Park Hills, Mo. (KFMO) - The Mineral Area Cardinals received the 20-seed and will face the 13-seeded Monroe Mustangs in the first round of the NJCAA National Tournament Saturday at 5:30pm.
MAC (21-11) won their way into the field of 24 by beating Malcolm X College in the Midwest District Championship last Saturday in Chicago. The Cardinals were receiving votes in the final NJCAA poll.
Monroe (27-4) won the East District title on March 8 to become the first team locked into the tournament, and were ranked 16th in the final national poll.
The Mustangs have won their last 20 games but had the 129th ranked toughest schedule according to Massey Ratings, while the Mineral Area schedule was rated the 62nd toughest in the NJCAA.
KFMOsports will provide coverage of the NJCAA First Round game between the Cardinals and Mustangs on Saturday at 5:00pm on AM-1240 KFMO, the KFMO App, and online at kfmo.com/plus.