National Tournament Preview: LU Lions vs LSUS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Langston University men's basketball team begins their quest for a NAIA National Championship today, March 22 at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Here's a quick preview and rundown of information for Lions fans to answer the most frequently asked questions leading up to the game.

The Matchup:

The No. 1 seed Langston Lions (32-1) advanced to the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament Round of 16 after defeating No. 9 seed Ave Maria 91-61 on March 16 in the NAIA National Tournament Second Round. The Lions are set to square off against No. 12 seed LSU-Shreveport (24-8) at 1 p.m. today, March 22, inside the historic Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

About the Pilots:

LSU-Shreveport (La.) enters the Round of 16 matchup at 24-8 after knocking off No. 4 seed Concordia (Neb.) 91-67 on March 16 in Salina, Kan. The Pilots are based out of Shreveport, La. and qualified for the NAIA National Tournament as an at-large bid out of the Red River Athletic Conference.

Offensively, LSUS boasts five players that are averaging double figures in points beginning with Calvin Carpenter (13.0 ppg) and followed by Melvion Flanagan (11.8 ppg), Paul King (11.7 ppg), Tyler Washington (10.6 ppg) and Damon Davis (10.1 ppg).

All five were named to the RRAC All-Conference team with Carpenter being selected first team. King and Washington were selected to the second team and Flanagan and Davis were named RRAC Honorable Mention.

The Pilots are coached by Kyle Blankenship who is in his 11th season at the helm. Blankenship holds a career win-loss record of 280-96 leading LSUS.

About the Lions:

Langston (Okla.) enters the Round of 16 matchup at 32-1 overall after defeating No. 9 seed Ave Maria (Fla.) 91-61 on March 16 in Langston, Okla. Langston qualified for the NAIA National Tournament by winning the Sooner Athletic Conference regular season title for the second straight year under head coach Chris Wright. The Lions are also making their second straight Round of 16 appearance under Wright.

Offensively, Langston boasts three players averaging double figures in Anthony Roy (19.0 ppg), Cortez Mosley (12.9 ppg) and D'Monte Brown (10.0 ppg). Ronald Mitchell is right behind them, averaging 9.9 ppg.

Roy was named the 2024 SAC Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and All-SAC First Team. Mosley earned the 2024 SAC Defensive Player of the Year distinction and was named All-SAC Second Team. Toru Dean was named All-SAC First Team, Brown was named All-SAC Third Team and Mitchell was selected All-SAC Honorable Mention.

The Lions are led by Chris Wright who is in his second year as head coach. Wright, in his two years at the helm, holds a 63-4 mark at Langston University and a career win-loss record of 274-107.

Q: What time is the game?

The No. 1 seed Langston Lions (32-1) tip-off on Friday, March 22 at 1 pm CT against No. 12 seed LSU-Shreveport in the Duer Quadrant.

This will be Langston's eighth appearance in the NAIA National Tournament and second-straight Round of 16 appearance under head coach Chris Wright. Langston holds a historic record of 7-7 in national tournament play.

Q: Where is the NAIA National Tournament being held?

The 86th annual NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship takes place in Kansas City, Mo. at the historic Municipal Auditorium.

Tickets for the men's tournament are $25 per day for adults, NAIA students with NAIA student ID are $12 per day (available at box office only), high school students with student ID are $10 per day (available at box office only), student (ages 5-12) are $6 per day and kids (ages 4 and under) are free.

Tickets are available at the Municipal Auditorium Box Office or at Ticketmaster.com. For additional ticketing information click here.

Q: I will not be able to attend the game, how can I stay updated?

The first 14 games of the national championship tournament will be video-streamed live at www.NAIANetwork.com, the NAIA's official video-streaming platform. Fans can purchase a single day pass at $9.95 or a national championship pass (Final will be aired on ESPN3) for $34.95.

Live statistics are available at the link here and as always follow us on X (@langstonsports), Instagram (@langstonsports) and Facebook (@langstonsports) for the latest updates.

For additional information including the complete bracket, click here.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Toru Dean: G; 6' 0"; Senior

#4 D'Monte Brown: G; 6' 4"; Senior

#15 Cortez Mosley: G/F; 6' 5"; Senior

#0 Ronald Mitchell: G; 6' 3"; Senior

#2 Anthony Roy: G; 6' 5"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#3 Toru Dean
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G

#4 D'Monte Brown
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G

#15 Cortez Mosley
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G/F

#0 Ronald Mitchell
: 6' 3"; Senior
: G

#2 Anthony Roy
: 6' 5"; Junior
: G

Main Header

National Tournament Preview: LU Lions vs LSUS

Players Mentioned

#3 Toru Dean

#4 D'Monte Brown

#15 Cortez Mosley

#0 Ronald Mitchell

#2 Anthony Roy

Players Mentioned

#3 Toru Dean

#4 D'Monte Brown

#15 Cortez Mosley

#0 Ronald Mitchell

#2 Anthony Roy

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