Tougaloo College to play Texas A&M Texarkana in first round of NAIA championship

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - After a 29-1 season, and Gulf Coast Athletic Conference tournament victory, the Tougaloo College men’s basketball team earned a birth to the NAIA National Championship tournament.

The Bulldogs will be a 6-seed, and play 11-seed Texas A&M Texarkana in New Orleans on Tuesday. The Eagles have a 22-8 record and received an at-large bid out of the Red River Athletic Conference.

“We feel good, because it’s so close, it’s three hours away, so we don’t have to travel a long way, and we can prepare and have a few more days at home before we leave,” said Bulldog head coach Eric Strothers. “Going 29-1 was tough on my kids. Every day, people were trying to beat ‘em, we’ve got to get our composure back. I think we’ll do well in the tournament.”

Last year, the Bulldogs lost in the first round of the NAIA tournament to Arizona Christian.

“We have a lot of pressure we have to get off from losing last year, and we’re kind of confident. We had a good season, we’re looking forward to it,” said senior guard Cameron Copeland.

The hosts of the first two rounds, Loyola University of New Orleans, will play Southwestern Assemblies of God University.

Round two games will be held Wednesday in New Orleans. Starting with the Round of 16, games will be played in Kansas City, MO, starting Monday, March 13.

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