BLUE DRAGON MEN'S BASKETBALL |
No. 12 Hutchinson (26-8) vs. No. 5 Chipola (28-5)
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| When: Wednesday, March 16, 2022 Where: Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson, KS Time: 2:00 p.m. Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9), 1:45 p.m. - Glen Grunwald (PBP), Dan Naccarato (Analyst) Video: NJCAA Network (pay-per-view), 1:55 p.m. Twitter: @bluedragonsport CLICK FOR BLUE DRAGON GAME NOTES (PDF Format) |
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
The Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team aims to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2022 NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament for the first time since 2017 on Wednesday afternoon.
The 12th-seeded Blue Dragons will meet fifth-seeded Chipola College in the second round at 2 p.m. at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
The Hutchinson-Chipola winner will play the Harcum-John A. Logan winner in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
The No. 21-ranked Blue Dragons (26-8) extended a program record on Monday with a sixth-straight NJCAA Tournament opening-round win, a 101-98 overtime victory over 21st-seeded Connors State.
The Blue Dragons trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half, but rallied to win from a deficit of 10 or more points for the fifth time this season. Angelo Stuart had 18 of his game-high 30 points in the second half and overtime.
Chipola (18-5) is the fifth overall seed and ranked No. 7 in the final NJCAA Rankings. The Region VIII champion Indians received an opening-round bye. Chipola defeated Indian River State 73-64 in the regional championship game on March 5.
Chipola makes its 17th NJCAA Tournament appearance.
Wednesday's meeting will only be the third all-time meeting between Hutchinson and Chipola, the second in the NJCAA Tournament. The first meeting occurred in 1962 in Marianna, Florida, a 71-66 Chipola win.
The other meeting came in the 1988 NJCAA Tournament. The Blue Dragons defeated the Indians 70-64 in the opening round, the first victory of four that led Hutchinson to its first-ever men's basketball national championship.
The Blue Dragons have lost their last two NJCAA Tournament second-round game. Hutchinson lost to Southwestern Florida State (85-60) in the 2018 second round. Last season, Hutchinson fell to 2021 overall No. 1 seed Mineral Area (80-77) in the second round.
The Blue Dragons are 3-3 in second-round games and are bidding to appear in the national quarterfinals for the 15th time. The Blue Dragons are 51-26 all-time in NJCAA Tournament history.