10-Seed Walters State opens NJCAA DI Tournament against 23-seed South Georgia State on Sunday

HUTCHINSON, KS – 10-seed Walters State will begin its time in the NJCAA DI Men's Basketball Tournament on Sunday at 2:30 pm CT, taking on the 23-seed South Georgia State.

This is Walters State's 10th NJCAA DI Men's Basketball Tournament Appearance and their second time in three seasons. 

Sunday's game will be at Hutchinson Sports Arena at 2:30 pm CT and can be seen on ESPN+. The winner will take on 7-seed Midland at 2:30 pm CT on Tuesday. 

How They Got Here:

Walters State

• The Senators won the regular season conference championship, going 19-1 in the conference. Their one loss was at Motlow State, 68-66, but the Senators got revenge a month later with a 104-56 victory. The Senators margin of victory in conference play was 31 points. 

• In the Region 7 Tournament, Walters State went 3-0. The Senators beat 9-seed Volunteer State (94-63), 4th-seed Chattanooga State (95-64) and 2nd-seed Columbia State (68-65) in the Championship.

• In the Championship, the Senators overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat the Chargers, who were receiving votes and finished the season at 27-6. In the game, Taquez Butler led the way with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Malaki Brooks had 11 points. Da'Mori Lytch also added 11 points and five rebounds. 

South Georgia State

• South Georgia finished in second place in the regular season in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association, going 13-3 in conference play and 23-10 overall. 

• In the GCAA Tournament, the Hawks defeated Georgia Highlands, 72-62 in the opening round. Following an 82-78 win over South Georgia Tech in the Semifinals, the Hawks won a 75-74 thriller over Central Georgia Tech in the Championship. 

• In the Championship game, Reggie White led the way with 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal while Jeremy Anderson added 17 points. Kyric Davis finished with 16 points, five rebounds and two assists, as well. 

Walters State Team Stats:

• Walters State ranks Top 10 in the NJCAA in eight statistical categories: 

  • No. 1 Assists Per Game (23.5)

  • No. 2 in Field Goal Percentage (54.3%)

  • No. 4 in Points Per Game (95.9)

  • No. 4 in Field Goal Percentage allowed (38.2%)

  • No. 6 in 3-point Percentage (40.7%)

  • No. 6 in Points Allowed Per Game (64.7)

  • No. 7 in Turnovers Forced (17.5)

  • No. 7 in Total Rebound Margin (12.8)

• Brian Carter is tied for first in the country in field goal % (75.2%)

• The Senators also have six players averaging double-figure points:

  • Jamar Livingston: 13.1

  • Da'Mori Lytch: 12.5

  • Brian Carter: 12.2

  • Taquez Butler: 12.1

  • Carter Webb: 11.4

  • Tyrese Stovall: 10.2

Players To Watch:

Walters State

• Da'Mori Lytch: The TCCAA Player of the Year, Lytch shot 67.4% from the field and averaged 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Lytch scored double-digits in 20 games on the season. His best game came against Roane State on November 12 when he finished with 24 points and eight rebounds. Lytch had 18 and nine against Volunteer State on November 22 and Chattanooga State on December 3. 

• Taquez Butler: Butler earned All-TCCAA First Team honors after averaging 12.1 points and dishing out five assists per game. Butler shot 49.5% from the field and led the conference with 142 assists. Butler's assist-to-turnover ratio was 3.8, and he made 70 3-pointers. Butler was also named the TCCAA/Region 7 Tournament MVP.  For the tournament, Butler finished with 49 points, 12 3-pointers made and 16 rebounds in three games. 

• Jamar Livingston: Another All-TCCAA First Team member, Livingston was fourth in the conference in points per game at 13.1. Livingston made 69 3-pointers, shot 42.1% from 3 and shot 82.6% from the charity stripe. On the defensive end, Livingston had 51 steals. 

• Brian Carter: Named to the All-TCCAA Second Team, Carter is second in the country in field goal percentage at 75.2%. Carter averaged 12.2 points and five rebounds per game, and he shot 72.4% from the free-throw line. Carter scored double-digit points in eight of the Senators last 10 games of the regular season. 

South Georgia State

• Chandler Thomas: An All-GCCA First Team member, Thomas led South Georgia State, averaging 16.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Thomas shot 50% from the field, made 182 field goals and collected 217 rebounds. Thomas also dished out 109 assists and was second in the conference in steals with 101. 

• Jeremy Anderson: Anderson was an All-GCCA Honorable Mention member, averaging 14.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Anderson shot 58% from the field and collected 309 rebounds. Anderson was the GCCA Tournament MVP. 

• Trey Callaway: Callaway averaged 10.8 points per game and shot 45.7% from the field. Callaway dished out 125 assists on the season and recorded 80 steals. Callaway had 24 points in the Hawks' GCAA Semifinal win over South Georgia Tech. 

• Reggie White: White was fifth in the GCAA conference in assists with 119 and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.9. White averaged 9.8 points per game and collected 54 steals. White caught fire in the GCAA Tournament, scoring 55 points in three games.