Final Four Tilts Toward Texas
The NJCAA Men’s D1 Basketball National Tournament went dark Thursday. No, not due to a power outage, but from a planned day of rest before the Semifinals on Friday and Championship Game Saturday.
Last year the tournament paused between the Semifinals and Championship game to allow the finalist a chance to catch their breath.
This time, the tournament committee decided to give all four Semifinalist the same luxury. Which is probably a good thing, especially if you ask the teams. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Quarterfinalist get the extra day off before going three straight to the finish.
For the first time in tournament history, three of the four national semifinalist hail from the same state, and in this case…it’s the Lone Star State.
In the first Semifinal today (Friday), the only team left in the tournament not from Texas, #17 seed Connors State College (OK) 31-3, will go head-to-head with #4 seed South Plains College (29-6) at 5:30.
In the nightcap, tipping off at 8:00, is all Texas, in fact, it’s all East Texas and all Region 14.
#7 seed Trinity Valley CC (32-3) and #6 Panola College (29-6) tangle at 8:00. The two teams split their regular season contests. Panola winning 66-59 in Arthur Johnson Gymnasium in Carthage, with TVCC getting the upper hand 73-60 on their home court in Cardinal Gym.
The two teams met again in the District Championship Game, for the automatic berth in Hutch. In the rubber match, the Ponies claimed the season series and the District crown via their 67-59 verdict.
Panola College also has their fingerprints all over one of the early season losses pasted on South Plains resumé. In the East-West Challenge hosted by Collin College in Plano, Panola outplayed South Plains 87-70.
After going 5-3 out of the gate, SPC has won 24 of 27, and twelve in succession.
Panola is the new kid on the block, so to speak. They are making just their 3rd overall appearance at the National Tournament including back-to-back trips. All 3 have come since 2017, but the Ponies have not yet made the championship game.
Trinity Valley CC has 11 previous trips to play in the Sports Arena. All but three have been since 2014, which makes 9 in the last 12 years and three in a row.
Like Panola, Trinity Valley has never played in the title game. That will definitely change this year as one has to advance.
Connors State, with a total of 17 appearances, has one Championship to their credit, back in 1990.
Then there is blue blood South Plains College, who is making appearance number 15 in 2025. The Texans have three National Championship trophies to boast (2008, 2012, and 2018), and a runner-up finish in 2015, all under Hall-of-famer HC Steve Green.
With two more wins, a 4th title would tie South Plains with storied programs: San Jacinto-Central (Pasadena, TX), Vincennes University (IN), and Moberly Area CC.
The current Head Coach of the Texans, Hayden Sowers is in his 3rd year at the SPC helm. Sowers was an Assistant Coach for Green in 2021-22 before the promotion to HC, so he is well aware of the pedigree.
With 75% of the Semifinal entrants, an all Texas final is highly possible. Which, believe it or not, would be another historic moment of the tourney. Although, I’m sure that Connors State is going to do everything possible to keep that from happening.
There has been four title games which matched teams from the same state.
In 1955, Moberly Area CC (Moberly, MO) and Hannibal-LaGrange College (Hannibal, MO) battled it out on what is now Sam Butterfield Court for what could be referred to as the Show-Me State Championship.
Geographically, the two schools are about 60 miles from each other. Ironically, all of the all one
state championship games involved teams less than 90 miles from each other.
Kansas has had the privilege twice. Back in 1953, El Dorado College (now Butler CC) and Arkansas City CC ( now Cowley College) collided for a chance to collect all of the marbles. Both of those schools were separated by just over 60 miles.
It happened again in 2021 when Coffeyville CC and Cowley College squared off. The distance between both of those campuses is 85 miles.
In the first year of the new format in 2013 (the 24 team, single elimination tourney with 4 At-large entries and 4 zone rotation qualifiers), found an all Florida final between Central Florida College and Northwest Florida State College. These schools are approximately 330 miles apart.
Of the teams remaining in the hunt for a National Title, Texas has won 19 total Championships between their two regions (5 and 14), which is the most produced by any state. Oklahoma, has 2. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and Connors State in back to back years 1989 & 1990
