EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The fifth-seeded University of North Georgia men's basketball team hopes to make history again Tuesday night in the 2024 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Elite Eight.
The Nighthawks will battle fourth-seeded West Texas A&M at 9:30 p.m. EST from the Ford Center. It will mark UNG's first-ever appearance in the Elite Eight and the program's first-ever matchup against the Buffaloes.
The Nighthawks are riding the highs of the best season in program history with a record of 28 wins and a pair of first-ever championships in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament and the Southeast Regional Tournament.
UNG holds a pair of NABC All-District First Team selections in junior forward Frank Champion and sophomore points guard AJ White. Learn more about Champion and White's NABC honors here.
The Nighthawks also boast the Southeast Regional Tournament's Most Outstanding Player in sophomore guard Cayden Charles.
He averaged 16.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in the regional tournament while shooting 70.8 percent from the floor. His week was capped off by an 18-point, 8-rebound performance in the 70-67 regional championship win over Lander. Both numbers were game highs.
As a team, UNG has dominated the glass so far in the NCAA Tournament, ranking second among all tournament teams with a rebounding margin of 15.3 on the glass.
"I think we've rebounded the ball very well over the last few weeks, which has made a difference," UNG coach Dan Evans said.
The Nighthawks have also been exceptionally efficient on offense, shooting 54.4 percent from the floor in the big dance, which ranks second in the country.
WT enters the quarterfinal showdown with a 29-4 overall record and a 20-2 record in the Lone Star Conference. The Buffs were Lone Star regular season and conference tournament champions before winning the South Central Region in the NCAA Tournament.
WT is coached by head coach Tom Brown, who is in his 10th season with the program. Brown holds a career record of 265-61 (.813) and is making his fourth appearance in the Elite Eight. He is 3-3 in his career in the Elite Eight.
On Monday, the National Association of Basketball Coaches named Brown the South Central District Coach of the Year.
Joining Brown with the 2024 NABC honor was senior guard Larry Wise.
Wise has had an outstanding season for the Buffs, being named the Lone Star Conference and D2CCA South Central Region Player of the Year. He leads WT in scoring at 20 points per game while chipping in 5.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Wise's 639 total points on the year lead the Lone Star Conference and ranks No. 17 in NCAA Division II.
"They're really experienced. [They have] guys who have been around, really talented players, a coach who has had a bunch of success, and high expectations within the program," Evans said. "Those things come out in the way they play. They're tough, really good offensively, and very active defensively."
As a team, the Buffs are exceptional from the free-throw line. They average 23.2 attempts per game, which ranks No. 28 nationally, and convert 78.0 percent of those attempts, the 12th-best mark in the country.
While they go to the line a lot, the Buffs have struggled to keep their opponents away from the charity stripe as well. They rank No. 226 in the country by committing 18.3 fouls per game.
WT has also dominated its opponents in the scoring column this season, ranking No. 13 in the country in average scoring margin at 12.1 points.
At 38.7 percent, the Buffs are among the nation's top 15 in three-point shooting. However, they average 23 attempted threes per game, which ranks No. 111 in Div. II.
"I don't know that either team has a lot of advantages," Evans said. "I think our target is really to play the way we play offensively; take care of the ball, play through the lane, through the paint, while defending at the highest level we can… But at this point I don't know if there's a lot of advantages or disadvantages among these teams. It's really about who can play well that day and stay true to their identity."
At one point this season, the Buffs were ranked as the No. 1 team in the country for five consecutive weeks before losing three of four games to end the season. Now, they're seeded fourth in the Elite Eight after three wins in a difficult South Central Regional Tournament.
