Chapman Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament Notes (vs. Redlands)
Meet the Teams
Chapman enters Thursday's game with a 24-3 record and a No. 12 national ranking according to D3hoops.com. The Panthers are a Pool B 'at-large' selection into the field of 61 as an independent and are currently No. 4 in the NCAA West Region rankings. Redlands is 16-11 and unranked in the final West Region poll. The Bulldogs earned the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) automatic bid to the NCAA Championships after winning the SCIAC postseason tournament on its home floor defeating Claremont 63-54 in the SCIAC Tournament championship game. Redlands is making its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1985.
The Matchup
If Chapman has its way, the game will likely be low-scoring with the Panthers slowing the tempo to a half-court contest. Chapman ranks No. 15 in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 59.6 points per game. And the Bulldogs are in the lower half of Division III schools, averaging 67 points per game. At home, Chapman is even tougher, allowing just over 57 points per game and posting a perfect 8-0 record at Hutton Center this season.
Familiar Foes
They say it's tough to beat the same team three times in a season, but Chapman will attempt to do that very thing on Thursday. The Panthers defeated Redlands twice during the regular season - both times in Redlands. The first meeting came at the very start of the season with the Panthers winning 78-67 on the strength of a 23-point performance from senior G Griffin Ramme. The two teams met again in the Lee Fulmer Tournament championship game with Chapman toppling the tournament host 70-57. The Panthers shot over 82 percent in the second half of that game to win by double digits again.
To Be the Best You Gotta Beat the Best
The winner of Thursday night's first round contest will be awarded a date with the No. 1 team in Division III - Whitworth University (Wash.). The Pirates are 26-1 after winning the Northwest Conference tournament title last weekend. It would be a welcomed trip to Spokane for either team, but in particular for Chapman, which is seeking to avenge a 21-point loss to Whitworth in the second round of last year's postseason tournament.
All-Time Series (Since 1994)
Since Chapman made the transition to NCAA Division III in 1994-95, the Panthers are 16-6 against the Bulldogs, including wins in each of the last five meetings. The last Redlands win in the series came in November 2007.
Redlands/Chapman vs. Same Opponents
Although Chapman (Independent) and Redlands (SCIAC) are not in the same conference, they did share seven common opponents in 2010-11. Chapman was 11-1 against opponents on the Redlands' schedule while Redlands had a 13-2 record against opponents on Chapman's schedule. Redlands' two losses came against Whittier and Cal Lutheran, while the Panthers one loss was also against Cal Lutheran.
Multimedia
Play-by-play coverage for Thursday's first round game will be available through streaming video and audio, courtesy of Chapman Athletics. A video webcast will be made available by United Webcast and partnering with Chapman Radio's radiocast. They will go live with their broadcast just prior to 7 p.m. tipoff. Calling play-by-play for Chapman Radio will be Chapman students Stephen Nelson and Bryan Ziebelman.
Also covering the game with streaming audio will be Craig Dunkin and Tim Walsh for D3hoops.com.
Chapman Notes
Panthers' NCAA Tournament History
Chapman is making its second consecutive NCAA Division III tournament appearance after never making the Division III playoffs prior to 2010. It had been 26 years since the school's last playoff berth when Chapman reached the tournament last March. Chapman defeated Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at home in the first round before falling to Whitworth University (Wash.) on the road in the second round.
In all, the Panthers have made 11 NCAA tournament appearances in school history. The Panthers had an impressive run of six postseason berths in seven years from 1956-63 under head coach Don Perkins. In the midst of that run, Chapman reached the 'Elite 8' in 1958 and lost in the College Division national championship game in 1960. Chapman also appeared in the postseason during the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons under head coach Walt Hazzard.
Winning Consistency
This is Chapman's sixth consecutive 20-win season. In fact, the Panthers have gone 72-9 over the past three seasons for a winning percentage of .889. That is one of the five best winning percentages in NCAA basketball (all divisions) during that stretch. The Panthers ranked No. 7 in the nation in winning percentage this season.
Players to Watch
Chapman has thrived off of its veteran leadership with seniors Justin Riley and Griffin Ramme leading the team to back-to-back postseason berths for the first time since 1983-84. Riley and Ramme contributed nearly identical point production this season leading Chapman in scoring with 16.2 and 16.1 points a game respectively. Ramme added 2.9 assists ranks No. 23 in Division III with 2.7 steals per game. Riley controlled the inside all season averaging 7.2 rebounds a game and 40 blocked shots.
Meet Head Coach Mike Bokosky
The past two seasons have been one milestone after another for Bokosky and the Panthers. None was more significant than the Chapman men reaching the NCAA Division III tournament in 2010 for the first time in school history and snapping a 26-year postseason absence. He is the school's all-time winningest head coach - a history that spans nearly 90 years. His 319-140 record over 18 seasons, includes back-to-back 24-3 seasons the past two years.
"Bo" has guided Chapman to five straight 20-win seasons and 17 consecutive winning seasons. Bokosky is also in his ninth year serving as an Assistant Athletic Director at Chapman.
Prior to Chapman, Bokosky served as an assistant coach in the Big West at Cal State Fullerton and U.C. Irvine where he recruited and coached future NBA players Scott Brooks, Tom Tolbert, Bruce Bowan, Bob Thornton and Johnny Rogers.
Redlands Notes
Bulldogs' NCAA Tournament History
Redlands is making its first NCAA tournament appearance in 26 years. In their last berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs, the Bulldogs earned a third place finish at the regional tournament. Their SCIAC championship this season is the 19th in the school's history - with either a share of the title or outright champions.
It's Not How You Start...
Despite beginning the season 2-8 in non-conference play, the Bulldogs hit their stride once the SCIAC season began. Redlands won 11 of their final 14 games to earn home court advantage in the conference playoffs and then finished with two more wins in the SCIAC championships. The Bulldogs have won 7 of 8 going into the NCAA tournament, including a season-best five-game winning streak.
Players to Watch
The Bulldogs are led by senior center Andrew Mills who was recently tabbed SCIAC Player of the Year after he averaged 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds a game in conference play. Sophomore G Tristan Kirk led the Bulldogs in scoring average all season with 11.2 points per game and scored in double-digits 18 times this season. Senior C Jordan Sanvictores is also averaging 11 points and leads Redlands with 6.4 rebounds per game.
Meet Head Coach Jim Ducey
Jim Ducey took over the men's basketball program in 2007 after long-time Head Coach Gary Smith stepped down from his post of 36 years. Ducey made the move following a nine-year stint as the head women's basketball coach at Redlands. He also worked with the Bulldog women's tennis program from 1992-1999 and then again from 2004-2009. Overall, he has been involved with basketball and tennis at Redlands since the 1991-92 school year.
During the fall of 2006, Ducey went on sabbatical to study other basketball training programs, including with the San Antonio Spurs and Head Coach Greg Popovich.
A 1978 graduate of Redlands, Ducey returned to his alma mater in 1991 from Cal State San Bernardino, where he was the head tennis coach for three seasons and director for two, while serving as head men's basketball coach from 1984-91. He played basketball for Coach Smith, earning the Hustle Award and serving as a team captain.