SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. — Richard Bland College, the No. 5 seed for the 2017 NJCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship, will play Cincinnati (Ohio) State Technical and Community College in the first round on Tuesday night, March 21 at 9:30 p.m. ET at Danville Area Community College in Danville, Illinois. The District 15, Region 10 Champion Statesmen have an overall record of 28-4, and are making their second appearance at the national tournament in three years, while the District 11, Region 12 Champion Surge have a record of 25-7. All games played during the NJCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship will be streamed online and available for free at njcaatv.com.
GAME INFORMATION
No. 5 Richard Bland (28-4) vs. Cincinnati State (25-7)
Date: Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Live Video: njcaatv.com
Location: Mary Miller Center | Danville, Illinois
Series History: 1st Meeting
Scouting the Statesmen
Richard Bland, ranked No. 8 in the final NJCAA Division II Poll, is 28-4 overall after an impressive 78-75 overtime win past No. 3 Louisburg (N.C.) College in the Region 10 Championship game on March 11. The Statesmen, who are an outstanding 102-29 (.779) over the past four seasons, are coached by head coach Chuck Moore, who is in his fourth season, and assisted by fourth-year assistant coach Brian Henderson, second-year assistant coach Preston Beverly and first-year graduate assistant coach Mike Wynn.
Through 32 games, Richard Bland has been led in scoring by local 6-3 sophomore guard Gevon Arrington/Petersburg, who is averaging 13.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He is followed by 6-9 sophomore center Jaquan Wooten/Kinston, North Carolina, who is averaging 12.7 points (65 FG%), 9.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks with 12 double-doubles, while 6-4 sophomore guard Deandre Clark/Orange is averaging 12.3 points (76 3FGs), 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Richard Bland is averaging 84.1 points per game, while allowing just 67.3 points to opponents for a scoring margin of +16.8. The Statesmen have won eight-straight games, and have 15 wins in their last 16 games overall.
Scouting the Surge
Cincinnati State, ranked No. 17 in the final NJCAA Division II Poll, is 25-7 overall, after a 90-86 win past No. 5 Cuyahoga (Ohio) Community College in the Region 12 title contest, and is coached by Andre Tate. The Surge have been led in scoring by sophomores Dante Battle (23.6) and Anthony Coleman (18.2), along with freshman Desmond Crosby (12.8). Dante Battle leads NJCAA Division II in three-point field goals (126) and ranks seventh nationally in scoring. Cincinnati State averages 93.3 points, while yielding 76.1 points for a scoring margin of +17.2. The Surge have won two-straight games, and have eight wins in their last nine games overall.
Series History
Richard Bland and Cincinnati State are playing for the first time in the sport of men’s basketball.
Everybody Plays, Everybody Scores
Richard Bland features all 13 team members who are averaging at least 10.5 minutes, including four who are playing at least 21.6 minutes, while the other nine are averaging between 10.5 and 15.6 minutes, respectively. The Statesmen have three players who are scoring at least 12.3 points per game, and seven others who are scoring at least 5.1 points, while three more average between 2.4 and 4.1 points, respectively.
Among the National Leaders
Richard Bland ranks seventh in NJCAA Division II rebounding (46.4), 15th in steals (10.8), 16th in blocks (4.9), 26th in assists (18.4), 30thin field goal percentage (47.0%, 996-2118) and 37th in scoring (84.1). Jaquan Wooten ranks third nationally in field goal percentage (64.9%, 157-242), fifth in blocks (2.9) and 20th in rebounding (9.8). Freshman Ricky Hicks/Bronx, New York ranks 41st nationally in assists (4.7). Deandre Clark is tied for 35th nationally in three-point field goals (76).
All-Region 10 Honors
Jaquan Wooten was selected to the 2016-17 All-Region 10 First Team, while Gevon Arrington and Deandre Clark were each named to the All-Region 10 Second Team. Wooten was designated as one of the region’s three All-American nominations.
100-Plus Wins | Four Years
Richard Bland earned its 100th win over the last four seasons with a 108-52 Region 10 quarterfinal victory past Vance-Granville (N.C.) Community College on March 5. The Statesmen are currently 102-29 (.775) since men’s basketball was reinstated at the College in 2013, following a 20-year hiatus from competitive sports.
2015 NJCAA Division II National Champions
Richard Bland is making its second National Tournament appearance in three years, after winning the 2015 NJCAA Division II National Championship. The Statesmen defeated John Wood (Ill.) Community College 64-53 on March 21, 2015 at the Mary Miller Center on the campus of DACC in Illinois. Richard Bland finished its most memorable storybook 2014-15 campaign with a school-record of 32-4, winning the national title in only its second year back in action following the 20-year hiatus.
Up Next
If Richard Bland wins the opening round game, the Statesmen will play on Thursday, March 23 at 7 p.m. ET against the winner of the No. 4 Parkland (Ill.) (28-3) vs. Johnson County (Kan.) (24-8) first-round contest. A loss on Tuesday would have Richard Bland playing onWednesday, March 22 at 7 p.m. ET. Please continue to check rbcathletics.com and follow the Statesmen on social media via Twitter (@GoRBCStatesmen) and Facebook (rbcstatesmen) for tournament progress and game times this week.
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Greg Prouty
Director of Athletics Communications & Marketing
