For the second straight year, Fort Lewis men’s basketball fans are angry.
The reason? The Skyhawks are going to Canyon, Texas for the NCAA South Central region of the NCAA Division II tournament for the second straight year. West Texas A&M got the top seed and will host the regionals.
Last season, West Texas A&M got the top seed and hosted and the Skyhawks were the second seed as well. Fort Lewis will want a better outcome as it lost in the second round last season to Black Hills State.
“Obviously you want to be the one seed,” Fort Lewis head coach Bob Pietrack said. “Our goal isn’t to host the regional, it’s to win the regional and we still have that goal in front of us. Obviously you want to be at home but the main thing is you’re one of the 64 teams that has a chance to have a special month.
Pietrack said his team watched the selection show as a group. He emphasized how it’s a privilege to play in the NCAA tournament, not a right.
The Skyhawks finished 28-3 overall and won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament championship. West Texas A&M finished 27-4 after finishing first in the Lone Star Conference. The Buffs did lose three of their last four games including a loss in the first round of the Lone Star tournament.
Fort Lewis Director of Athletics Travis Whipple said the school and the athletic department had been preparing for weeks in case the Skyhawks were able to host regionals. He thanked the fans for making Whalen Gymnasium a special environment and Whipple is excited to support the Fort Lewis men’s basketball team in regionals.
“FLC Athletics strives to be a front porch for our institution and community,” Whipple said. “Hosting large-scale tournaments and events remains a priority. We have everything needed to put on championship-caliber events.”
Lubbock Christian, the Skyhawks’ opponent in the first round, finished 23-10 overall and 16-6 in the Lone Star Conference. It went 1-1 against West Texas A&M this season.
“They’re one of the very best coached teams in the country,” Pietrack said about Lubbock Christian. “They’ve spent numerous weeks at number one in the country about two or three years ago. They’re a perennial team in this tournament, they’re very talented and they were the three seed in the Lone Star which is a great league. We’ll have our hands full right off the bat with a top 25 caliber team and that seems to be the norm for us.”
Fort Lewis will play Lubbock Christian on Saturday at 1:30 MST inside First United Bank Center.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
