Ottumwa, IA – An automatic bid to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men's Basketball Championship is on the line Saturday night as the No. 10 nationally ranked Indian Hills Men's Basketball squad plays host to No. 20 North Dakota State College of Science at the Hellyer Center.

DETAILS: NJCAA North Central District Championship

#10 Indian Hills vs. #20 NDSCS

Saturday, March 16  |  7:00 PM

Ottumwa, IA  |  Hellyer Center

WATCH LIVE: GoHillsTV

LIVE STATS: Indian Hills vs. NDSCS

TICKETS: Buy Online

GAME SPONSOR: Gregg Young of Ottumwa

Separated by 528 miles, the two nationally ranked programs are set to square off at the Hellyer Center Saturday night with an opportunity to punch its ticket to the national tournament. 

STARTING FIVE

• The Warriors will be in search of their 17th NJCAA Distict Championship and eighth in the last 10 years.
• Indian Hills is 11-2 all-time on its home court in District championship action, with its first District championship at the Hellyer Center in 1993.
• Sophomore Braden Sparks is this week's ICCAC Athlete of the Week after pouring in a career-high 27 points in the Region title game for the Warriors.
• Heading into Saturday night, the Warriors will now have played an opponent from 12 different states this season.
• Indian Hils is 17-3 all-time against teams from NJCAA Region 13 (Montana, North Dakota).

HOW WE GOT HERE

The two Region champions secured its spot in the NJCAA North Central District Championship game after winning their respective conference tournaments as the top seed.

• Indian HIlls, the top seed in the NJCAA Region 11 Tournament, defeated rival Southeastern Community College 76-68 on March 9 at the Hellyer Center to win the program's 20th Region title.
• In head coach Josh Sash's first season at the helm of the program, the Warriors have put together a 26-5 overall record, including an 18-1 mark at home.
• NDSCS claimed its second consecutive NJCAA Region XIII Championship after defeating Dawson Community College 90-70 in the title game.

SERIES HISTORY

The two District foes have squared off six times in program history, with all six matchups occuring with an automatic bid to the NJCAA National Tournament on the line.

• The Warriors are 5-1 all-time vs. the Wildcats and have won the last two matchups.
• The first meeting occurred during the 2012 NJCAA District 11 Championship where the Warriors advanced to the national tournament with a 110-66 win.
• Indian Hills won the most recent matchup, an 88-76 win during the 2018 NJCAA North Central District Championship at the Hellyer Center.
• The Warriors are 3-1 all-time at the Hellyer Center against the Wildcats.
• Over the course of the six postseason matchups, the Warriors are averaging 96.2 points per game compared to 82.0 points for the Wildcats.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS

NDSCS boasts the most wins in the country with a 31-1 overall record on the year and have won 29 consecutive contests, including a perfect 10-0 record in true road games.

• The Wildcats own one of the stingiest defenses in the country, ranking third in the nation with 62.5 points allowed per game on the year.
• NDSCS ranks 13th in the nation with a 50.2 field goal percentage on the year.
• Four players are scoring in double-figures for the Wildcats, led by Peyton Newbern's 14.7 points per contest. Newbern was named the Mon-Dak Confernece Player of the Year.
• 7'2" sophomore center Calvin Sisk leads the Wildcats with 7.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while averaging 10.7 points per game.
• The Wildcats have won their last four contests, including both NJCAA Region XIII games, by an average of 21.3 points per game.

WHAT'S NEXT

The winner of Saturday night's matchup will earn an automatic bid to the NJCAA National Championship, set for March 24-30 at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, KS. The loser will await a potential selection as one of the at-large candidates for the 24-team field.

HOW TO WATCH

As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of Indian Hills men's basketball games, both home and on the road. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:

• Facebook: visit www.facebook.com/gohillstv
• GoHillsTV App: Download the GoHillsTV app on your android or ios device
• Website: https://www.gohillstv.com/browse to catch all live and archived information
• Roku Streaming Device (new):  Have a Roku TV or streaming stick? Download the GoHillsTV app to start streaming today!

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