Texans earn No. 2 seed to NJCAA Men's Basketball National Tournament

LEVELLAND — The 24-team field is set for the NJCAA Men's Basketball National Tournament March 18-23 at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kansas, with the Texans earning a No. 2 national seed after winning the Region V conference crown.

The Texans secured a first-round bye and will match up against the winner of No. 15 Trinity Valley and No. 18 Shelton State on Tuesday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. The NJCAA Men's Basketball National Tournament will air live on NJCAA TV (njcaatv.com), except for the championship game, which will be aired live on the CBS Sports Network.

South Plains will look for another historic run in Hutch after capturing the 2018 national title a year ago, knocking off Southern Idaho 98-95 to bring home the program's third championship. Head Coach Steve Green will make his ninth appearance at the national tournament at the helm of the Texans as he looks to become the first coach in NJCAA history to win four Div. I men's basketball national championships.

Averaging 83.8 points per game and shooting a 48.4 percent clip on the year, the Texans are led by the WJCAC and Region 5 Player of the Year Gaige Prim who has guided South Plains to a 26-5 record this season. A 6-foot-9 forward from Aurora, Colorado, Prim has recorded 21 double-doubles this season and leads the team in scoring with 20.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.

The Texans will also look to sophomore Chris Orlina, a 6-foot-7 forward from Newport News, Virginia who played a pivotal role at the national tournament a year ago for South Plains, recording three double-doubles including a 17-point, 10 rebound performance in the national title game. Orlina went off for 20 points and five boards in the Texans' 73-71 victory over Odessa in the Region V title game on Saturday night as he looks to cap his career in Levelland with national gold. 

The Texans are battle tested to date, securing four wins over teams who qualified for the national tournament, including wins over No. 6 Odessa, two wins over No. 7 Seward County, and defeated No. 8 Ranger in the Region V semifinal round.

Full Bracket: https://d2o2figo6ddd0g.cloudfront.net/3/g/0a868ukiohq8am/2018-19_DI_MBB_Champ_-_Bracket_-_First_Round.pdf

CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDING

          Seed                  TEAM                              

            1.         Northwest Florida State               

            2.         South Plains (TX)                      

            3.         Vincennes (IN)                            

            4.         Coffeyville (KS)                         

            5.         Florida SouthWestern                    

            6.         Odessa (TX)                                

            7.         Seward County (KS)                   

            8.         Ranger (TX)                             

            9.         Casper (WY)                            

            10.       Eastern Florida State                    

            11.       Pearl River (MS)             

            12.       Indian Hills (IA)    

            13.       Sheridan (WY)     

            14.       Moberly Area (MO)         

            15.       Trinity Valley (TX)          

            16.       Arizona Western               

            17.       Cape Fear (NC)                

            18.       Shelton State (AL)         

            19.       Northeastern Oklahoma A&M     

            20.       Kaskaskia (IL)  

            21.       Central Georgia Tech       

            22.       Williston State (ND)         

            23.       Allegany Maryland        

            24.       Cleveland State (TN)