JOPLIN, Mo. -- Take two.

Eight teams - five returning teams - will make the trip back to Joplin, Missouri this week in an effort to compete for the NCCAA National Tournament. Besides that, completing the tournament itself will be a milestone, as the tournament was cancelled last year after it began.

The Sabercats are seeded #5, opening play against #4 Grace Christian in the opening round Thursday at 2:00 p.m. 

HOW TO FOLLOW

• VIDEO (Pay Per View): thenccaa.org
• TWITTER: @MBUSabercats
• SCHEDULE: mbusabercats.com/schedule

FIELD

The National Christian College Athletic Association announced the field for the 2020 NCCAA DII Women's Basketball National Championship, as the tournament returns from a six-team structure to an eight-team structure. Here is a closer look at the eight teams that will vie for the national title.

Only two programs in the field have captured the banner before:

#1 Arlington Baptist University Patriots (Arlington, Texas) (21-2 Overall, 7-1 NCCAA)

• Region: Southwest
• Qualifying Method: Region Champion
• 2019 Nationals Finish: Champions
• National Titles: 5
• Notable: Arlington is the team to beat. They will be chasing NCCAA history by competing for their sixth consecutive national title - a feat achieved just once in NCCAA DII history. The Patriots enter the tournament with 13 straight wins and an average of 92.3 points per game - that's easily the best in the NCCAA DII.
• First Year in NCCAA: 1977
• Nationals Opener: The Patriots will face the #8-seeded Ozark Christian Ambassadors in the first round.

#2 Pensacola Christian College Eagles (Pensacola, Fla.) (19-3 Overall, 14-1 NCCAA)

• Region: South
• Qualifying Method: Region Champion
• 2019 Nationals Finish: Runners-up
• National Titles: 0
• Notable: Pensacola has a point to prove after they fell in the championship game in 2019. The reigning runners-up have an intimidating NCCAA DII record of 14-1 and enter the tournament on a seven-game win streak.
• First Year in NCCAA: 1982
• Nationals Opener: The Eagles will face the #7-seeded Barclay Bears in the first round.

#3 Champion Christian College Tigers (Hot Springs, Ark.) (14-4 Overall, 9-3 NCCAA)

• Region: Southwest
• Qualifying Method: At-Large Selection
• 2019 Nationals Finish: 1st Round
• National Titles: 0
• Notable: Last year, Champion Christian achieved the unlikely feats of both a winning record and a trip to NCCAA Nationals in their first year as an intercollegiate program. Champion fell to Maranatha in the first round of last year's tournament before it was called off. The Tigers are the only NCCAA team to beat Arlington Baptist this year, and their mark of 80.2 points per game is the second-highest mark in the NCCAA DII.
• First Year in NCCAA: 2019
• Nationals Opener: The Tigers will face the #6-seeded Trinity Baptist Eagles in the first round.

#4 Grace Christian University Tigers (Grand Rapids, Mich.) (9-13 Overall, 6-1 NCCAA)

• Region: Mideast
• Qualifying Method: Region Champion
• 2019 Nationals Finish: DNP
• National Titles: 0
• Notable: Grace returns to the tournament for the second year in a row after defeating Campbellsville-Harrodsburg in the Mideast Regional Championship. Grace is 6-1 against NCCAA opponents this year and their rigorous schedule sent them into the tournament as the only team below .500. The Tigers are the only team from Mideast Region at Nationals this year.
• First Year in NCCAA: 1979
• Nationals Opener: The Tigers will face Maranatha in the first round.

#5 Maranatha Baptist University Sabercats (Watertown, Wis.) (10-8 Overall, 8-1 NCCAA)

• Region: North
• Qualifying Method: Region Champion
• 2019 Nationals Finish: 3rd Place
• National Titles: 3
• Notable: The Sabercats have some "unfinished business" to take care of, as they earned a Final Four spot last year before the tournament was cut short. Maranatha has earned a Final Four placement in each of the last three years and will vie for the title after holding an NCCAA record of 15-1 over the last two seasons. The Sabercats are the only representative of the North Region
• First Year in NCCAA: 1975

#6 Trinity Baptist College Eagles (Jacksonville, Fla.) (8-7 Overall, 7-4 NCCAA)

• Region: South
• Qualifying Method: At-Large Selection
• 2019 Nationals Finish: DNP
• National Titles: 0
• Notable: The Eagles compete for the national title for the first time since 2013. TBC's 7-4 record includes a loss in the South Region Semifinal against Bob Jones University, and they join Pensacola as South Region representatives.
• First Year in NCCAA: 1984

#7 Barclay College Bears (Haviland, Kan.) (14-5 Overall, 13-3 NCCAA)

• Region: Southwest
• Qualifying Method: At-Large Selection
• 2019 Nationals Finish: DNP
• National Titles: 0
• Notable: Barclay is the only first-time team in the tournament. After finishing with a 13-3 NCCAA record, the Bears will look to punctuate their first-ever trip to the NCCAA DII Women's Basketball National Tournament. 
• First Year in NCCAA: 1997

#8 Ozark Christian College Ambassadors (Joplin, Mo.) (16-12 Overall, 15-8 NCCAA)

• Region: Southwest
• Qualifying Method: Tournament Host
• 2019 Nationals Finish: DNP
• National Titles: 0
• Notable: Ozark qualifies for the tournament as the tournament host, and they are one of four teams from the Southwest region competing at Nationals. Ozark bowed out of the Southwest Region Tournament in the semifinals, falling to the eventual champions, Arlington Baptist.
• First Year in NCCAA: 1971

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