#15 DBU (27-6, 18-2 LSC) vs #10 BLACK HILLS STATE (29-4, 17-3 RMAC)
March 17 | 7:00 PM | Dallas, TX | The Burg Center
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MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
Tournament Central: DBU Athletics
Video: NCAA
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast  
X: DBUBasketball
Instagram: dbubasketball
Facebook: DBU Athletics
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COUNTDOWN TO TIP-OFF
No. 15-ranked DBU will play for the South Central Region Championship in its own barn for the second consecutive season, following a historic run to the Final Four in 2025. No. 10-ranked Black Hills State awaits them on Tuesday, with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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LAST TIME OUT
Sunday night, the Patriots took down St. Edward's 70-56 in the semi-final round of the South Central Region Championship in front of an electric crowd at The Burg.
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DBU took a 27-26 lead into halftime, and the score remained neck and neck until midway through the second frame. Drew Calderon led the charge as the Patriots began to pull away, dropping all of his 14 points on the night in the final 20 minutes.
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Cody Stevens led the group in points for the second straight game with 15, but the biggest storyline of the game was DBU's dominance on the glass. Five different Patriots hauled in five or more boards as DBU outrebounded the Hilltoppers 50-34.
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Read more about the group's 14th consecutive win here.  
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PATRIOT STORYLINES
Dominance: The Patriots will play for the South Central Region Championship in their own building for the second consecutive year.
Run It Up: In its active 14-game win streak, the longest streak in program history, DBU owns an average scoring margin of +13.4 points.
Climbing The Ladder: The Patriots came in at No. 15 in the most recent national coaches poll (NABC).
Back to Back: For the second year in a row, the Patriots took home both the LSC Tournament and LSC Regular Season Championships.
All-Tournament: Xavion Brown, Trevor Frank, and TJ Thomas were named to the All-Lone Star Conference Tournament team.
Reigning Royalty: Xavion Brown brought home the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive season.
All-Conference Names: Brown (First Team), Trevor Frank (Second Team), and Drew Calderon (Third Team) all earned spots on a 2026 All-LSC team.
Quick Draw: The Patriots finished the regular season leading the country in steals per game (13.3) and second in the country in turnovers forced per game (21.58).
Reinforcements: DBU finished the regular season leading the Lone Star Conference in bench points per game with 38.61 (fourth in the nation).
Offensive Glass: The Patriots finished the regular season leading the Lone Star Conference with 14.06 offensive rebounds per game.
Our Brand: DBU finished the regular season leading the Lone Star Conference in average turnover margin, sporting a +7.5 clip (third in the nation).
Separation: DBU's total forced turnover margin is currently +261 (744-483).
First 20: The Patriots have held the lead going into halftime in 29 of their 35 games this season.
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SCOUTING #10 BLACK HILLS STATE (29-4, 17-3 RMAC)
- Black Hills State owns a 12-game win streak, having not lost since February 5 (71-53 vs CSU Pueblo).
- The Patriots and Yellow Jackets have both faced Colorado Mesa in the last two weeks. DBU defeated the Mavericks 99-66, and BHSU took them down 89-77.
- The Yellow Jackets finished the regular season second in the country in defensive rebounds per game (29.23).
- Black Hills State is led offensively by Cam Lowe. The 6'6'' sophomore guard is averaging 17.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, which lead the group.
- Lowe also leads the team with 90 three-pointers made, and is shooting 41.1% from beyond the arc.
- The Yellow Jackets own a -9 forced turnover differential on the season (384-393).
- Head coach Ryan Thompson is in his eighth season as a collegiate head coach, all of which have been with BHSU. Thompson holds a career head coaching record of 168-70.
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SERIES HISTORY
Black Hills State won the only matchup between the two schools, which took place in the 2022 South Central Region Quarterfinals.
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UP NEXT
The winner of Sunday's contest will advance to the Elite Eight in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The eight teams that survive the regionals will be re-seeded by the Division II Men's Basketball Committee before bracket play resumes.