5 Things To Know: NCAA First Round
THE MATCHUP
Chapman meets Mary Hardin-Baylor for the first time in program history during the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship First Round. The Cru were ranked No. 6 in the latest D3hoops.com national poll after winning the ASC title and finishing the regular season with a record of 25-2. The Panthers finished the season as the runner-up of the SCIAC with an overall record of 22-4. Chapman checked into the national poll at No. 25 for one week this season and is still receiving votes.
BACK IN THE DANCE
Chapman made its way back into the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship field for the fifth time since transitioning to DIII in 1994 and for the first time since 2016. In a year that Chapman is celebrating a century since the formation of its first athletics team, Chapman men's basketball is making its 14th overall appearance in an NCAA Tournament. The Panthers appeared in nine NCAA College Division (or NCAA Division II) Tournaments prior to 1994.
BO KNOWS
Head coach Mike Bokosky has been the only coach in Chapman's Division III history. He is in his 30th year at Chapman (29th season coaching since the pandemic took away the 2020-21 season). With the 78-65 win over Whittier on Jan. 26, Bokosky picked up his 500th career win – all of which came at Chapman. The Panthers' head coach now owns a record of 504-238 for a .679 winning percentage. He is the winningest coach in Chapman history with nearly double the amount of wins of any other coach in the 100-year history of men's basketball at Chapman.
AROUND THE PERIMETER
Chapman has been one of the best teams in the nation at shooting and defending the three-point line. The Panthers rank 11th in Division III, shooting 38.3 percent beyond the arc, and tops in the SCIAC while holding opponents to a 30.9 three-point shooting percentage. Senior Chandler White has led the Panthers in three-point shooting, draining over 50 percent of his attempts from three-point range. Both Hayden Moore and Anthony Smith are shooting just over 41 percent while Jack Roggin is shooting 36.4 percent. Moore is six three-pointers away from tying the school record he set two years ago for made three-pointers in a season (92). In just 51 games, Moore ranks in the top-5 all-time at Chapman for made three-pointers.
POSTSEASON COMEBACKS
Chapman battled its way through the three-round SCIAC Tournament. After pushing through an overtime win in the quarterfinals against Whittier, the Panthers were down 16 to CMS in the first half od the semifinals and 19 early in the second half in the championship against Pomona-Pitzer. Chapman overcame the 16-point hole to take the lead and the game against CMS. In the championship game, the Panthers went on a 15-0 over a six-minute stretch to climb back in the game and eventually took a 71-70 lead. However, the Sagehens scored the last six points of the gam to win the title. The Panthers outscored their SCIAC Tournament opponents 116-99 in the second half. They also held their opponents to just 27.9 percent shooting beyond the three-point arc.
BONUS
The Panthers will take on the host, Mary Hardin-Baylor, tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. (PT) in the Mayborn Campus Center in Belton, Texas. Tickets will be available at the door for the cost of $15. Students, children and seniors will be $10 and children under 2 are free.
By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director
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