KOKOMO, Ind. – The IU Kokomo men's basketball team is set to play #12 ranked Kansas Wesleyan in the First Round of the 2023 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship. Both IU Kokomo and Kansas Wesleyan earned an at-large bid to this year's tournament.
2023 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship First & Second Rounds
Tuesday, March 7th • Wichita, KS •
Garvey Center
#12 seed IU Kokomo vs #5 seed Kansas Wesleyan University • 3:00 PM ET
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The Cougars have enjoyed sustained success in the NAIA Tournament in recent years, having advanced to the NAIA Sweet 16 in 2019, 2020, and 2022. IU Kokomo upset last years #1 overall seed William Penn on their home floor in the round of 32 to earn their third-consecutive Sweet 16 appearance.
IU Kokomo enters the tournament with an overall record of 23-8 and are coming off of a loss last time out to IU Southeast in the River States Conference Championship game. The Cougars have been led by a foursome of seniors including
Hunter White,
Darian Porch,
Xavier Hines, and
Zach Rinehart. White leads IUK in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game, while Porch is averaging 9.9. Freshman
Ty Wills has played well this year and averages 10.8 ppg.
Kansas Wesleyan comes into the tourney with a record of 25-4 and are ranked #12 in the nation, but the Coyotes fell in the KCAC Quarterfinals to Sterling College. Two of the Coyotes four losses this season came to #7 ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan. KWU is led by Alex LittleJohn and Jun Murdock, as LittleJohn is averaging 14 ppg while Murdock is averaging 11.3.
Tuesday's matchup between the Cougars and Coyotes will be the first all-time meeting between the two programs.
The winner of Tuesday's First Round matchup will play the winner of Morningside (Iowa) and Columbia (Mo.) in Wednesday's Second Round.
For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
