March Madness is upon us!
With March Madness now well underway, we’ll endeavor to keep you up to date with the progress of teams featuring Kiwi players in their squads – as they progress to the various National Championships following the end of the 2023/24 US Collegiate season.
NCAA Division II
New Zealand will have four representatives in action when the NCAA Division II National Tournaments swings into action over the weekend.
Ella Bradley (Waikato and St Peter’s, Cambridge) and the University of Texas at Tyler Pilots return to familiar territory, having appeared at the championships last year. The Patriots have earned #6 seeding and will face off against #3 Regis University in the South Central region of the National Championships.
Hannah Wentworth (North Harbour & Rangitoto College) and the Eckerd College Tritons, have earned their passage to the major championship of the year after claiming the Sunshine State Conference Tournament title.
Nova Southeastern University Sharks, with sophomore guard Jessica Moors (North Harbour & Westlake Girls High School) in their ranks, also play in the Sunshine State Conference. The Sharks were the regular season champions and enter Nationals with a 23-5 record. Seeded 4th in the South Region of the National Tournament, the Sharks will take on #5 Lee University.
Josh Lowe (Canterbury & Ashburton College) will be flying the flag for New Zealand at the Men’s Championship – where Lowe and Lee University Flames will be seeded 7th in the South Region, taking on #2 University of West Georgia in Fort Lauderdale.
Dallas Baptist University have also gained a berth at the National Champs but unfortunately Will Heather (Hawkes Bay/North Harbour & Rosmini College) has been side-lined all season due to injury.
Canada
In Canadian University basketball, Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku led the Lakeland College Rustlers to a perfect 20-0 record in regular season play. The record was extended to 25-0 as Lakeland won the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Tournament.
Nuku will be the sole Kiwi at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Basketball National Championships where the Rustlers take on Okanagan University Coyotes. Ahead of the national championships, Nuku received the highest individual accolade in Canadian women’s basketball by being named the CCAA Women’s Basketball Player of the Year.
NCAA Division I
On Sunday March 17 (Monday March 18 NZT), we will find out which Kiwis are headed to the NCAA Men’s and Women’s National Championships when the draw is announced.
For the second year running the Portland University Pilots, and their trio of Kiwis, have clipped their ticket by winning the West Coast Conference Tournament title. Emme Shearer, Florence Dallow and Melika Samia can look forward to the tournament which commences on March 26. Shearer, a West Coast Conference All-First Team selection had 12 points (5/11FG, 2/3 3PG) in the pulsating 67-66 grand final win over top seeded Gonzaga.
Holding a national ranking of #18, Charlotte Whittaker and Colorado University Buffaloes will be hopeful of getting the nod from the selection committee when the Women’s Tournament draw is announced on Selection Sunday.
Leah Mafua and Jenna Rose Mafua have helped guide the University of Central Arkansas Sugar Bears to their first ever Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Grand Final. Should they win the championship game at the weekend, they will automatically join Portland at the Big Dance; while a loss will put them at the mercy of the NCAA Selection Committee.
Also still alive in conference tournament play are Western Kentucky University (Mackenzie Chatfield), Fairleigh Dickinson University (Lilly Parke), and Eastern Washington University (Breeje Schuler).
Number 10-ranked Marquette University (Ben Gold) are almost certain to feature at the Men’s National Championships, with the University of Virginia (Taine Murray) and the University of Hawaii (Tom Beattie) also both in contention.
Junior College
The National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships get underway on March 26, with the following players and teams optimistic of inclusion as all are top-25 ranked colleges. The draw for the Men’s and Women’s Tournament will also be revealed on Monday March 18 (NZT).
Collin County (Waiata Jennings), New Mexico College (Pania Davis), Dodge City (Layla-J Cameron, Shorna Preston and Jyordanna Davey), Utah State Eastern (Teuila Fa’alogo) and Chipola College (Zaaliyah Kailahi-Fulu).
The best chance of Kiwi involvement at the Men’s Tournament rest with Trinidad State College (Finn Lally), Harcum College (Cory Lovell) and Clarendon College (Sini Tu’akoi).
Men’s National Championship – Wheelchair Basketball
Last year we had the pleasure of reporting on the success of Manawatu’s Luke McDowell, who won the 2023 Men’s Wheelchair National Championship with Alabama University Roll Tide. We’re happy to report that Luke and the Roll Tide are headed to Southwest Minnesota State University in the coming days to defend their title.
Alabama, the #3 seed, will get a bye in the first round before taking on the winners of the University of Texas at Arlington and Eastern Washington University in the quarter finals.
NCAA Division III and NAIA National Championships
There was no New Zealand representation at either of these championships.
We will have news on this event and all the other tournaments over the coming days and weeks as March Madness unfolds.
