Gold Rush to play LSU-Shreveport in NAIA opening round

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana will play former Gulf Coast Athletic Conference rival LSU-Shreveport at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 15 in the opening round of the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship at Kansas City, Mo.

The NAIA announced all 16 first-round pairings and tip-off times early Wednesday evening. Earlier in the day the NAIA announced that the Gold Rush (23-8) were 21st in the coaches poll and were an at-large qualifier to the national tournament.

Xavier will appear in the tournament for the 13th time and the second consecutive year. XU coach Dannton Jackson's teams have qualified for nationals six times in his nine seasons.

LSUS, a GCAC member from 2003-10, is in its second season in the Red River Athletic Conference.

Tournament bracket (PDF)      NAIA tournament website

"As you would expect, we are excited to return to the national tournament," Jackson said. "It was difficult to play the waiting game since losing on Friday, but we felt we had a good chance to get in and that there were good reasons why we deserved at-large bid. We are looking forward to another trip to Kansas City and, hopefully, a lengthy stay there."

The Gold Rush were 11-3 in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and shared the regular-season championship with No. 24 Tougaloo. Xavier was seeded in the GCAC Tournament at Jacksonville, Fla., and lost 66-65 to SUNO on Friday in the semifinals. SUNO, the No. 3 seed, then earned the GCAC's automatic bid to nationals with a 79-58 victory the following day against top-seeded Tougaloo.

Tougaloo also earned an at-large berth, making it the seventh time in nine seasons and the 10th time in 13 seasons that the GCAC sent three teams to nationals.

Xavier ranks second in NAIA Division I in field-goal percentage defense (.379), seventh in scoring defense (62.5) and 10th in rebound margin (plus-6.7). The Gold Rush have no one averaging 10 or more points a game; leaders are 6-foot-8 junior forward Anthony Simmons (9.8), 5-11 senior guard Chris Iles (9.6) and 6-7 junior forward Denzell Erves (9.5). All three were All-GCAC. Another starter is 6-4 senior guard Jamaan Kenner (5.7), who has been accepted into medical school.

Jackson was chosen GCAC Coach of the Year for the first time.

Xavier lost 79-71 to Evangel in the 2011 opening round. The Gold Rush are 4-12 at nationals, with the most recent victory an 82-79 upset of third-ranked Georgetown (Ky.) in the 2007 opening round.

LSU-Shreveport (25-7) is the No. 12 national seed and ranked 12th in the coaches poll. The Pilots won the Red River tournament. Greg Shyne (20.3), a 6-foot senior guard, and Derrick Parker (19.4), a 6-6 senior forward, lead LSUS in scoring.

This is the 75th anniversary of the NAIA men's tournament. The venue will be Municipal Auditorium, which opened in 1935. The tournament will conclude March 20.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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