“No matter how many times you go to the NAIAs, this is always an exciting day, to get the official word and to find out who you’ll be matched up against,” said Cougar coach Justin Leslie, who is making his first NAIA Tourney appearance as a head coach after playing in 4 (1997-98-99-01) as a Cougar center, and then serving as an assistant coach in 5 others (2002, 04-07).
Called the most difficult championship to win, the 71st Annual NAIA Men’s Basketball Tournament is a 32-team, 31-game, week-long tournament in which the eventual champion must win 5 games in at least 7 days to don the championship crown. Azusa Pacific advanced to the “Fab Four” in 1998 and again in 1999 (with Leslie in the starting line-up) and returned in 2002 and 2005. The Cougars played for the national championship in 2005.
Only top-seeded Georgetown College (Ky.) at 17 in a row has a longer string of consecutive NAIA Tourney appearances than Azusa Pacific. The Cougars are 22-15 all-time in the NAIA Tournament after advancing to the “Elite Eight” last year, their third straight quarterfinal appearance.
However, this year’s Azusa Pacific team is vastly different from last year’s squad. Not only are the Cougars under different leadership with Leslie at the helm, they have 5 different starters from last year’s NAIA participant. As expected, the early-going for Azusa Pacific was rather rough this season with the Cougars losing 7 of their first 17 games. However, they eventually came together under a new system and won 11 of 12 games which included victories over nationally-ranked Concordia University and California Baptist University. In fact, since Jan. 22, Azusa Pacific is 12-3 with all 3 losses coming on last-second shots, 2 of them in overtime.
“We're playing well right now,” said Leslie, “and we have to keep it up. It’s been a pleasure to watch all of us come together as a team and produce some very good basketball down the stretch.”
Like Azusa Pacific, Columbia is a veteran of the NAIA Tournament. Also known as the Cougars, Columbia has appeared in 8 of the past 9 NAIA Tournament and 12 in all since 1990. In fact, the 2 programs met in the first round of the 1997 NAIA Tournament in the Maybee Center of Tulsa, Okla., where Azusa Pacific downed Columbia, 61-55, in overtime.
Azusa Pacific, 22-10, comes into this year’s tournament at the No. 13 seed. Columbia, which like Azusa Pacific earned an at-large berth into the tournament, is 25-8 on the season, which includes an 11-4 record in the America Midwest Conference.
For the complete NAIA Tournament bracket, click here
