Central Methodist 'a tough match-up' for WBU

Bracket

It's been a decade since Wayland Baptist last tasted success at the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championships.

It's time, Ty Harrelson said, to update the history books.

"It's been since 2008 since Wayland has won a game here, so we want to see what we can do about that," WBU's third-year head coach said.

The Pioneers will get their chance beginning at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when they take on seventh-ranked Central Methodist University (Mo.) in the first round of the national tournament. Coverage links are available at www.wbuathletics.com, including subscription streaming at www.NAIANetwork.com.

Ranked the equivalent of 26^th in the NAIA, the Pioneers (23-9) are seeded seventh while the the Eagles (27-5) are second in their quadrant of the 32-team bracket.

"They're very well-coached. Their coach (Jeff Sherman) has been there over 30 years. They have a lot of offensive weapons and good athletes, and they play pretty good defense," Harrelson said of Central Methodist.

"They find a way to win games. Twenty-seven wins is very impressive," he added.

Not to mention that Central Methodist, located in Fayette, Mo., is just a couple of hours east of Kansas City, so the Eagles – making their first national tournament appearance since 2010 – likely will benefit from good fan support.

"It's a tough match-up for us," Harrelson said.

The Eagles are a perimeter-oriented team.

"Their top three scorers are guards," the Pioneers coach pointed out. "They are athletic and can get to the basket and also step out and shoot the 3.

Leading Central Methodist in scoring is 6-foot senior Brian Egejuru, who averages 21 points a game to rank ninth in the NAIA. Egejuru also ranks 15^th in steals per game (1.9) and 23^rd in assists (4.1).

"He's as good as anybody we've seen this year. He's a really tough matchup," Harrelson said.

Central Methodist's next top scorers at 12.8 and 9.3 ppg are junior guards Terrance Bush and Isaiah Thurmond.

"We have our hands full defensively to come up with a good game plan to slow them down," Harrelson said.

The Eagles average just over 81 points a game, while the Pioneers are close to 83 ppg. Central Methodist stands sixth in the NAIA in turnover margin and ninth in scoring defense, allowing less than 69 ppg. Wayland's opponents average 75.6 ppg.

While Harrelson understands Central Methodist is a tough match-up what with the Eagles' athleticism, will to win, and proximity to Kansas City, he's confident the Pioneers will show up to play.

"All of that being said, I feel like our team has played really well. We're playing our best basketball at the end of the season, which is what we always strive for."

The WBU-CMU winner will advance to face either third-seeded, 10^th-ranked William Carey, Miss. (25-5) or sixth-seeded Life, Ga. (20-11) at 2:15 p.m. Friday. Other pairings in Wayland's quadrant are sixth-ranked, second-seeded Columbia, Mo. (27-4) vs. seventh-seeded Campbellsville, Ky. (23-9), and top-seeded, third-ranked LSU-Shreveport (27-4) vs. eighth-seeded Harris-Stowe State, Mo. (23-10).

"If we can get past Central Methodist we have as good a chance as anybody," Harrelson said. "We have a deep roster that can play back-to-back. We built this team to make a run in the tournament. We're deep and can play multiple guys and at a pace we want to play."

If the Pioneers continue to win, they will have a day off Thursday then play at 2:15 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Monday, with the championship set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 20.

"If we were to win (Wednesday) we'll have a day off to prepare for Friday. We also don't have any morning games, so I like the way the bracket looks for us in that respect," Harrelson said.

More than anything, though, the Pioneers are focused on their opener. Wayland has lost its last three games in Municipal Auditorium – in 2014, 2015, and 2016 – and missed out on a trip to nationals last year.

"The guys are excited to be back in Kansas City. We've had great practices leading up to the tournament," Harrelson said. "I feel confident our seniors (Ruben Lopez, Tyrone Davis, Samuel Kalwanyi and Marko Zelic) are going to want to make some noise nationally.

"I know we will come out and compete."