2015 NCAA Division II Championships - National Semifinals
(A3) IUP Crimson Hawks (30-6, 17-5 PSAC)
vs. (SC1) Tarleton State Texans (31-3, 12-2 LSC)
Thursday, March 26, 2015 | 7:00 p.m. (EST)
Ford Center | Evansville, Ind.

IUP Game Notes (PDF)
Television: CBS Sports Network | Check local listings
Live Video: NCAA.com | NCAA Live
Live Audio: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com
Live Stats: NCAA.com | NCAA Stats
Full NCAA Bracket

AT A GLANCE
The Crimson Hawks have advanced the the fourth Final Four in program history and will face South Central Region champion Tarleton State in the national semifinals on Thursday night. IUP is 30-6 overall on the season while the Texans enter the matchup with a 31-3 overall record.  

HOW THEY GOT HERE
The Atlantic Region champion Crimson Hawks defeated Azusa Pacific - the West Region champ - 66-65 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday afternoon. Tarleton State advanced with a 77-59 victory over Mount Olive.  

THE FINAL FOUR
On the other side of the bracket is Florida Southern (South Region) and Bellarmine (Midwest). FSU defeated Southern New Hampshire 81-70 and Bellarmine beat Minnesota State-
Moorhead 92-75 to advance to the semifinals.

IN THE RANKINGS
IUP is ranked 25th by the NABC while Tarleton State is 7th. 

LAST TIME OUT
IUP held off late advances by Azusa Pacific and used free throws to seal a 69-65 quarterfinal win on Wednesday. Sr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) led the Crimson Hawks with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, while four other players reached double-figures in scoring for IUP. 

THE FORD CENTER
This is the second straight year that Evansville and the Ford Center has hosted the Division II Elite Eight, seeing Central Missouri defeat West Liberty 86-83 in 2014. The 290,000 square foot facility opened in Nov. 2011 and is home to the Evansville Aces men's and women's basketball teams and the East Coast Hockey League's Evansville IceMen. It seats 9,000 for basketball games. 

IUP IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
This is IUP's 14th NCAA tournament appearance, including a run of seven straight. This is the program's sixth Elite Eight and fourth Final Four appearance, also advancing to the 2010 national championship game. IUP is 28-13 all-time in NCAA postseason games. 

IUP IN THE ELITE EIGHT
IUP is 5-5 all-time at the Elite Eight, including a 1-2 record in the national semifinal round. The Crimson Hawks defeated St. Cloud State 76-70 in 2010, while losing to Metro State 82-52 in 2002 and UC Riverside 73-69 in 1995. 

NCAAs UNDER LOMBARDI
This is Lombardi's seventh NCAA tournament appearance at IUP, leading the Crimson Hawks to a 15-6 record with regional titles in 2010 and 2015. He also led IUP to the national championship game in 2010, defeatingValdosta State and St. Cloud State before falling to Cal Poly Pomona 65-53 in the final.

TWO HUNDRED
Lombardi hit the 200-win plateau with IUP's victory over Glenville State. He's the fastest IUP coach to reach the milestone and with 203 all-time wins, is second all-time in school history behind Gary Edwards and his 206 career victories.  

THE TARLETON STATE MATCHUP
This matchup features arguably the best two defensive teams in the Final Four. The Texans are 3rd in Division II with 60.2 ppg allowed this year while IUP is 8th at 62.1 ppg allowed. Tarleton State has been even better in the NCAA tournament, allowing just 59.2 ppg. These two teams are also the lowest scoring teams in the Final Four, with IUP scoring 75.1 and the Texans averaging 74.9 ppg. 

GUARD-ORIENTED
IUP has been led this postseason by the backcourt combination of Sr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter), Gr. G Shawn Dyer (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding) and Jr. G Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown). The guards have combined to average 47.0 ppg with a 50.4 FG% and and 88.7 FT% in IUP's four NCAA tournament games.  

THE AWARD WINNER
Chance was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year and is a 1st team All-Atlantic Region pick. The co-captain is 4th in the PSAC with 16.6 ppg and 18th in Division II at 5.8 apg. He has four double-doubles and is 10th in Division II with 37.8 mpg. Chance's 208 assists are a school record and the 6th highest total in the nation this season. 

DYER'S POSTSEASON SUCCESS
Dyer was the Atlantic Region Tournament Most Outstanding Player and was a 2nd team All-PSAC West pick. The transfer from West Liberty has a 27-4 record in 31 career postseason games, and has won four straight regional championships. He's averaging 16.3 ppg in those games, including 18.8 ppg in IUP's eight PSAC & NCAA tournament games this year. 

MR. CONSISTENCY
Norfleet is a highly efficient scorer, leading IUP with a 58.1 FG% (18-31) in NCAA tournament games, while also going 9-10 from the foul line in the last four contests. 

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Crimson Hawks are at their best when the defense performs well as they are 12-1 when holding opponents under 60 points and 26-4 when opponents score less than 70 points in a game. Tarleton State has scored more than 70 points in 23 of its 34 games this season. 

SCOUTING TARLETON STATE
A veteran NCAA tournament team, Tarleton State has made six consecutive appearances and 13 of the last 14 seasons. This year's Texans made it to the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference tournament before eventually winning the South Central Region with a 66-64 win over Angelo State in the regional championship game. The Texans have three players who score in double-figures and five who average at least 8.6 points per game. Sr. G Mo Lee has been Tarleton State's main offensive weapon in the postseason, scoring a team-high 17.0 ppg in four NCAA tournament contests. Sr. F Davene Carter leads the team with 6.8 rpg over that span while shooting 71.9 pct (23-32) from the floor.