Men's Basketball | 3.13.2019 at 6:00 PM
SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- The John Brown University men's basketball team has been awarded an at-large berth into the 2019 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championships, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics offices announced on Wednesday (March 13) evening via its Selection Show on facebook.
Held in Kansas City, Mo. since 2002, the 82nd annual national championship tournament will take place inside the historic Municipal Auditorium. There are 31 games scheduled from March 20-26 in single-elimination format.
| JBU in Kansas City • Quick Facts |
| Overall Record |
10-6 (.625) |
| Appearances |
8 (2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2010 • 2012 • 2013 • 2019) |
| All-Time Finishes |
| Round of 32 |
2 (2006 • 2012) |
| Round of 16 |
3 (2003 • 2004 • 2013) |
| Quarterfinals |
1 (2010) |
| Championships |
1 (2005) |
Featuring a 23-10 overall record, the Golden Eagles will be making its eighth appearance all-time in Kansas City, this being its seventh trip in at-large fashion. Only the 2009-10 edition of the Golden Eagles has ever used the automatic qualifier route, after winning the 2010 Sooner Athletic tournament title.
After a predicted eighth-place finish by the SAC coaches, John Brown responded by piecing together its first 20-win season of the Jason Beschta era and captured a second-place finish in the SAC regular season race with a 15-7 mark before making its third-ever SAC tournament championship appearance, a difficult 74-73 loss to fifth-seeded Oklahoma City. Regardless, the Golden Eagles are looking forward to its first trip to the Paris of the Plains since 2013, which breaks a five-year drought.
"This invitation to Kansas City isn't just the result of a good season, but it's a culmination of years of hard work in the making, especially for the seniors," head coach Jason Beschta admitted. "We've been pushing for this opportunity for years. Years of hard work by our seniors and returning players has given us a chance to realize another goal of our season in making it to the national championship tournament.
"It's honestly a special group this year, and it took the right mix of players and coaches. Coach Tim Kisner has been an incredible addition. It's like having another head coach alongside me. The players, though, they've pushed each other to this point as well. They've kept their focus on improving every day, even after tough losses, to come back with some of our strongest wins of the season when it was easier to throw in the towel. It really speaks to the leadership of the captains and the commitment of the group as a whole."
Joining the Golden Eagles in Kansas City via automatic qualifiers are the SAC regular season and tournament champions, Wayland Baptist (Texas) and Oklahoma City, respectively. Science & Arts (Okla.) and Mid-America Christian (Okla.) were also selected through the at-large berth process.
The Golden Eagles, powered by the All-Sooner Athletic tandem of seniors Jake Caudle and Josh Bowling, earned the fourth seed in the Liston Bracket and will begin its championship run on Wednesday (March 20) at 9 a.m. and will face fifth-seeded Bethel (Tenn.) in the Round of 32. The Wildcats (24-8) received an at-large berth as well to the tournament.
JBU, beyond its vaunted 2005 National Championship Red Banner, has pieced together an overall record of 10-6 (.625) in Kansas City and has made three more Round of 16 appearances and one other national quarterfinal finish. The Golden Eagles have only been ousted twice in its seven previous trips to Municipal Auditorium in the Round of 32 and is still the only institution from the state of Arkansas to win a title in Kansas City.
» Relive the 2005 National Championship Celebration
The Round of 32 is slated to begin Wednesday (March 20), and will continue through the following day. The Round of 16 will take place on Friday (March 22) while the quarterfinals will tip off on Saturday (March 23). The national semifinals and finals are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
All 30 games through Monday will be broadcast live, for a fee, on the NAIA Network app, until ESPN3 picks up the National Championship game, scheduled for 8 p.m. on Tuesday (March 26).
