Mustangs ready for third straight NAIA Tournament

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Through the highs and lows, the Morningside University men's basketball team has battled its way to another NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament.

The Mustangs — the No. 5 seed in the Liston Quadrant — travel to Mishawaka, Indiana, to face No. 12 Hope International (Calif.) at 6 p.m. Friday. It marks Morningside's third straight national tournament appearance and ninth since 2002-03.

"I just love how our guys have stayed the course and haven't wavered," said head coach Trent Miller. "They've come to work every single day and put that time in, and it's starting to pay off. You're seeing the fruit of that labor, and what we're trying to do is play our best basketball."

Morningside enters the tournament riding a four-game winning streak, including all three wins in the Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament to claim the title. The team's hot streak arguably began when it erased a double-digit deficit against Briar Cliff in the regular-season finale.

From there, the Mustangs rolled past Dakota Wesleyan, edged Dordt with a last-second 3-pointer from Justin Sitti, and delivered a complete team performance to secure the GPAC Tournament championship against Concordia.

"We're finally showing people what we can do," Sitti said. "It was great to get that (GPAC Tournament) banner. We've worked so hard and know what we can be. We're truly brothers, and that just helps us play on the court."

Hope International enters Friday's game with a 22-7 record, finishing 10-4 in the Great Southwest Athletic Conference. The Royals have lost four of their last five games.

With three players standing at 6-foot-7 or taller, Hope International compares most to Northwestern in the GPAC in terms of size. But the Mustangs haven't shied away from bigger opponents this season, holding a slight rebounding edge over their competition (991-984).

"We're going to have to limit the amount of extra possessions they get," Miller said. "We're going to have to be really, really good offensively, making sure that we don't rush and take forced shots. I think they're as good a 12 seed as we've ever seen."

Fans in Sioux City can catch Friday's game at P's Pizza House, Bob Roe's Point After, and The Wheelhouse, where it will be streamed live.