MISHAWAKA, Ind. –The Bethel Men’s Basketball team (17-12) made it into the NAIA National Championship bracket in an at-large bid to face fourth-seeded RV Dordt University Defenders (25-6) in the First round in Henderson, Tenn. on Mar. 7 at 5:30 p.m.
The Pilots have a record of 5-6 against NAIA top 25 teams this season and 0-2 against teams receiving votes (RV) in the NAIA Coaches polls.
As a team, the Pilots are 21st in the NAIA in points-per-game with 83.9, 24th in three-pointers made per game at 9.4 per game, and 28th in assists per game this season.
Penn high school alum and Granger, Ind. native Drew Lutz leads the team with 22.2 points per game, which ranks eighth in the NAIA. Lutz ranks fifth in free-throw percentage with 89 percent and sixth in the NAIA with 175 assists this season. Lutz is also in the top 50 finalists for the prestigious Bevo Francis Award, awarded to the top small college men’s basketball player among the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, JUCO, NCCAA, and USCA divisions.
Among the Pilot’s other weapons, Nathan Aerts is averaging 16 points per game on 54 percent shooting from the floor and 46 percent from beyond the arc this season. The junior from Valparaiso, Ind., averages 20.5 points per game in neutral court games and shoots 36 percent from the floor. Aerts has been aggressive off the boards averaging almost six rebounds per game.
Sophomore guard Tanguy Touze has seen a steady improvement over the season, now averaging 11.4 points per game and grabbing 4.6 rebounds per game. His season highlight so far was his double-double against Saint Francis (Ind.), where he scored a career-high 23 points and 11 rebounds.
SCOUTING DORDT (IA)
The Dordt (IA) Defenders are 25-6 on the season, won the Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament Championship, and tied for first place in the GPAC regular season standings with a conference record of 15-5.
The Defenders are 5-1 against NAIA’s top 25 teams in the 2022-23 season, and their top win was against NAIA 11th ranked University of Jamestown 88-78 on Feb. 18 and in the GPAC Championship 86-81.
Dordt University averages 90.6 points per game, which puts them third in the NAIA in that category. The Defenders are three-point specialists shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks sixth in the NAIA.
Dordt’s top shooter is senior forward Jacob Vis ranked 10th in the NAIA in field-goal percentage (66%) and 24th individually in defensive rebounds (187). Vis is also top 15 in the nation in total points scored with 610 and ninth in points per 40 minutes at 29.2.
Another offensive weapon for the Defenders is junior guard Bryce Coppock, who averages 17 points per game and tallied six 20+ point games this season, with his season high of 26 coming on Feb. 1 against Morningside University. Coppock is shooting 50 percent from the floor and 38 percent from deep.
Fans can watch the game at Freed-Hardman’s live stream or listen to Bethel University’s coverage of the Pilots at rrsn.com/watch, with the pregame show starting at 4:50 p.m. The winner will play the winner of the 7:30 p.m. game between Freed-Hardman University and IU-Southeast in the championship game.