RSC Men's Basketball Championship Central: Bracket, Live Coverage
RSC Men's Basketball Championship Central: Bracket, Live Coverage
2021-22 RSC MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Feb. 23, 26 & March 1 at Campus Sites (All Times Eastern)
BRACKET I WATCH LIVE I LIVE STATS (see below)
Feb. 23 -- Quarterfinals
No.1W IU Kokomo def. No. 4E Ohio Christian, 81-66 -- Box Score
No. 2E IU East def. No. 3W Oakland City, 78-69 -- Box Score
No.2W Alice Lloyd def. No. 3E Rio Grande, 82-80 (3OT) -- Box score
No. 1E WVU Tech def. No. 4W IU Southeast, 77-59 -- Box Score
Feb. 26 -- Semifinals
No. 1W IU Kokomo def. No. 2E IU East, 77-65 -- Box Score
No. 1E WVU Tech def. No.2W Alice Lloyd, 78-67 -- Box Score
March 1 -- Finals
No.1W IU Kokomo def. No.1E WVU Tech, 77-67. -- Box Score
Indiana University Kokomo earns automatic qualification to the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship as RSC Championship winner and RSC Regular Season and RSC West Division Champion. WVU Tech earns the RSC's second automatic bid to nationals as RSC East Division champion.
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- The 2021-22 River States Conference Men's Basketball Championship qualifiers and bracket are set, and they are released here at RiverStatesConference.com. The eight-team championship will be held Feb. 23, 26 and March 1 at campus sites around the RSC.
The top four teams from each of the RSC East & West Divisions qualified for the RSC Championship. The bracket begins with quarterfinal matchups Feb. 23 in a crossover format with the semifinals Feb. 26 and the championship final March 1.
The championship qualifiers were the four teams in each division with the best record in games within their division. The records within divisional play were used instead of overall RSC record because not all teams were able to complete their crossover schedule due to COVID postponements.This way all teams have common opponents when it comes to playoff qualifiers in each division and that the choice of which games to makeup do not unfairly influence the postseason tournament.
No. 1 overall seed IU Kokomo is the RSC Regular Season Champion and the RSC West Division champion. The No. 25-ranked Cougars are 26-3 overall, 16-1 RSC, and they are already guaranteed a bid to the NAIA National Championship.
IU Kokomo begins the championship by hosting Ohio Christian University, the No. 4 seed from the RSC East, in the quarterfinals on Feb. 23. The winner will play whoever advances from the other quarterfinal matchup on that side of the bracket featuring Indiana University East, the No. 2 seed from the RSC East, hosting Oakland (Ind.) City University, the No. 3 seed from the RSC West.
WVU Tech is the other No. 1 seed in the bracket as the RSC East Division champion. The Golden Bears are "receiving votes" nationally at 23-4 overall, 14-2 RSC. They host a quarterfinal matchup Feb. 23 versus IU Southeast, the No. 4 seed from the RSC West. That side of the bracket features two teams getting national attention with Alice Lloyd (Ky.) College, the No. 2 seed from the RSC West, also receiving votes in the NAIA. The Eagles are 24-4, 15-3 RSC, and they host University Rio Grande (Ohio), the No. 3 seed from the RSC East.
Higher seeds will host each game of the championship all the way through to the finals. The RSC Championship winner will receive the conference's other automatic bid to the NAIA national tournament. If IU Kokomo goes on to win the title, WVU Tech earns the other national bid as RSC East champ.
The RSC Men's Basketball Championship will be streamed live on the RSC Game Central. Subscribe to watch live at portal.stretchinternet.com/RSC. Live stats are also scheduled to be provided.