KANSAS CITY, Mo. – It was worth the wait for the Central Methodist University women's basketball team, as the word came from Kansas City Wednesday night that the Lady Eagles are going to 'The Dance' next week. CMU earned the No. 5 seed in the Cramer Bracket and will open the 2017 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship against No. 4-seed Biola University (Calif.) in what will be the battle of the Lady Eagles.

Central Methodist (23-9) earned an at-large bid into the tournament and will square off with a Biola squad that brings a 23-7 record mark into the championship tourney. The two teams will square off in the 16-game opening round on Wednesday, March 15, at 11:15 a.m. (CST) in the Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark in Billings, Montana.

MORE ABOUT THE NAIA DIVISION I NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
NAIA Division I Women's Selection Show – CLICK HERE
Complete Bracket – CLICK HERE
Schedule and Results – CLICK HERE
How to Purchase Tickets – CLICK HERE
Billings, Lodging, Food, etc. – CLICK HERE
How to Watch the Championships – CLICK HERE
Central Methodist Season Statistics – CLICK HERE
Biola Season Statistics – CLICK HERE
Biola University Athletics Website – CLICK HERE

CMU head coach Mike Davis said he was pleased with his team's seeding in the tournament, but also pointed out that there are no easy matchups when you get to the national championship tournament.

"We actually moved up one spot to No. 20 in the final (NAIA DI Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll) poll that was released earlier today," Davis said. "We could have easily been a No. 6 (seed). But I really don't think at this point it matters what seed you are because the teams that are going to be there do a lot of things extremely well and you have to be playing well to beat them.

"We don't know much about Biola right now, besides the fact they shoot a lot of threes. So we'll get to work on that tonight so we'll be ready."

CMU was one of five Heart of America Athletic Conference squads to make the tourney. Regular season and tournament champion Baker University (29-4) is the No. 2-seed in the Naismith Bracket and will play No. 7 Mobile (Ala.) (22-10); Benedictine College (25-8), the second automatic qualifier from the league, received the No. 4-seed in the Liston Bracket and will open against John Brown (Ark.) (22-8); MidAmerica Nazarene University (18-13) took the No. 7-seed in the Cramer Bracket and will open against No. 2 Oklahoma City (29-2); and William Penn University (18-13) received the No. 8 seed in the Duer Bracket and will battle No. 1-seed Lewis-Clark (Idaho) (31-1).

Both Central Methodist and Biola received at-large bids to enter the 32-team tournament. CMU, which received the No. 10 at-large, will be making its third appearance in the national championship and is 0-2 all-time. Biola received the at-large No. 6 and is making its eighth appearance. BU is 3-7 all-time at the tourney, but hasn't made an appearance since 2012. CMU qualified last season.

Davis said the key to being prepared for play at the tournament is simply to play well.

"So many times teams come home from the national tournament and think they had just played like they had all season long they would have beaten the team they lost to," the coach said. "So the biggest thing at this point is be who you are and do the things that you did well during the season."

2017 NAIA DIVISION I WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
March 15-21
Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark, Billings, Mont.
CRAMER BRACKET
First Round
Wednesday, March 15
#1 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)(30-2) vs. #8 Martin Methodist (Tenn.)(21-10), 9:30 a.m. (CST)
#4 Biola (Calif.) (23-7) vs. #5 Central Methodist (Mo.) (23-9), 11:15 a.m. (CST)
#2 Oklahoma City (29-2) vs. #7 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (18-13), 1 p.m. (CST).
#3 Columbia (Mo.) (26-6) vs. #6 Montana Western (23-8), 6:45 p.m. (CST)
Second Round
Friday, March 17
Lindsey Wilson/Martin Methodist winner vs. Biola/Central Methodist winner, 10 a.m. (CST)
Columbia/Montana Western winner vs. Oklahoma City/MidAmerica Nazarene winner, 11:45 a.m. (CST)
Quarterfinals
Saturday, March 18
Cramer Bracket Championship Game, 3 p.m. (CST)

CMU Women's Basketball Contact: John Krueger
Phone: 936-332-9332 | jkrueger@centralmethodist.edu
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