Men’s Basketball Preview: Vanguard vs. Georgetown of Kentucky

Vanguard University Pregame

Vs. Georgetown of Kentucky

Saturday at 2 p.m. PT

The Vanguard University men’s basketball team is in uncharted territory when it faces Georgetown of Kentucky in the quarterfinals of the NAIA Tournament on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

The No. 6-seeded Lions (29-6) set a school single-season record for wins by topping Benedictine of Kansas, 81-70, in Friday’s second round. Vanguard had never gone further than the second round and had not won an NAIA Tournament game since 1990 until this week.

Coach Rhett Soliday’s Lions, who won the Golden State Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles, are led by GSAC Player of the Year Preston Wynne, who now appears a lock to earn All-American recognition. Wynne had 20 points in Friday’s win and is averaging 21 points in two tournament games after posting 22 points and 10 rebounds in the opening win Wednesday over Life University of Georgia.

Junior forward Keith Mason is averaging a double-double in the tournament with 34 points and 21 rebounds in two games. He entered Friday averaging 10 points and 5.9 rebounds.

Junior Chris Gorman entered Friday averaging 15.6 points per game for the Lions, for whom junior DeAngelo Jones entered Friday averaging 13.1 points per contest. Jones, however, had a game-high 25 points (including 15 of 18 from the foul line), on Friday.

Freshman reserve Zach Allmon entered Friday averaging 8.4 points and 6.2 rebounds and he had four points and 10 boards against Benedictine.

Georgetown (24-10), the defending national champion, rallied from 19 points down in the first half to upset No. 3-seeded William Carey on Friday. The Tigers shot 51.7% to advance.

Georgetown is led by 6-foot-4 senior guard Monty Wilson, who was the NAIA Tournament MVP in 2013. Wilson entered Friday averaging 23.6 points per game, including 39 in his team’s first-round win. Wilson had 25 points in the second-round triumph.

Deondre McWhorter, a 6-8 sophomore, entered Friday averaging 12.3 points and 8.1 rebounds. He had 20 points and nine boards on Friday.

Noah Cottril, a junior guard who entered Friday averaging 13.4 points per game for the Tigers, scored 20 against William Carey.

Coach Chris Briggs, in his third season at the helm, has a 78-27 record at Georgetown.

Saturday’s winner advances to the semifinals on Monday and will face either No. 10-seeded Freed-Hardeman of Tennessee (30-5) or St. Gregory’s of Oklahoma (24-9). The title game is Tuesday night.

— Barry Faulkner