The Point Loma Sea Lions are headed back to the NCAA Tournament, opening in the West Region Friday at 7:30 pm as the #4 seed against conference rival and 5th seeded Azusa Pacific.

The #2 seed Cal State San Bernardino Yotes are the host for the first three rounds in the West. Games will be played at CSUSB Friday, Saturday, and Monday.

Where to watch:
Games are free on NCAA.com

Live stats are also available for free through Cal State San Bernardino. Link Here.

Tickets and ticket information can also be found on the CSUSB Athletics Website.


PacWest Rivalry Comes with Elevated Stakes in Opening Round of NCAA Tournament
The final game of Friday Night's slate of West Region matchups in San Bernardino is one of the most storied rivalries in the field.

When #4 Point Loma plays #5 Azusa Pacific, it will be the first post-season meeting between the schools since 2019. It's only the third March contest between the two powerful PacWest Men's Basketball programs since they both made the jump to the NCAA.

But while the history between these programs extends over 125 match-ups dating back to the 1960s, none of the players or coaches involved in this one will be worried about the past.

This chapter won't even rely on the two most recently before it, both PLNU wins, as they will on two teams aiming to rebound off of a derailment against the PacWest Conference's Cinderella, the Academy of Art.

"We don't get to bring in anything from the two games against Azusa into this one," Senior Ben Okhotin told local media this week. "This comes down to twenty segments and we're going to try to win each one."

Point Loma's successes against Azusa this year came two full months apart at the end of two wildly different parts of the 2022 season.

The first was a resounding win in Golden Gymnasium after having lost 4 of their previous 5 and 6 of their last eight games. PacWest Player of the Year Kaden Anderson was in just his 2nd game back and it was one of two games that Point Loma played at full strength before February. Still, Point Loma won the game by 12 behind four different 20-point scorers.

It would still be a few weeks before Point Loma hit its stride battling with a rotating group of missing players. The Sea Lions eventually caught fire at the end of a five-game homestand in January and launched into their rematch in Azusa on a 7-game win streak.

Point Loma produced an identical 94 points, as they did in San Diego, as the quartet of Anderson, Myles Franklin, Brock Mackenzie, and Okhotin produced a similar output to the first go around. Anderson led the way with a double-double.

PLNU added four more wins to its streak before falling the Art U last Friday, their most recent contest. Azusa fell to the Urban Knights the next afternoon in the PacWest Championship Game.

None of those results matter as the teams square off Friday night with a litany of All-Conference selections on the floor. The teams combine for six on the All-PacWest teams, with Anderson, Franklin, Mackenzie, and Okhotin all representing Point Loma and Justin Hemsley and Ken West recognized from Azusa Pacific.

Aside from history, the teams have similar tendencies with both apt to take-and make-the outside shot. They are 1 and 2 in three-point field goal attempts in the PacWest, with PLNU ranking in the top 5 in the country and APU slotting at #17.

When it comes to making those shots, Point Loma is 4th in the country with Okhotin ranking 8th in made three's in the nation. Okhotin led the conference in the category for the season with Mackenzie checking in 4th.

That's triggered by the unselfish style PLNU has displayed all season and Franklin has led the charge with the 2nd most assists in the PacWest this season.

For Azusa, the three's come from all over. While not quite a by-committee approach, most of the Cougars are willing and able to knock down the three.

But the Cougar's best counterpunch comes in the form of Hayden Gray who ranks in the top ten in a category most related to steals.

Gray earned the defensive player of the week in the PacWest the final week of the regular season.

APU's ability to create turnovers and keep Point Loma out of its offense could be an area of interest heading into Friday's contest.

The game is set to tip at 7:30 pm, the fourth and final game of the day in San Bernardino.