INDIANAPOLIS — The Catawba College men's basketball team is going dancing for the fourth consecutive season, earning the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Southeast Regional hosted by fellow South Atlantic Conference program Anderson per Sunday night's selection show.
Catawba entered last week's SAC Tournament ranked fourth in the region, then stormed to the championship game with firm defeats of UVA Wise and Lenoir-Rhyne before a one-possession loss to top-seeded Anderson. The overall effort – especially moving to 2-1 against LR, who was ranked second in the Southeast Region – convinced the committee to elevate the Catawba Indians into the third position.
The blue and white are entering their sixth NCAA Regional under Head Coach Rob Perron and 15th in school history. Perron, the winner of 207 games at Catawba, has guided the program to its fourth 20-win season in his tenure; the team's 16 SAC wins ties the program record set two years ago.
A reflection of Perron's all-hands-on-deck strategy, three Catawba players are averaging double-digit points with none playing 30 minutes per tilt. Jordan Simpson leads the way in scoring, putting up 13.6 points per game with 72 three-pointers – the sixth-most in program history. Ibra Athie and Justin Banks are averaging 12.6 and 10.3 points per game, respectively, with a combined 11.4 boards per contest. Banks has blocked 63 shots this season, fourth in both the region and Catawba history, as his 153 career swats stand fourth in the school record book.
The Catawba Indians will open regional play against a foe they have beaten once before in arguably the largest win of the year: Columbus State. The Cougars were ranked No. 16 in the NABC Coaches Poll when Catawba steamrolled CSU on neutral court on Nov. 21 in 97-72 fashion. However, the squad went on to claim Peach Belt Conference runner-up honors and reach the PBC semifinals with a 22-8 record.
The tournament begins on Saturday, Mar. 14, with quarterfinal game times to be determined. Stay tuned for more information by following Catawba Athletics on social media.
