Shaw Men's and Women's Basketball Teams Selected for NCAA Tournament

Shaw Men's and Women's Basketball Teams Selected for NCAA Tournament

March 6, 2011

(Indianapolis, IN) - Both the Shaw women's and men's basketball teams have been selected to play in the NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament.  Each will compete in a 64-team field to determine the 2010-2011 NCAA Division II national champion.

The women, who earned a berth by defeating Johnson C. Smith 62-56 to claim the CIAA championship, have been named the eighth seed in the Atlantic Region and will begin play on Friday, March 11 when they travel to Edinboro, PA to take on the number one seed, Edinboro.     

The Bears finished their season 21-11.  The Fighting Scots, winners of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), finished with a 26-3 record.

Fellow conference member Johnson C. Smith will join the Lady Bears in the Atlantic Region.  The Lady Golden Bulls, who lost to Shaw in the CIAA tournament, were named the second seed in the region and will face Glenville State.  Other teams in the Atlantic Region are Charlestown (WV), California (PA), West Liberty, and Millersville.

The Bears will face a familiar foe in their opening round matchup as they will take on the Rams of Winston-Salem State on Saturday, March 12 on the campus of West Liberty University.  Shaw was named the fourth seed in the Atlantic Region, while the Rams were named the fifth.

The Bears, who were ranked eighth in the region before the CIAA Tournament,  defeated Livingstone 72-69 to claim the CIAA title and cement their place in the field.   The Bears finished the season 22-8, while the Rams finished 19-7 following their loss to Fayetteville State in the CIAA Tournament.  

The two teams split their regular season series with each team winning on their home floor.  Shaw defeated WSSU 77-64 in Raleigh, while the Rams captured a 59-49 victory - Shaw's worst offensive performance on the season - in Winston-Salem.

Bowie State, the number three seed in the region, is the third CIAA team to make the tournament.  Also seeded in the region are West Liberty, Mansfield, Indiana (PA), Slippery Rock and West Virginia Wesleyan.

Playing times are to be announced.