Northwest Missouri State: 2021-22 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Champions

Despite all the madness, surprises and a five-loss season in Maryville, Missouri, the 2022 DII men’s basketball season ended how many felt it would back in November. The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats are your 2022 DII men’s basketball national champions, defeating Augusta 67-58.

It is the third championship in a row — a DII record — for the Bearcats and fourth in five tournaments. NABC player of the year Trevor Hudgins and his backcourt companion Diego Bernard have been there for every game. The duo are a combined 17-0 in NCAA DII tournament play — the DII record for most consecutive tournament wins, mind you — on arguably the single most dominant stretch in the history of DII men’s hoops.

Hudgins was pivotal in turning the game around. The Bearcats trailed early, by as much as seven, and it was in large part due to Tyshaun Crawford, Augusta’s 7-foot-1 big man. Whether he was scoring or drawing the double team for wide open 3-pointers, the Jaguars were controlling the game and led 17-10 halfway through the first half.

With both Bernard and Wes Dreamer on the bench in foul trouble, Hudgins took over, hitting consecutive 3s and finding a wide open Mitch Mascari for a third to take a 21-20 lead. Northwest Missouri State went on 18-4 run in the latter stages of the first half to open it up and would never trail again.

You can’t look back at the 2022 DII Men’s Elite Eight without discussing the dominance of Augusta’s big man. Crawford set a record by shooting 100% from the field in the semifinals and when you throw on top of it that he is left handed, he is a handful for any team. The 7-footer was a menace against a Bearcats whose tallest players were 6-foot-7, and even without the ball he’s a matchup nightmare, requiring multiple players to keep him at bay and creating opportunities for others.

That was the case on a late 12-2 run that got the Jaguars back in the game. Ja’Queze Kirby (7 poiunts, 9 rebounds) was terrific off the boards and helped lead the Jaguars as they got as close as one with less than four minutes remaining. Augusta had a chance to pull closer, but struggled from the line. One of the best shooting teams in DII had the Bearcats in foul trouble all game, but went just 17-29 from the free-throw line.

Northwest Missouri State was able to hold one of the best shooting teams in DII to 36.7% shooting from the field and 26% from 3. The Jaguars were a team that shot over 40% from both throughout the season. The Bearcats also won the turnover battle and dominated in points-off-turnovers margin. 

The Bearcats have cemented their spot as the greatest dynasty in DII men's basketball history. Once again, they end the season as national champions, winners of the 2022 title. 

LEADERS NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE AUGUSTA

Points T. Hudgins - 31 T. Crawford - 15

Rebounds B. Alexander, D. Abreu - 5 T. Crawford - 11

Assists T. Hudgins - 5 T. Crawford - 4

Steals L. Waters - 3 T. Myers - 2

3-pointers T. Hudgins - 5 T. Cracknell, M. Arnold - 2

Northwest Missouri State: 2021 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Champions

EVANSVILLE, Indiana – The Northwest Missouri State University men's basketball team captured the program's third NCAA Division II national championship with an 80-54 victory over the West Texas A&M University Buffaloes Saturday in the Ford Center.

 

The Bearcats left no doubt they are the premier men's basketball program at the Division II level by running roughshod through the Elite Eight. Northwest won its three games by a total margin of 78 points – setting the Elite Eight record that was set previously by Jefferson in the 1970 tournament (75 points).

 

The 26-point win ranks as the second-largest margin of victory in the championship game. North Carolina Central won the 1989 national title by a 27-point margin.

 

Senior Ryan Hawkins was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Elite Eight as he poured in a championship game-high 31 points and 18 rebounds. Hawkins buried 10-of-16 shots from the floor, including 2-of-3 from deep. He was 9-of-10 at the line.

 

Sophomore Wes Dreamer shouldered a heavy scoring load in the win over West Texas A&M as he tallied 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Dreamer connected on 3-of-5 from three-point land and snared his third career double-double with 11 rebounds.

 

Junior Trevor Hudgins, who was also named to the all-tournament team, contributed with 15 points, five assists and two steals. He finished his season with an NCAA-high 90 made three-pointers.

 

Sophomore Luke Waters was the fourth Bearcat in double-figure scoring with 13 points

 

West Texas A&M held a short-lived 6-2 lead nearly three minutes into the contest. Northwest responded to the deficit with a 9-0 that relied heavily on Hawkins and Hudgins. Hawkins buried a pair of free throws with 11:12 to play in the half and at that point Hawkins or Hudgins had scored all 19 of Northwest's points.

 

The Bearcats opened up a working margin with a 19-6 run in which Dreamer scored the final eight points to give Northwest a 32-19 lead with 7:32 left in the half. Northwest continued to build on its lead and took a 19-point bulge into the locker room at 48-29. Northwest's balance offense featured 15 points from Hawkins and Hudgins, while Dreamer contributed with 12 first-half points. Northwest held West Texas A&M to its lowest first-half point total of the season at 29.

 

Northwest's defensive prowess took over as West Texas A&M could muster only 10 points through the first 13:53 of the second half. While the Buffaloes were stumbling, the Bearcats were continuing to increase its lead. Northwest would lead by as many as 35 in the second half at 74-39 with 7:34 left to play.

 

The Bearcats shot 50% from the field (27-of-54) and knocked in 46.7% of their three-point shots (7-of-15). The Buffaloes struggled to find their mark shooting 31.3% for the game (20-of-64) and only 20.8% from three-point range (5-of-24).

 

West Texas A&M's scoring duo of Qua Grant and Joel Murray combined to score 32 points in Saturday's championship game. Grant tallied 20 points (7-of-17 FGs), while Murray battled foul trouble and was limited to 12 points (7-of-17 FGs). The pair came into the contest averaging nearly 45 points per game.

Elite Eight All-Tournament Team

Ryan Hawkins, Northwest Mo. St. - Most Outstanding Player

Trevor Hudings, Northwest Mo. St.

Qua Grant, West Texas A&M

JoJo Murray, West Texas A&M

Jordan Guest, Lincoln Memorial

NOTES: Northwest is 3-0 in national championship games ... Northwest is 34-20 all-time in NCAA Tournament play ... Head coach Ben McCollum recorded his 300th career coaching victory in the win over West Texas A&M. McCollum has guided Northwest to a mark of 300-78 over 12 seasons … McCollum is 23-5 in NCAA Tournament play ... McCollum is 35-3 as a coach in the month of March ... Northwest has won 17 of its last 18 NCAA Tournament games … Northwest previously captured men's basketball national championships in 2017 and 2019 … the Bearcat football program won NCAA Division II national titles in 1998, 1999, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2016 … the Bearcats have won 43 straight games on neutral floors … Northwest is 97-3 over the past three seasons … Northwest is 159-8 over the last five seasons … Northwest's 28 wins this season is the most of any NCAA Division II school … the 28 wins for the Bearcats ties them with Gonzaga for the most NCAA men's basketball victories this season.

Northwest Missouri State: 2016 NCAA Division II Football Champions

The weather was frightful, but the outcome of the NCAA Division II football championship game was delightful for Northwest Missouri State.

The Bearcats outlasted North Alabama 29-3 in wintry conditions that included snow falling from the kickoff through the game’s conclusion.

The temperature was 13 degrees with a minus-4 wind chill when the game started and dropped from there.

The snow was a dusting at first but soon covered the field and fell at such a pace in the second half that workers at Children’s Mercy Park were constantly clearing the sidelines with leaf blowers and shovels. The yard lines were guesswork throughout the game.

For North Alabama quarterback Jacob Tucker, the problems started after a few plays in a series.

“I’d come from the sideline and my hands were warm and dry,” Tucker said. “But you’d get tackled and my hands would get wet and freeze. It’s something I hadn’t experienced before.”

Northwest Missouri State was in better shape to handle the conditions. The Bearcats are a power team; the Lions rely on speed and getting the edge. That wasn’t possible Saturday. Northwest Missouri outrushed North Alabama 226-22.

“I certainly do think it played into our favor,” Bearcats coach Adam Dorrel said. “We know if you want to win playoff games you have to be able to punt and kick into the wind, run the football, play action. We’ve tried to build our team around days like today.”

It took a while, and a change of offensive pace for Northwest Missouri to get rolling. Starting quarterback Kyle Zimmerman injured his right shoulder in last week’s semifinal victory over Ferris State and didn’t finish the game. The team didn’t know until Thursday that he would start.

He did, but the Bearcats benefited from Randy Schmidt, a wide receiver, lining up in the wildcat on its first touchdown.

Schmidt took the snap and went a couple of steps to his right before pitching the ball forward to Jordan Grove. The shovel pass covered 7 yards for the touchdown.

North Alabama had an earlier opportunity, but Northwest Missouri safety Jack Young intercepted a Tucker pass in the end zone.

“I didn’t make the best decision, and they took advantage of the bad decision,” Tucker said.

The Lions got on the board with their most impressive drive that started after the Bearcats’ first touchdown. North Alabama went 60 yards in less than a minute and booted a short field goal.

The teams traded turnovers to open the second half, and Northwest Missouri got the better of the deal.

Tucker was taken down by linebacker Jacob Vollstedt and lost the ball. Ben Spaeth was there for the recovery, and the Bearcats started on the North Alabama 40.

Zimmerman set up a touchdown with a 19-yard keeper. Running back Phil Jackson powered in from the 2 on the next snap.

The Bearcats had their insurance, and would add a safety, a Zimmerman touchdown pass to tight end Shane Williams and a short scoring run by Jackson to pad the advantage and turn things over to a defense that never let North Alabama have a chance.

The Lions finished with 201 total yards, and sacked Tucker four times, with 2  1/2 credited to Cass Weitl.

“We had a game plan to make (Tucker) spill out, and we executed the game plan really well,” Weitl said.

The ball was slippery for both teams but Northwest Missouri took advantage on special teams, putting constant pressure on North Alabama’s punting team. The Lions had a couple of costly bad snaps, and the Bearcats took advantage of field position.

It added up to the program’s sixth Division II championship. That breaks a tie with North Dakota State for the most in the classification.

It’s also the third championship for Dorrel, matching the total of legendary Northwest Missouri coach Mel Tjeerdsma.

Northwest Missouri State: 2015 NCAA Division II Football National Champions

Northwest Missouri State is the Division II Champion for the second time in three years, beating Shepherd, 34-7, in Kansas City. The Bearcats finished the season 14-0, dominating nearly everyone in their path. Up to this point, they'd outscored opponents by an average of 41.9-12.7. They didn't stop in this one, by blowing out the Rams, who had never been to this stage.

It was a banner day for Northwest Missouri State quarterback Brady Bolles, who was ultra-efficient in shredding the Shepherd defense. He finished by completing almost 75 percent of his passes for 233 yards and a touchdown. This was the 13th time this season that Bolles has thrown for more than 200 yards. He's thrown for 300 on four occasions and threw for 400 once. The Bearcats got solid rushing help from Phil Jackson and Cameron Wilcox, who combined for 170 yards on the ground.

Shepherd couldn't get anything going on offense all game, and when Northwest Missouri State went up 24-0 in the second half, the game was essentially over. The Rams couldn't throw the ball more than a few yards down the field — quarterback Jeff Ziemba's longest pass was 34 yards — and the running game couldn't get doing at all, as they finished with -39 rushing yards, including sacks.

Northwest Missouri State: 2013 NCAA Division II Champions

Northwest Missouri scored the first 17 points of the game and held on for a 43-28 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne to win their fourth Division II National Championship and first since 2009. NWMSU racked up 416 yards of total offense and forced two turnovers to finish the season a perfect 15-0.

Offensively Trevor Adams was 13-25 for 277 yards and three touchdowns. Reuben Thomas caught five passes for 92 yards and two scores while Jason Jozaites hauled in the other touchdown catch. Billy Creason carried the ball 13 times for 76 yards and a touchdown and Brady Bolles finished with 48 yards and a score.

DJ Gnader led the way with 12 tackles, one sack and two tackles for a loss as well as forcing a fumble. Eric Reimer had 10 tackles along with half a sack. Bryant Hummel had six tackles, one sack and recovered both Lenoir-Rhyne fumbles. Austin Barker blocked a punt out of the back of the end zone for a safety as well.

Northwest Missouri finishes 15-0 on the season and won the MIAA regular season championship. This also marks the third time in the last five seasons that a team from the MIAA has captured the Division II National Championship with it being the sixth overall national championship for the league in football.