[Basketball] Mustangs begin pursuit of national tournament berths

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The road to nationals begins this week for the Mount Mercy men's and women's basketball teams, who open postseason play in the 2011 Midwest Collegiate Conference tournaments on Wednesday and Thursday at Hennessey Recreation Center.

The Mustang men clinched the No. 2 seed in the tournament with wins last week over then-12th-ranked Iowa Wesleyan and Viterbo (Wis.). Mount Mercy (19-9, 12-4 MCC) hosts seventh-seeded Clarke (12-17, 5-11 MCC) on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. The road team won both meetings between the two teams this season.

The Mustangs are on the verge of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Top 25 Coaches' Poll, coming in at No. 27 this week. With only one more ranking left, Mount Mercy would most likely need to win the MCC Tournament to make it to their first national tournament since 1996.

The 32-team field at nationals is comprised of 20 automatic qualifiers, the host school, and 11 at-large selections. The at-large bids are determined using the final top 25 rating, which will be released on March 2. The NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championship is March 9-15 at Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Mo.) in Point Lookout, Mo.

The Mount Mercy women's basketball team also claimed the second seed in the MCC Tournament after victories over then-11th-ranked Iowa Wesleyan and Viterbo last week. The Mustangs (18-12, 12-4 MCC) will take on seventh-seeded Viterbo (10-19, 5-11 MCC) for the third time this season on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at Hennessey Recreation Center. Mount Mercy won both regular season meetings against the V-Hawks.

The Mustangs were one of four MCC teams receiving votes in this week's NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll, but they would need to run the table in the conference tournament to earn a berth in the national tournament. It would be Mount Mercy's first appearance at nationals since reaching the Final Four at the 1995 NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Championship.

Just like the men's tournament, the women's championship field includes 32 teams that are comprised of 20 automatic qualifiers and 12 at-large selections. Once again, the at-large berths are based on the final top 25 poll, which comes out on March 2. The NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Championship will be March 9-15 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City.

For the latest scores and bracket updates throughout the 2011 MCC basketball tournaments, visit the

Midwest Collegiate Conference website. To see what's happening in postseason play around the country, check out the

official NAIA website.