Posted: Feb 25, 2019

Nationals Latest: Sabercats Seeded #8

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Despite being one of four regional champions at the 2019 NCCAA DII National Tournament, the Sabercats have been seeded #8 out of eight teams.

MBU will open play on Thursday, March 7 at 12 p.m. EST against the three-time defending national champions, the #1-seeded Randall University Saints.

The seeding for the national championship is determined primarily by a vote and conference call with the regional chairs. Secondary consideration is then given to the NCCAA Power Rating System and the results of the most recent NCCAA Top 10 rankings.

"The selection committee can make whatever decisions they want," said Coach Keith Salscheider. "And it doesn't matter where you're seeded - you've got to win three games against great competition. Randall's got a great shot at winning it all, so we just look at it as we have to play three rounds of championship games. And Randall's got the target on their back, so we're excited about who we're playing and we're looking to make some noise at the National Tournament."

The loser of the opening game will be relegated to the consolation bracket while the winner will face the winner of #4 Great Lakes Christian and #5 Arlington Baptist.

Below is the field for the 2019 National Tournament:

Team	W-L	Location	Region	Qualifying Method	2018 Finish
#1 Randall	17-13	Moore, Okla.	Southwest	Region Champion	Champion
#2 Grace Christian	19-12	Grand Rapids, Mich.	Mideast	At-Large	3rd Place
#3 Johnson	16-15	Knoxville, Tenn.	Mideast	Region Champion	4th Place
#4 Great Lakes	19-11	Lansing, Mich.	Mideast	At-Large	DNP
#5 Arlington Baptist	15-15	Arlington, Texas	Southwest	At-Large	DNP
#6 Trinity Baptist	15-15	Jacksonville, Fla.	South	Region Champion	DNP
#7 Bob Jones	9-17	Greenville, S.C.	South	At-Large/Tournament Host	Runner-Up
#8 Maranatha	15-9	Watertown, Wis.	North	Region Champion	6th Place