Weekly Release
Tournament Page
Live Stats
Live Audio/Video

This Week
The sixth-ranked Bellevue University men’s basketball team will host the 2011 Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 25-26, at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.

The Bruins open the tournament against No. 4 seed Central Christian College on Friday at 7:00 p.m. The first semifinal features No. 2 seed Oklahoma Wesleyan University against No. 3 seed College of the Ozarks at 5:00 p.m. The Championship game will be on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

The winner of the tournament earns an automatic bid into the 2011 NAIA Division II National Men’s Basketball Tournament at Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Mo., March 9-15.

Following the Action
All tournament games this week will include free live stats, audio and video. Fans can view the broadcasts by visiting BUBruins.com and clicking the “MCAC Men’s Basketball Tournament” page located on the upper right corner of the homepage.

Tournament Schedule
Semifinal Game No. 1 - Friday, Feb. 25, 5:00 p.m.
No. 2 seed Oklahoma Wesleyan vs. No. 3 seed College of the Ozarks

Semifinal Game No. 2- Friday, Feb. 25, 7:00 p.m.
No. 1 seed Bellevue vs. No. 3 seed Central Christian

Championship - Saturday, Feb. 26, 5:00 p.m.
Semifinal winners

BU versus Tournament Competition
vs. Central Christian - 1-1
Jan. 22, 2011 in McPherson, Kan. L, Central Christian 92, Bellevue 88 
Feb. 12, 2011 in Bellevue, Neb. W, Bellevue 91, Central Christian 59

vs. College of the Ozarks - 2-0
Jan. 15, 2011 in Bellevue, Neb. W, Bellevue 70, Ozarks 51
Feb. 19, 2011 in Point Lookout, Mo. W, Bellevue 52, Ozarks 48

vs. Oklahoma Wesleyan - 1-1
Jan. 28, 2011 in Bellevue, Neb. W, Bellevue 69, Okla. Wesleyan 56
Feb. 4, 2011 in Bartlesville, Okla. L, Okla. Wesleyan 83, Bellevue 74

Scouting No. 1 Seed Bellevue
Bellevue, winners of nine of its last 10 games is ranked No. 6 in the latest NAIA Division II Coaches’ Poll released on Monday, Feb. 21, and is 25-5 overall and finished in a tie for first place with Oklahoma Wesleyan University with a 12-2 mark in the MCAC. The Bruins are coming off of a 52-48 conference win at No. 19 College of the Ozarks on Feb. 19.

Eugene Bain leads BU in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He also leads the team with 11 double-doubles and is third in the MCAC with a 55.6 field goal percentage. Also averaging in double figures is All-American Avery Tyler (11.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 3.2 apg). Jelani Johnson averages 9.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg and is first in the conference with 108 assists. Johnson also has a team-high 42 steals. Ousseynou Diop adds 8.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg and is second in NAIA Division II with 114 blocked shots. Diop has also totaled five double-doubles this season. Jeremy Cruise leads the squad with 62 made 3-pointers. 

BU scores 80.7 points per game and is first in the MCAC with a 48.0 shooting percentage. They also shoot 36.9 percent from three-point range. The Bruins hold opponents to a conference-low 64.6 points per game on 38.7 percent shooting.

The Bruins return three letterwinners and two starters from last year’s 28-8 squad that captured the MCAC regular season and tournament titles, while advancing to the semifinals of the NAIA II National Tournament.

Scouting No. 2 Seed Oklahoma Wesleyan
Oklahoma Wesleysan is ranked No. 3 in NAIA Division II and have a 27-3 overall record and tied with Bellevue for first place in the MCAC final conference standings with a 12-2 mark. The Eagles are coming off of a 77-74 conference road win at Central Christian College on Feb. 19.

OWU is led offensively by Sadiel Rojas who ranks second in NAIA Division II in scoring (25.8 ppg) and rebounding (11.5 rpg). He shoots 56 percent from the field, which ranks second in the MCAC. Rojas has also recorded 21 double-doubles and has scored in double figures in 29 of 30 games played this year and scored a season-high 42 on Feb. 15 against Southwestern Christian University. The Bruins held Rojas to a season-low seven points on Jan. 28 in Bellevue.

Two other players average in double figure scoring for OWU, Dominique Rambo (14.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and Murray Shaw (12.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg). Rambo also leads the conference with 83 steals and is second in assists (100).

The Eagles are first in the conference in scoring, averaging 83.5 ppg while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 34.5 from three-point range. OWU gives up 70.6 ppg and allow opponents to shoot 40.6 percent from the field. The Eagles rank fourth in NAIA II with 288 made 3-pointers.
 
Scouting No. 3 Seed College of the Ozarks
No. 20 College of the Ozarks is currently 20-5 this season and concluded the regular season with a 9-5 record in the MCAC. The Bobcats are coming off of a 52-48 conference home loss to Bellevue on Feb. 19.

The Bobcats are led by a trio of scorers averaging in double figures and are led by Mike Wiebe, who is second in the conference in scoring, averaging 19.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Wiebe has scored in double figures 26 times this season. Also averaging in double figures include Jared Howerton (15.1 ppg and 6.3 rpg) and Darian Kelly (10.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 3.3 apg). Weston Wiebe paces the squad with 78 assists while pulling down 4.9 rpg.

Ozarks averages 74.0 points per game and rank fourth in the conference with a 44.0 shooting percentage from the field. They limit opponents to 68.1 points per game on 42.6 percent overall shooting.

Scouting No. 4 Seed Central Christian
Central Christian has an overall mark of 21-8 and finished league play with an 8-6 record. The Tigers are coming off of a 77-74 home conference loss to No. 4 Oklahoma Wesleyan University on Feb. 19.

CCC has five players scoring in double figures and are led by Don Gavin, who averages 17.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 2.7 apg. Gavin, who is fifth in the conference in scoring, shoots 50.7 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from three-point range. Also scoring in double figures include Christopher Jones (16.4 ppg, 9.7 rpg), Sean Posey (13.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.2 apg), Randall Conley (12.1 ppg, 63 made 3-pointers) and Kaelon Gary (11.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.1 apg).

CCC is second in the MCAC in scoring, averaging 81.9 ppg while shooting 46.7 percent from the field, which also ranks second in the conference. CCC hold opponents to 72.9 ppg and are third in the MCAC in field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot 41.0 percent.    

Meet the Coaches
In his first two seasons at the helm of the Bellevue University men’s basketball program, Shane Paben has guided the Bruins to two consecutive trips to the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship, including a semifinal finish in 2010 and a quarterfinal appearance in 2009. He has a career mark of 77-22 (.778) at BU. He is assisted by Bob Ludwig, Jason Isaacson and Micah Stancil. 

Oklahoma Wesleyan is led by two-time NAIA Division II Coach of the Year Donnie Bostwick. Now in his fourth year, he has a career record of 115-17 (.871). Bostwick is assisted by Mark Molder, Jamie Peterson and Garrett Jones.

Steve Shepherd is in his ninth season as the head men’s basketball coach at College of the Ozarks. He’s assisted by Bob Crawford and Scott McElvain.

Tony Romero is in his second year as head coach and seventh season overall on the Central Christian bench. He was an assistant coach the previous five seasons before taking over in the 2009-10 campaign where he led the Tigers to a 21-11 record, the most wins in a season in more than 25 years at CCC. Romero’s assistant coaches include by Louis Collins, Melvin Sanders and Todd Spehr.

National Rankings
Bellevue remains ranked No. 6 in the latest NAIA Men’s Basketball Division II Coaches’ Poll, released on Monday, Feb. 21. Two other MCAC teams are also ranked in the poll, Oklahoma Wesleyan University is third while College of the Ozarks is No. 20.

Block Party
Ousseynou Diop has blocked 114 shots this season which ranks second in NAIA Division II and is first with 3.8 blocks per game. He has had at least one block in the last 29 games. Diop tied a career-high with eight blocks at Peru State on Feb. 8. He’s also had eight blocks this season versus Oklahoma Wesleyan (Jan. 28) and against Harris-Stowe (Nov. 12). In his first two seasons, he has led the conference in blocks. For his career, Diop has swatted 216 shots.

Johnson Leads Conference in Assists
Jelani Johnson has recorded 108 assists (3.6 apg) this season which ranks first in the MCAC. Johnson, a junior from Omaha, Neb., has tallied at least one assist in 29 of 30 games this year, including 12 games with five or more assists.

Doubling Up
The frontcourt duo of Eugene Bain and Ousseynou Diop have accounted for all 16 of the Bruins’ double-doubles this season. Bain has registered 11, including a 11-point and 11-rebound performance at College on Feb. 19. Diop recorded his fifth double-double of the also at College of the Ozarks. Diop notched 10 points and 12 rebounds. He also had double-doubles at Midland University (Nov. 11), versus Harris-Stowe (Nov. 12) and at Peru State College (Feb. 8) and York College (Feb. 11).

Up Next
The 2011 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship will begin March 9-15 at Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Mo. Visit BUBruins.com for complete parings and times that will be announced after all of conference tournaments have been completed.