Another national title in sight? College of Idaho men’s basketball makes NAIA Round of 16
The College of Idaho men’s basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NAIA national championships for the seventh straight season.
The third-ranked Yotes take on No. 14 Madonna (Mich.) at 4 p.m. Mountain time Friday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Crusaders (27-6) won the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference regular-season title and defeated Shawnee State 81-78 to move into the Round of 16 for the first time in program history.
College of Idaho (30-3), the defending national champion, hosted first- and second-round tournament games last weekend at the J.A. Albertson Activities Center in Caldwell. The Yotes defeated Jessup 104-73 on Friday and then knocked off Cornerstone 74-62 on Saturday to advance.
The Yotes have won 30 or more games six straight years, becoming the lone program in the nation at any level to achieve that feat, according to a C of I news release.
This year’s roster features eight players from the Gem State, including three in the Yotes’ starting lineup. Seniors Tyler Robinett (Middleton High), Johnny Radford (Wood River High) and Jake O’Neil (Fruitland High) have each played in 30 or more games for the Yotes this season.
Sophomore guard Samaje Morgan of Eugene, Oregon, leads C of I in scoring at 13.9 points per game. Radford (12.2 ppg), Drew Wyman (11.7 ppg) and O’Neil (10.2 ppg) also average double figures.
Joining College of Idaho in Kansas City is another Idaho school. Lewis-Clark State College (24-8) draws Evangel (Mo.) at 6 p.m. Mountain time Thursday.
