Ozark on the Docket
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
#8 Ozark Christian (17-13) | 21 | 18 | 14 | 20 | 73 |
|
#5 Maranatha (11-9) | 22 | 13 | 17 | 25 | 77 |
JOPLIN, Mo. -- Maranatha and Ozark face off in the NCCAA National Tournament consolation bracket tomorrow, marking their fourth NCCAA Nationals meeting since 2000. The winner advances to the National 5th-Place Game; the loser's season ends on the spot.
To get here, Maranatha took a gut-wrenching 59-52 loss today to #4 Grace Christian University while Ozark fell 90-76 to five-time defending champions, #1 Arlington Baptist. As the tournament host, Ozark will have some extra motivation going into tomorrow's tangle.
SERIES REVIEW
The Maranatha-Ozark series has been one-sided, as Maranatha has taken the win all five times since 1999. Despite being in different NCCAA regions, the two teams have clashed twice outside of the postseason, the most recent of which was a 60-56 Maranatha win at the Faith Classic in the 2016-17 season.
You have to go back to just 2015 for the last Maranatha-Ozark postseason clash when Maranatha took a 76-68 win in Joplin in the NCCAA DII National 7th-Place Game.
2021 STATS
Ozark has the 8th-ranked offense in the NCCAA with 66.6 points per game, but Maranatha's defense is the highest-ranked in the tournament. Maranatha has allowed just 61.7 points per game in the 2020-21 season.
As a side note: Ozark has the second-best rebounding average (46.9 per game) in the NCCAA DII, trailing tournament favorites, Arlington Baptist.
Below is a statistical comparison of the two teams:
| History | Maranatha | Ozark |
| National Titles | 3 | 0 |
| Series Wins | 5 | 0 |
| Series Wins - Postseason | 3 | 0 |
| Statistics: 2020-21 | ||
| Overall record | 10-9 | 16-13 |
| NCCAA record | 9-2 | 15-9 |
| Points/game | 60.3 | 66.6 |
| FG % | 36.0% | 38.9% |
| Rebounds/game | 39.7 | 46.9 |
| Last five games | W-L-W-W-L | W-W-L-L-L |
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HOW TO FOLLOW
- STATS: thenccaa.org/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
- VIDEO (Pay Per View): thenccaa.org
- TWITTER: @MBUSabercats
- SCHEDULE: mbusabercats.com/schedule
