Friday, March 8
No. 5 Macomb (26-3) vs. Alpena (10-15)
6:00 p.m. | Played at Mott CC | 1401 E. Court St., Flint, MI
Live Stream | Live Stats
Sunday, March 10 (if nec.)
No. 5 Macomb (26-3) vs. Kalamazoo Valley (23-6)/Cuyahoga (23-7) winner
4:00 p.m. | Played at Mott CC | 1401 E. Court St., Flint, MI
Live Stream | Live Stats
BY THE NUMBERS: 2
What a historic weekend it was in Escanaba! The Monarchs scored a program record 137 points in their (137-111) MCCAA Semifinal win over KVCC and went on to defeat No. 13 Bay, 94-85, to take home MCCAA Championship No.
2 in program history. The previous MCCAA Championship was won in the 2021-22 season.
BY THE NUMBERS: 12
After earning two more victories last weekend in the U.P., the fifth-ranked Monarchs extended their winning streak to
12 games! The
12-game streak has featured its fair share of incredible moments, including buzzer beaters, the program's third outright MCCAA Eastern Conference Championship (fifth overall) and second MCCAA Championship!
ONE FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS
The 2023-24 Macomb Men's Basketball season has already been one for the history books. However, two more wins this week and the Monarchs can do something no other team has accomplished in the storied history of the program—win a conference title, a MCCAA Championship and a Region 12 Championship (District/Region) in the same season. Good luck, Monarchs!
BALANCED SCORING
Juwan Maxey leads five in double figures at 16.4 points per game (PPG), followed by
Tymias Williams who nets 15.0 PPG.
Parker Day and
Nate Brown are next at 12.7 and 12.2 PPG, respectively, while
Josh Hines checks in at 12.1 PPG. The balance continues with the following averages:
Kyle Millender (8.6),
Jotham Nweke (8.6),
Tate MacKenzie (8.4),
Justin James (7.7),
DaMaryon Fishburn (5.0) and
Marlon Williams (5.0).
AND HERE...WE...GO!
The field is set for Ballenger! After a home win over Muskegon in the play-in round, the North No. 3 seed Alpena Lumberjacks will take on the top-seeded Monarchs in a Great Lakes District B Semifinal Friday at 6 p.m. at Mott's Ballenger Fieldhouse. The other semifinal features West No. 1 KVCC vs. South No. 3 Cuyahoga. That game will tip at 8 p.m. Friday evening.
PUNCH THE RETURN TICKET!
The Monarchs can punch their return ticket to Danville and earn one of three automatic bids out of Region 12 by winning the District B Championship this weekend. New this season: four at-large berths are also available as the national tournament field has expanded to 20 teams from its previous 16-team format. Best path: win and in! The 2024 NJCAA Division II National Championship is March 18-23 in Danville, Ill.
HELLO AGAIN!
Hello again, old friend! The Monarchs will square off with the Alpena Community College Lumberjacks in the Great Lakes District B Semifinals on Friday at 6 p.m. in Flint, marking the first meeting between the programs since Alpena shifted to the Northern Conference two seasons ago. Elijah Hennings (17.5 PPG) and Davarion Mitchell (14.9 PPG) lead the Lumberjacks offensively.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRACKET
Should Macomb advance in their semifinal contest with Alpena, the Monarchs will move on to the District B Championship in Flint on Sunday at 4 p.m. against the winner of the KVCC and Cuyahoga matchup. The Monarchs are familiar with both teams, defeating KVCC three times this season and Cuyahoga once in the season opener. KVCC enters the weekend at 23-6 overall and Cuyahoga comes in with a 23-7 overall record.
ADDITIONAL STAT LEADERS
Tymias Williams leads a balanced cast on the glass with 7.5 rebounds per game (RPG), followed by
Parker Day (7.5),
Juwan Maxey (5.9) and
Tate MacKenzie (5.8).
Justin James has dished out a team-best 105 assists (3.6 APG) and leads the way in steals with 49, while Maxey has drained a team-leading 87 3-pointers at a 42% clip.
SELECTION SHOW
Tune in Tuesday, March 12 at 2 p.m. as the NJCAA hosts its Division II Selection Show to reveal the 20-team field for this year's National Championship Tournament. The Monarchs, the fifth-ranked team in the country at 26-3 overall, aim to secure an auto bid with a pair of wins this week. Watch the Selection Show here:
njcaa.org/network.
