Scorpions' NAIA opening-round game scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday
The NAIA national championship opening-round game between No. 21 University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College and the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma will be played at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Brownsville Sports Park.
The game time was confirmed Tuesday.
UTB-TSC reached the opening round by winning the Red River Athletic Conference championship for the fourth straight year Nov. 6. The Scorpions (15-3-1) have won 12 straight games.
Saturday's meeting will be the first between the two schools in any sport.
USAO was the runner-up in the Sooner Athletic Conference regular season but lost in the semifinals of the SAC Tournament. The Drovers (14-4) received the sixth at-large bid to the tournament.
The 31-team tournament bracket was determined by the final official NAIA Modified Ratings Percentage Index, which consists of the team's modified winning percentage, the opponents' winning percentage, and the cumulative ranking points of the final NAIA coaches top 25 poll.
UTB-TSC finished 27th with a modified RPI of 0.542074, while USAO finished 16th with a modified RPI of .595536, although the Scorpions were No. 21 in the coaches poll and the Drovers received votes equivalent to a No. 28 ranking.
However, UTB-TSC received the right to play host because USAO, the No. 15 seed in the tournament, did not submit a bid to host the game. The Scorpions are the only team in the opening round to play host to a game with a lower RPI than its opponent.
Admission to the game is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors 55 and over, high school and junior high students. Children 12 years and under are admitted free. UTB-TSC students, faculty and staff with Sting ID card are admitted free.
The winner of the game will advance to the Sweet 16 finals site in Orange Beach, Ala., and will play the winner of the game between No. 2 Simon Frasier (B.C.) and Great Falls (Mont.) at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 29.
