'We have a special bond:' Mustangs ready for national run

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Daniel Brocaille didn't mind the 13-hour trip to Louisiana with the teammates he's spent the season alongside. In fact, the extra time together on the road made the journey even more meaningful.

Brocaille and the Morningside men's basketball team arrived in Shreveport earlier this week to prepare for their fourth consecutive appearance in the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament. The Mustangs open play at 5 p.m. Friday against Texas Wesleyan.

"Every team, when you get to play in March, you're excited," Brocaille said. "Over the years, I've spent a lot of time with great teammates making great memories. It's a great group to be a part of. As a senior, I'm pumped."

Morningside enters the Duer Quadrant as the No. 7 seed with a 22-7 record, the Great Plains Athletic Conference regular-season championship, and a 13-1 mark inside the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center.

"We had some good moments, and we've had some really tough moments, but this group has always stayed together," said head coach Trent Miller '14, who reached the 100-win milestone earlier this season. "They're very connected. Our guys are still very motivated to showcase what we can do."

The Mustangs made many connections offensively this season, as five players averaged double figures in scoring. Alex Wilcoxson led the team at 17.0 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor. The other double-digit scorers were senior Caleb Dreckman (16.4), Brocaille (15.4), freshman Kaden Van Regenmorter (12.4), and Fitzy Grant (11.0).

"We just have to come together to play our best basketball," said Wilcoxson, a sophomore from Gretna, Nebraska. "It's a blessing that we still get to be playing together in March. All of us, we are never apart from each other. We have a special bond other teams wish they had."

As a team, the Mustangs shot 57 percent from the floor and 45 percent from 3-point range. Morningside averaged 91.2 points per game while allowing 81.3.

"We have to be able to execute," Miller said. "This group is selfless. Our stats defend that, and our guys share the basketball really well. They trust each other and it's a fun style of basketball to coach."

While the Rams are an unfamiliar opponent, they have played a GPAC team this season. Texas Wesleyan faced Hastings on Dec. 18, when it beat the Broncos by 22 points. The Mustangs watched that game on film throughout the week to see how the Rams sized up.

The Rams enter Friday's game as the No. 10 seed in the quadrant after winning 19 of 28 games. They went 15-7 in conference play and won two of three neutral-site contests.

Much like the Mustangs, the Rams had five players who averaged double figures in scoring. Brocaille said if there's a GPAC team that Texas Wesleyan resembles the most, it's Northwestern, who Morningside split the season series with at 1-1.

"We're gonna have to be really good on the glass," Brocaille said. "We have to shoot the ball really well, especially from deep."

For Brocaille and the Mustangs, the trip south represents another chance to extend a season that has already delivered a conference championship and plenty of memorable moments. Now, with March basketball ahead, they're hoping there are still a few more left to make.