DUBUQUE, Iowa -- As the Sabercats' Men's Basketball Team eyes their second straight regional title, here's a closer look at what they're up against at the 2019 NCCAA North Region Tournament.

MBU will open play in the 7:30 semifinal on Friday, facing the winner of #4 Emmaus/#5 Trinity.

The Sabercats are the only team in the field with a winning record, and they have as many wins as the combined efforts of the four lowest seeds.

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SCOUTING REPORT

#2 Calvary

• NCCAA Record: 7-9
• NCCAA Regional Record: 4-0
• Insider: The Warriors have already bested #3 Providence and #4 Emmaus at home, but the question mark surrounding the Warriors is how they will do on the road. CU bowed out of last year's tournament in the first round, but with a better seeding this year, things could be different. 
• NCCAA Charts: Calvary's defense is 2nd in the nation for opponent field-goal percentage (.417) and rank 11th in opponent points per game (78.0)
• Calvary has a bye into the semifinal and will await the winner of #3 Moody/#6 Providence.

#3 Providence

• NCCAA Record: 1-6
• NCCAA Regional Record: 1-5
• Insider: Providence tends to be an unknown factor going into the postseason, as they generally compete north of the border. This year, the Pilots have had inconsistent results and have won just once away from home. 
• NCCAA Charts: Providence's defense has allowed an average of 73.5 points per game, which ranks 4th in the NCCAA DII.
• Providence will open with a first-round game against #6 Moody.

#4 Emmaus

• NCCAA Record: 3-12
• NCCAA Regional Record: 3-4
• Insider: As the hosts, Emmaus will have added incentive to show well. And with no travel time or fatigue, the Eagles will look to take advantage of their relative freshness to make a statement. EBC suffered a 60-100 loss to MBU in the semifinal of last year's tournament and have already lost twice to the Sabercats this season.
• NCCAA Charts: Emmaus has struggled this season, ranking 35th/36 in the NCCAA in margin per game (-25.1).
• Emmas will open with a first-round game against #5 Trinity.

#5 Trinity

• NCCAA Record: 3-2
• NCCAA Regional Record: 3-2
• Insider: Trinity has competed against a variety of schools in and around the North Region, defeating #3 Providence 87-83 before losing to the Pilots by 12 the next day.
• NCCAA Charts: In the NCCAA DII, Trinity's defense has allowed the 2nd-fewest points per game this season (64.1).
• Trinity will open with a first-round game against #4 Emmaus.

#6 Moody

• NCCAA Record: 0-5
• NCCAA Regional Record: 0-3
• Insider: It's a rebuilding year for the Archers, but they could end up being a sleeper pick, as they concluded their regular season with a three-point loss to Great Lakes Christian, who holds the No. 3 NCCAA DII ranking. Despite being winless this season, the Archers have had some close games with legitimate opponents. 
• NCCAA Charts: So far this season, Moody has had the least-productive offense in the NCCAA DII, averaging 57.5 points per game.
• Moody will open with a first-round game against #3 Providence.

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NOT PARTICIPATING

Faith Baptist Bible College (Ankeny, Iowa) will not participate in this year's tournament. Faith finished the season with a 5-16 record and lost to Providence in the first round of last year's tournament.

Oak Hills Christian College (Bemidji, Minn.) will also not participate in the tournament. The Wolfpack finished as the runners-up in 2018 and finished this season with a record of 6-21.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Find details of each game at mbusabercats.com/composite.