhawk Conference champions.

 

15-Seed #14 Vincennes (30-5) vs. 7-Seed #16 Northwest Florida State (27-7)

Tonight's matchup is a battle of two great programs with head coaches who have won national titles.

 

Vincennes has been excellent defensively all season long.  

 

The defense has been showcased in Hutch wins over Trinity Valley and the College of Southern Idaho.

 

Vincennes head coach, Todd Franklin, is making his 15th trip to the national tournament.

 

The Trailblazers rebound very well and are opportunistic offensively.

 

Caleb Johnson leads Vincennes at 16.7 points per game.

 

Vincennes allows only 64.3 points per game.

 

Head Coach Steve DeMeo leads the Raiders.

 

The Raiders are the most talented team in the country.

 

Kasean Pryor (14.8 points) and Chad Baker-Mazara (14.6) are All-Americans.

 

Tavion Banks (8.9 points and 6.7 rebounds) is one of the best freshmen in the country.

 

Entering tonight's contest, they are winners of seven consecutive games.

 

3-Seed #3 Odessa (30-3) vs. 6-Seed #5 Indian Hills (28-4)

Game 4 is a matchup of two incredibly similar teams. Both teams will play 10+ players while pressing and trapping for 40 minutes. Top-tier head coaches lead both programs in Kris Baumann and Hank Plona.

 

It should be noted that both Odessa and Indian Hills play incredibly difficult non-conference schedules.

 

Odessa is led offensively by left-handed forward Kiree Huie at 10.5 points per game.

 

Point guard, Anthony Marshall, has been a pillar of consistency throughout the season and connects on 88% of his free-throw attempts.

 

Odessa allows only 64.6 points per game.

 

Indian Hills is led offensively by Don McHenry at 15.8 points per game and Enoch Kalambay at 12.2 points per game.

 

Indian Hills connects on almost ten three-point field goals per game (9.7). The three-point line could very well determine tonight's final Elite Eight matchup.

 

Indian Hills allows only 68.7 points per game.

 

By Nic NielsonlJUCOWeekly Contributor