Columbia College basketball is dancing.
Both men’s and women’s programs made the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ basketball tournament. Columbia was chosen as a host for the first and second rounds of the men’s tournament.
Evangel will also host a trio of women’s first- and second-round games.
Columbia men’s basketball
The No. 4-seeded Cougars (28-3, 13-1 AMC) will play opening round opponent No. 13 McPherson (20-9, 16-6 KCAC) at 5 p.m. March 13. The Cougars captured the American Midwest Conference tournament title at Mission University in Springfield.
Columbia College men’s were ranked No. 15 in the final NAIA coaches’ poll.
Also playing at the Arena of Southwell Complex is No. 5 Pikeville of Kentucky and No. Faulkner of Alabama.
The winners of the two games will play a second round contest at 2 p.m. March 14.
That winner will continue to Kansas City.
Columbia women’s basketball
The Cougar women’s team will look to continue its 19-game winning streak in an opening-round game against No. 9 Carroll (19-10, 17-5 FC) in Indianapolis.
The eight-seeded Cougars (30-1, 18-0 AMC) are dancing after securing their fifth-straight AMC tournament title, the 11th in program history.
Columbia is unranked in the final coaches’ poll but received votes.
Evangel women to host first, second rounds
In southwest Missouri, the four-seeded Evangel Valor (27-2, 15-1 KCAC) are set to host University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma (19-10, 14-8 SAC) at 5 p.m. March 13.
The Valor captured the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament title for an automatic bid. Evangel ranked 12th in the final NAIA coaches’ poll.
Also playing their first-round game in Springfield at No. 5 William Carey of Mississippi and No. 12 Shawnee State of Ohio. The pair will tip at 7 p.m. March 13.
The winners will play a second-round game in Springfield on March 14. They will continue to the NAIA tournament in Sioux City, Iowa.
College of the Ozarks women also made the tournament at a 10 seed.
