Northwest claims NCAA Central Region No. 1 seed for 4th straight year

The Northwest Missouri State University Bearcat men's basketball program will serve as the host for the fourth straight year of the Central Region as a part of the 2020 NCAA Division II Tournament.The Central Region will take place March 14 (four games), March 15 (two games) and March 17 (regional final) in Bearcat Arena in Maryville, Missouri.Northwest will be taking part in its 20th NCAA tournament. It is the Bearcats's eighth trip to the NCAA Tournament under 11th-year head coach. The Bearcats are 31-1 in 2019-20 and won NCAA Division II national championships in 2017 and 2019. Northwest has won seven consecutive MIAA regular season titles to go along with the five straight MIAA tourney crowns. Earlier today, Northwest secured the MIAA's automatic bid the regional with its 78-76 victory over Missouri Southern in the tournament's championship game.Northwest will match up against No. 8 seed Oklahoma Baptist, on Sat., March 14, at 6 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.The Elite Eight and national semifinals will be held at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, on March 26 and 28.This year's national championship game will be held Sunday, April 5, in Atlanta, Georgia.Tickets for the regional can be purchased online HERE starting at 8 a.m. Tuesday. All seating for the regional will be general admission. Fans can purchase single session tickets in person at the Cashiering office. The Cashiering office, located on the first floor of the Administration Building, will be open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets early.Single session tickets can be purchased for $12 each for adults and $7 for students. Children 2 and under are free per NCAA policy. The ticket office will open 1 hour and 15 minutes prior to the start of each session.1. Northwest Missouri State (Host)2. Southern Nazarene3. Southeastern Oklahoma State4. Northern State5. Missouri Southern State6. Rogers State7. Henderson State8. Oklahoma BaptistNoon: No. 3 Southeastern Oklahoma State vs. No. 6 Rogers State (Session 1)2:30 p.m.: No. 2 Southern Nazarene vs. No. 7 Henderson State (Session 1)6 p.m.: No. 1 Northwest Missouri vs. No. 8 Oklahoma Baptist (Session 2)8:30 p.m.: No. 4 Northern State vs. No. 5 Missouri Southern (Session 2)5 p.m.: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 27:30 p.m.: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 47 p.m.: Regional Championship Game