Winston-Salem State Rams to Face Shaw Bears in NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament

Winston-Salem State Rams to Face Shaw Bears in NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament

WSSU receives at-large bid as fifth-seed in Atlantic Region

March 6, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The Winston-Salem State Rams (19-7) received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament, Sunday. Though the Rams fell short in the 2011 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) tournament, they will receive a shot at ultimate redemption when they face the 2011 CIAA champion Shaw Bears in the opening round of the 2011 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament
 
“We didn’t like the way the season ended. This will give us a chance to go out and make it right,” WSSU men’s basketball head coach Bobby Collins said.
 
The Rams will head into the tournament as the fifth-seed in the Atlantic regional and will take on the fourth-seeded Bears. The selection is a very significant as the Rams will have an opportunity to compete for the 2011 NCAA Division II national championship for the first time since 2005.
 
“With six our seniors, this will give them a chance to go and compete in the NCAA tournament, especially after not being able to compete for anything for the last four years,” Collins added. “Doing this is sweet gratification.”
 
The Rams will begin their quest for a national championship against a familiar foe when the team takes on the defending CIAA champion Shaw Bears.  The Rams and Bears have squared off twice this season with both teams winning on their home courts. In their last meeting, it was the Rams who came out victorious as the team took a 59-49 win over the Bears at the C.E. Gaines Center.
 
“The good thing is that we’re familiar we know how to prepare it would be difficult to prepare for an opponent that we haven’t faced. We have the film. We have the plans,” Collins added. “We are familiar with them. They know us and we know them so we’ve got to go in there and make plays now.”
 
The Rams and Bears will square off in the Atlantic Regional of the 2011 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament hosted by West Liberty. The two teams are tentatively scheduled to meet at 8:30 p.m.