KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- Biola University continues its postseason run on Friday night, going up against local favorite Park University in the second round of the 2010 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship at 6:15 p.m. Central Time at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
The Eagles reached the NAIA second round for the first time since 2004-05 with a 66-54 victory over Belhaven (Miss.) in the first round on Wednesday night. Biola is the sixth-seed in the tournament field and enters today's tilt with a record of 28-5.
Park University pulled off a stunning first-round upset, defeating perennial NAIA tournament favorite and No. 11-seeded Georgetown College (Ky.) 83-75. The Pirates hail from Parkville, Missouri, a small suburb of Kansas City located just 10 miles away from Municipal Auditorium.
Park is making its fourth NAIA tournament appearance and has reached the second round in three of those four appearances. The Pirates are 5-3 in the tournament overall. Park earned a trip to the tournament with a second-place finish in the American Midwest Conference. The Pirates lost in the opening round of the AMC tournament, but still earned the 12th at-large berth into the tournament field.
Biola is making its 17th appearance in the NAIA tournament and its second-straight. The Eagles have the sixth-most appearances among current NAIA teams and are 20-16 overall in tournament games. Among their 16 previous appearances, the Eagles have placed in the top four twice (2nd, 1981-82; 3rd, 1999-00).
The NAIA is providing numerous ways for fans to watch the action from Friday's game. For video, visit
http://www.watchnaia.com to order and watch the pay-per-view broadcast ($9.99 per round or $29.99 for a tournament pass). Free internet radio is also available by visiting
http://www.sportsradiokc.com. Fans can also follow the game with live stats, which are available through the NAIA website at
http://www.naia.org.