BLUE DRAGON MEN'S BASKETBALL |
No. 11 Hutchinson (29-6) vs. No. 19 Connors State (33-2)
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| When: Wednesday, March 26, 2024 Tipoff: 7:15 p.m. Where: Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson, KS Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9); KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) 7:00 p.m. - Glen Grunwald (PBP), Dan Naccarato (Color) Video: ESPN+ X: @bluedragonsport BLUE DRAGON GAME NOTES (PDF Format) |
Hutchinson CC Sports Informatino
The Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team makes its first appearance in the NJCAA Tournament quarterfinal round since 2017 on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.
The 11th-seeded Blue Dragons (29-6) will meet 19th-seed Connors State (33-2) at 7:15 p.m. in the fourth quarterfinal of the day at the 2024 NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.
The Hutchinson-Connors State winner plays the South Plains/Triton winner in the national semifinals at 7:15 p.m. Thursday.
The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) at Noon with Glen Grunwald (play-by-play) and Dan Naccarato (color) calling the action beginning approximately at 7:00 p.m. All NJCAA Tournament games are being streamed on ESPN+.
The Blue Dragons advanced to the quarterfinals on Tuesday, jumping out to leads of 19-1 and 23-3 and held on to defeat No. 6 Chipola 78-71, snapping a three-game losing streak in the NJCAA Tournament second round. Landon Wagler had career highs of 20 points and 4 3-pointers while JP Ricks dished out a career-best 10 assists as Hutchinson hit a season-high 16 3-pointers to defeat the Indians, who made it a one-possession game in the final minute.
This will be the second time in three seasons that Hutchinson and Connors State will play in the NJCAA Tournament. Two years ago, in head coach Tommy DeSalme's Blue Dragon NJCAA debut, the Dragons outlasted the Cowboys 101-98 in overtime.
Hutchinson and Connors State meet in the NJCAA Tournament for the third time overall. The Dragons are 2-0 in those meetings with the 2022 win and a 90-79 victory in the 1994 national semifinals.
The Blue Dragons are 11-3 in the quarterfinal round in NJCAA Tournament history.
Led by NJCAA Hall of Fame coach Bill Muse, Region 2 champion Connors State has a potent offense with six players averaging in double figures. The Cowboys are ninth in the NJCAA in scoring offense at 91.5 points per game and are third in field-goal percentage at 51.5 percent.
The Cowboys have knocked off a pair of higher-seeded opponents at the NJCAA Tournament. Connors State opened with an 86-77 win over 14th-seeded Moberly on Sunday and then upset No. 3 seed Salt Lake 67-61 in the second round on Tuesday.
Two former Blue Dragons play for Connors State this season. Forward Antonio Green is averaging 11.6 points per game this season for the Cowboys. Point guard Ty Frierson averaged 12.4 points, but has missed 15 of the last 17 games played with an injury.