Better call up Google Maps, Thomas More men’s basketball fans, the NAIA said in its first-round seeding. If somehow the No. 24 Saints make it back to Kansas City this year, that will be farthest east Justin Ray’s guys will get in the postseason.
In the four-team opening round, the No. 5 seed Saints will be heading to Butte, Mont., where No. 4 seed Montana Tech will serve as host and TMU will open against No. 12 seed Eastern Oregon (21-10), runner-up in the Cascades Conference, in a 7 p.m. ET game as an at-large entrant.
Two other MSC teams will host first-round sites – a Georgetown team that split with TMU on the season and is appearing in the tournament for a record 42nd straight time and a Freed Hardeman team that beat TMU three times. Two other MSC teams made the 64-team NAIA field: Pikeville and Shawnee State. Union (Ky.) also made the field.
For TMU, this is its sixth straight season making the tournament. The Saints have a 7-4 NAIA tournament record. Eastern Oregon, from LaGrande, Ore., has been to the tourney nine times with a 7-9 record. The 32-team NAIA Championship round will be in Kansas City, March 13-18. TMU made the four-team semifinals before losing last season.
TMU Women stay at home
For the No. 3 nationally ranked Thomas More women, the Saints received a No. 1 seed and hosting rights for the first round Tuesday and Wednesday at the Connor Convocation Center, Crestview Hills. The defending national champs will face Point (Ga.) at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Columbia (Mo.) and Concordia (Neb.) will meet in the other game Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET with the winners meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET for the right to move on to the national championship field of 16 at Sioux City, Iowa, March 13-18.
The TMU women (26-3) finished second to Campbellsville, which will also host a regional, in the Mid-South Conference. TMU will offer a LIVE video of each game in the opening round with a play-by-play person and a color commentator.
The link to all broadcasts can be found at https://team1sports.com/thomasmore. There will be a pay-per-view charge of $10 for each game or a $18 pass for unlimited access.
LIVE stats will be available through PrestoSports and will be posted on Thomas More’s athletic website: www.thomasmoresaints.com.
Tickets are $10 per game for Tuesday and Wednesday and will be available on Saturday at this website: https://thomasmoresaints.com/sports/2022/8/31/hometown-ticketing.aspx
Other MSC women’s teams to make the field of 64: Pikeville, Georgetown, and Freed Hardeman.