Ferris State University:
– Hometown: Big Rapids, Michigan
– Mascot: Brutus the Bulldog
– Enrollment: 14,187
–Head Coach & Record: Andy Bronkema has been making opponents ‘Fear the Beard’ for five years now. Bronkema is 121-41 during that time.
– 2017-18 Record: 36-1
– Top Players: Junior center Zach Hankins, senior guard Drew Cushingberry, senior wing Noah King
– NCAA Tournament History: The Bulldogs are 15-13 in NCAA Tournament play. They have made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and six Sweet Sixteen appearances in 90 seasons.
– Fun Facts: The Bulldogs were founded in 1928. They have won four straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) titles and four straight GLIAC Tournament titles. The team’s overall record is 1,158-993.
West Texas A&M:
– Hometown: Canyon, Texas
– Mascot: Thunder the Buffalo
–Enrollment: 10,100
– Head Coach & Record: Chris Gove has been the head coach for the Buffalo for three years. His career record at the helm is 79-22.
– 2017-18 Record: 32-3
– Top Players: Senior guard David Chavlovich, senior guard Jordan Evans, junior guard Ryan Quaid
– NCAA Tournament History: The Buffaloes have made 15 NCAA Tournament appearances. They are 10-16 in NCAA Tournament play all-time. The Buffaloes made their first Elite Eight appearance in 20 years this season.
– Fun Facts: The Buffaloes were founded in 1910. They have won five total Lone Star Conference titles in their history. The team’s overall record is 1,514-948. West Texas A&M’s football team was a very successful feeder program for professional wrestlers including Tully Blanchard, Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, Ted Dibiase, Bobby Duncam, Tito Santana, Barry Windam, Bruiser Brody, Dory Funk Jr. and Stan Hensen.
Queens University of Charlotte:
– Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
– Mascot: Rex the Royal
– Enrollment: 2,300
–Head Coach & Record: Bart Lundy is in his tenth year as head coach of the Royals. Lundy has a 200-77 career record over that decade.
– 2017-18 Record: 32-3
– Top Players: Senior guard Todd Whithers, senior guard Mike Davis, senior guard Ike Agusi
– NCAA Tournament History: The Royals have made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances. They have made it to the Elite Eight three times in program history
– Fun Fact: Queens (N.C.) is the only private school remaining in the tournament. Queens University features a statue of Rex the Royal at the Queens Sports Complex, this is the largest standing sculpture of a lion in the world.
Northern State University:
– Hometown: Aberdeen, South Dakota
– Mascot: Thunder the Wolf
–Enrollment: 3,622
–Head Coach: Paul Sather has been the coach of the Wolves for eight years. Over that time, he has compiled a 126-78 career record.
– 2017-18 Record: 35-3
– Top Players: Red-Shirt senior guard DJ Pollard, red-shirt junior guard Ian Smith, red-shirt senior guard Darin Peterka
– NCAA Tournament History: This will be the Wolves first Final Four appearance in school history.
Fun Facts: The Wolves are in their first Elite Eight since 1998. They are a combined 1,620-931 as a basketball program. They are considered to be the “home” team, as they only had to drive 200 miles to Sioux Falls. Original owner of the Miami Dolphins Joe Robbie is an alumni of Northern State. The women’s basketball team won national championships in both 1992 and 1994.
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