The Lancaster Bible College men's basketball team is set for its first-ever NCCAA Division I National Tournament, as the Chargers will face fellow NCAA Division III member Northwestern (Minn.) on Wednesday night at 8:45 p.m. It's fitting the two NCAA Division III teams will meet in the opening round of the tournament, as the pair did not get a chance to possibly meet in the NCAA Division III National Tournament due to its cancellation, but are getting a chance to compete on the national stage at the NCCAA Division I National Tournament.
 
This year marks Lancaster Bible's first-ever appearance at the NCCAA Div. I National Tournament, though the Chargers have competed in the NCCAA Div. II National Tournament in the past, and won the 2015 NCCAA Div. II National Championship. The Eagles meanwhile are not strangers to either tournament, and will be making their 11^th all-time appearance on the national stage with the NCCAA. Northwestern (Minn.) won the 2010 NCCAA Div. I National Championship, and appeared in the top division's tournament in 2007 and 2009 as well.
 
NCCAA Div. I National Tournament Preview Podcast
Lancaster Bible Head Coach Jon Mack discussed the team's matchup with Northwestern (Minn.) Tuesday morning on the Horse with No Name Podcast...The podcast can be found on Anchor, as well as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
 
Team Records
Lancaster Bible: 11-3
Northwestern (Minn.): 14-3
 
How They Got Here
Lancaster Bible: The Chargers defeated Concordia (Mich.) in the NCCAA Midwest Regional Semifinals, 84-61, before falling to Midwest Region top seed Grace (Ind.) in the Region Final, 89-85…Lancaster Bible earned an at-large bid to the NCCAA Div. I National Tournament.
 
Northwestern (Minn.): The Eagles won the NCCAA North Central Region Championship on a last-second basket, defeating Trinity Christian (Ill.), 69-68…Northwestern (Minn.) is the North Central Region's representative at the NCCAA Div. I National Tournament.
 
Statistically Speaking
Lancaster Bible: Through 14 games this season, the Chargers are averaging 77.1 points per contest, while giving up 67.9 points…Lancaster Bible is shooting 43.7 percent from the floor, including 32.4 percent from 3-point range…The Chargers are also at 77.7 percent from the free throw line this season…Jordan Shewbridge leads the Chargers with 17.3 points per game, while Andrew Zentner is next at 12.2 points per contest…Zentner and Adam Stoltzfus are both shooting 57 percent or better from the floor, while freshman Seth Beers averages 9.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per contest…Lancaster Bible has played well in the first half of contests this season, outscoring opponents, 527-443 in the opening half thus far.
 
Northwestern (Minn.): The Eagles have averaged 79.7 points per game in 17 contests this season, while giving up 68.6 points per game…Northwestern (Minn.) is shooting 47.2 percent from the field, including 33.8 percent from beyond the arc…The Eagles are currently shooting 76 percent from the free throw line…Noah Alm leads the Eagles with 19.7 points per game, while Kyle Kaemingk is right behind him at 19.4 points per contest…Henry Fahnbulleh is the third and final player averaging double figures at 11.6 points per game…Fahnbulleh paces the team at 58 percent shooting, and also pulls down a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game…Northwestern (Minn.) is equally as strong as the Chargers in the first half, as they have outscored opponents, 657-540 in the opening 20 minutes of games this season.
 
Team Notes
Lancaster Bible: Lancaster Bible is 6-2 in games away from Horst Athletic Center this season…The Chargers are 2-0 following a loss this season, something they hope to keep going following their loss to Grace in the Midwest Region Final…Lancaster Bible has scored 84 points or more in each of its last three games after accomplishing the feat just three times all season prior to the streak…Wednesday night will mark Lancaster Bible's first National Tournament contest of any kind since March 2, 2018 when the Chargers lost on a last-second 3-pointer to Christopher Newport, 68-65 in the NCAA Division III National Tournament First Round…Sophomore Ethan Beachy is 14-of-19 from the floor over his past three games, including a career-best 8-of-9 en route to 19 points in the Midwest Region Final...The NCCAA Midwest Region announced its All-Region Teams on Tuesday, and Jordan Shewbridge was named to the NCCAA Midwest Region First Team.
 
Northwestern (Minn.): The Eagles are 5-1 away from home this season…Northwestern (Minn.) has won six straight games and 10 of 11 games entering the NCCAA National Tournament…In addition to winning the NCCAA North Central Region, the Eagles also won their conference tournament for NCAA Division III play, as Northwestern (Minn.) defeated the College of St. Scholastica, 74-61 to claim the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference crown…The Eagles shoot well from the field, but have struggled from 3-point range over their six-game win streak, as the team is just 30-of-97 over that span, with 10 of the made 3-pointers coming against St. Scholastica….Noah Alm had a season-best 42 points on 17-of-30 shooting earlier this season against Minnesota-Morris…Like Jordan Shewbridge does for the Chargers, Kyle Kaemingk gets to the free throw line quite a bit, and is 58-of-68 from the charity stripe this season.
 
How to Follow
The game will be broadcast via the NCCAA Network, but there is a charge of $6.95 for each game, or a $19.99 pass for the entire tournament…Live stats will also be provided thanks to tournament host Grace College (Ind.).