Preview: Indians take on Shelton State at NJCAA Tournament

Chipola men will tip-off at 8 PM on Wednesday night from Hutchinson, Kansas.

Chipola men celebrate after winning the FCSAA Championship on April 10. | photo courtesy of Joshua Thurston
Chipola men celebrate after winning the FCSAA Championship on April 10. | photo courtesy of Joshua Thurston
Video Recap Box Score
April 21, 2021

The #6 seed Indians will meet the #11 seed Shelton State Buccaneers in their first game of the 2021 NJCAA Championship Tournament on Wednesday night. Tip-off for the game from Hutchinson, Kansas, is set for 8 PM.

This is the Indians' sixteenth appearnace in the National Tournament and first since 2014 when the Indians lost in the quarterfinals. The Indians are looking for their first National Championship in men's basketball.

Shelton State advanced in the tournament with a 79-66 win over the number 22 seed, Northeastern Community College. (Box Score)

Chipola has not played since defeating Indian River State College in the FCSAA Championship game on April 10.

Know Your Opponent

  • Shelton State, winners of the Alabama Community College Conference, are 24-1 on the season. Their only loss was to Coastal Alabama - South in the final game of the regular season. The Buccaneers went 3-0 in the ACCC tournament including a 71-55 win over Wallace - Selma in the championship game.
  • Shelton State is making its tenth appearance at the National Tournament. The Bucs qualified for the tournament in 2020 but the tournament was canceled due to COVID.
  • The Bucs are led by freshman, Justin Bafford, who avearges 12.6 points per game. The 6-7 freshman from Montgomery, Alabama has started every game for Shelton.
  • Four other players average double figures for the Bucs.
  • The Indians and the Bucs played two scrimmage games in January with Chipola winning both games. The last time the two teams met in a regular season game was January 4, 2019. The Indians won that game, 87-51.

Tournament Notes

  • The FCSAA is represented by one other team in the tournament. Indian River State College, the team the Indians defeated in the State Championship game, is the number 14 seed in the tournament. The Pioneers defeated the number 19 seed, Dawson Community College from Montana, 85-75 in their first round game. The Pioneers play just before the Indians at 6 PM against the #3 seed, Southern Idaho. If Indian River and Chipola win their Wednesday night games, they will face one another in the quarterfinals.
  • Before the Indians tip-off on Wednesday night, 15 of the 24 teams in the tournament will be eliminated.
  • The number one seed, Mineral Area, survived a late rally from Hutchinson Community College to advance to the quarterfinals.

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