Published: March 23, 2008 11:36 pm      

Fab Four showdown

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It was bound to come down to this.

Mountain State University (33-2) and Georgetown, Ky. (35-0), the two teams that spent a bulk of the 2008 season at No. 1, will face off tonight in the NAIA national tournament’s Fab Four at historic Municipal Auditorium.

The game tips at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time and will be broadcast live on CBSCS (formerly CSTV, local channel 317) and Paul Van Scott will have the call live on WTNJ 105.9-FM.

It is the first meeting between the two elite NAIA powers since 2004, when Mountain State beat the Tigers 96-77 before beating Concordia (Calif.) in the NAIA championship game. MSU also beat Georgetown 106-89 in the 2003 Fab Four but lost to Concordia in overtime in the title game.

It is the first Fab Four appearance for either team since 2004.

The two coaches, Georgetown’s Happy Osborne and Mountain State’s Bob Bolen, are among the leaders in winning percentage. Osborne is 371-66 in 12 seasons. Bolen is 372-103 in 15 seasons.

“None of the players from ’03 or ’04 are around, so those games really don’t have any significance,” Bolen said.

“On the other hand, the fact that we’re playing in the (Fab Four) for the third time in six seasons shows that both programs have had a lot of success in the national tournament. We have a lot of respect for their program because we know what kind of effort their staff puts into building a top-notch program.”

“First of all, I have nothing but respect (for Mountain State),” Osborne said. “He (Bolen) does a great job. I haven’t seen anything on them yet but I know they have a great team. Nobody works harder, I know that.”

Bolen doesn’t mince words talking about the talented Tigers, and the effort it will take to topple the top seed.

“It’s going to take a great effort; they’re not undefeated for no reason,” Bolen said. “We’re capable of playing good basketball. But we’re going to have to battle them on the boards and when we have open shots, we have to make them.”

Osborne doesn’t believe the Tigers’ undefeated season will put any more pressure on his team in the Fab Four.

“Man, that’s over,” the coach said. “Nobody cares about that anymore. The teams in the (Fab Four) are all good. Nobody is worried about what a regular-season record is.”

Georgetown is making a record 17th consecutive trip to the NAIA national tournament and its 47 victories in the tournament is also a record.

Georgetown led the nation in scoring this season at 93.1 points per game and, not surprisingly, features four players in double figures, led by 6-foot-4, 250-pound Baltimore native Gus Chase, a senior who averaged 18.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

Chase has scored in double figures in all 35 Georgetown games this season.

Demetrius Guoins, a 6-5 junior, is next at 16.0 and seven rebounds, David Graham, a 6-4 junior averages 12.4 and Justin Taylor, a 6-3 senior averages 10.4 and 5.3 rebounds. Guard Jerry Turner is averaging 7.4 points.

“Georgetown is the most athletic team I’ve seen since I’ve been at Mountain State,” said Bolen, who is approaching his 500th game at the school. “Their guards, Turner and Taylor, are quick and athletic. Their post, Chase, is the best scorer around the basket we’ve faced. They are physical, athletic quick. They are very skilled in a lot of different areas.”

Mountain State was second in the nation in scoring (93.0) and is led by 6-3 shooting guard James Spencer, who averaged 24.3 points per game. Adron Marshall, a 6-4 wing, averaged 16.9 and 5.8 rebounds.

Jason McGriff, a 6-9, 265-pound center, is averaging 9.9 points and has played well in the tournament. He had 10 rebounds and a team-high five assists in MSU’s 72-51 quarterfinal win over Azusa Pacific.

Point guard Jarvis Jackson averaged 8.2 points and 5.4 assists during the regular season. However, he has turned it on in the tournament, averaging over 19 points per game in three contests.

Tyrice Watkins, a 6-foot-7 power forward, averaged 7.5 ppg in the regular season.

The winner faces either No. 7 seed Oklahoma City (29-7) or unseeded Campbellsville (26-9) in the NAIA national championship game Tuesday night at 9:45 p.m. Eastern at Municipal Auditorium. Oklahoma City, the defending national champion, was the last undefeated team to win the national championship in 1992.