Inside Pool A
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The NCCAA National Invitational begins tomorrow, and the Sabercats have their hands full, drawing a difficult pool in their third attempt at a national title.
The Sabercats will take on #1 Erskine to start the tournament before facing #3 Ottawa (Arizona) - the 2019 champs and 2020 runners-up. The winner of the pool will advance to the NCCAA National Championship on Saturday while the other two teams will compete for third and fifth place. A schedule for Pool A is below (all times Eastern):
| Matchup | Time (EST) | Date |
| #5 Maranatha vs #1 Erskine | 11:30 a.m. | Friday, 1/22 |
| #5 Maranatha vs #3 Ottawa | 4:30 p.m. | Friday, 1/22 |
| #3 Ottawa vs #1 Erskine | 9 a.m. | Saturday, 1/23 |
| Placement/Championship Games | TBD | Saturday, 1/23 |
Below is a closer look at the field for the upcoming tournament, which will be held tomorrow and Saturday at Carolina Univeristy in Winston-Salem, North Carolina:
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| Pool A | Location | Affiliation | 2020 Finish | 2020 Record |
| #1 Erskine | Due West, S.C. | NCAA II | DNP | 4-10 |
| #3 Ottawa (Ariz.) | Surprise, Ariz. | NAIA | Runner-up | 13-5 |
| #5 Maranatha | Watertown, Wis. | NCAA III | Seventh | 9-25 |
| Pool B | ||||
| #2 Campbellsville | Campbellsville, Ky. | NAIA | Champion | 23-2 |
| #4 Lancaster | Lancaster, Pa. | NCAA III | DNP | 17-3 |
| #6 Carolina | Winston-Salem, N.C. | NCCAA | N/A | (First year) |
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Inside Pool A
Erskine competes for the first time at the NCCAA National Invitational but have been tabbed with the #1 seed based on their strength of schedule. The Fleet are used to facing Conference Carolinas opponents, as well as powerhouse names like Ohio State (Big Ten), Princeton (Ivy League), and George Mason (Atlantic 10).
The Fleet may have finished the 2020 season with a 4-10 record, but don't let that fool you - the Fleet has experience.
Ottawa has competed in the title match in the last two years, and they will be looking to settle the score with Campbellsville after last year's championship loss. The Spirit finished the 2020 season with a 13-5 record and will be looking to give their 2021 season some momentum with their performance this weekend.
The Spirit's first season may have been just in 2018, but the young program is already playing like it's been around for a long time.
Maranatha is looking to capitalize on momentum. This is the third year the Sabercats have garnered the invite to the National Invitational, and after posting their first nationals win last year, the Sabercats will be gunning for even better things to start 2021.
The big story for the Sabercats is that they haven't played a game yet this season - but they aren't the only team in the field that is going in "cold" into the tournament
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