Express Men To Open NJCAA D-II Tourney Against No. 11 Iowa Lakes

By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information

Danville, IL---The Express men's basketball team will open the NJCAA D-II National Tournament against No. 11 Iowa Lakes Community College.

The Express, who earned the eighth overall seed, were given Iowa Lakes as an opponent through a draw. The tournament committee ranks the top eight teams and then does a blind draw for opponents of those top eight teams from the remaining teams.

The game, which will take place March 19 at 11 a.m., will be the second game of the tournament. The victor will take on the winner of No. 1 seed Mott Community College and Central Community College - Columbus (Neb.). Mott is the defending national champion, and the Express have split two games with them this year.

Should the Express lose their first round matchup, they would take on the loser of the aformentioned game on March 20 at 3 p.m.

Other teams in the Express half of the bracket include: No. 7 South Suburban College (30-3), No. 17 Phoenix College (20-12), No. 12 Rend Lake College (26-3) and Cecil College (16-14).

Iowa Lakes comes into tournament play with a 26-6 overall record. They feature four players that average in double figure scoring - Deondre Parks (15.2/game), Kelly Madison (14.2/game), Ben Shellim (14/game) and Josh Schaben (10.9/game).

As a team, they average 77.3 points per game on 48.2 percent overall shooting and 39.2 percent 3-point shooting. They have won five straight games coming into tournament play.

The Express, meanwhile, feature one of the nation's top players in James Kelly, who comes in to the tournament averaging 18.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, two steals, 1.5 blocks and one assist per game. Joe Retic II, a freshman point guard, averages 10.7 points, three rebounds and almost six assists per game. 

Other top scorers for the Express include: Tony Boykins (9.3/game), Andy Bachman (8.7/game) and Franklin Lindsey (7.5/game).

The Express have also won five straight, as well as 10 of their last 11 and 15 of their last 17.

The matchup will mark the third time the two teams have faced each other. The most recent matchup occurred in the NJCAA D-II national tournament quarterfinals in 1993-94, where the Express won 98-95. The Express also defeated Iowa Lakes in the 1991-92 national championship game, 105-86. 

The Express feature a tradition rich in national tournament appearances. Their last one, however, came in 2002-03, where they didn't place. Overall, they have appeared in seven national tournaments prior to this year, where they won two national titles (1991-92 and 1992-93) and finished as the national runner-up once (1993-94). They also took home two fifth place finishes (1998-99 and 1999-2000).

All tournament games will be played at Danville Area (Ill.) Community College in the Mary Miller Center. The 16 team, double elimination tournament takes place March 19-23.

The semifinals and final will be held on March 22-23, with the national championship game being held March 23 at 7:30 p.m.

You can find out all things related to the tournament by visiting the official website - here. You can watch all tournament games via free web streaming.