Bruins vs. T-Birds – MBB District I Playoff Preview and Webcast Information

Region1 Champion T-Birds to face Region 18 Champion Bruins to battle for NJCAA Tourney Bid

Salt Lake City, UT—On Saturday, Mar. 8, the Region 18 Champion SLCC Men's Basketball team (26-6) will host Region 1 Champion No. 22-ranked Mesa Community College (MCC) (25-5) in the 2014 District I Playoff with an automatic bid to the NJCAA National Tournament at stake. The loser of the contest will hope for an at-large berth to the 'big dance' in Hutchinson, KS (Mar. 17-22).

Game Coverage: Fans from either school who can't make it out to the arena to watch the game in person can view it live on the SLCC Athletics iHigh.com live Web stream using the link provided below:

District I Playoff Webcast – Saturday, Mar. 8 – 7 p.m.

No. 22 Mesa CC (25-5) @ Salt Lake CC (26-6)

Watch it: http://www.ihigh.com/saltlakecc/broadcast_339347.html?silverlight=1

The play-by-play 'voice of the Bruins' Gavin McCallister will have the call with the broadcast beginning approximately 10 minutes prior to tipoff. Live stats for the contest will be available on the SLCC Athletics home page, slccbruins.com, under the 'Live Stats and Video Streaming' tab.

Bruins by the Numbers: SLCC heads into Saturday's contest on the heels of a 62-49 win over archrival No. 10-ranked College of Southern Idaho (CSI) (27-5) in the Region 18 Championship Game. The Bruins claimed their second consecutive Region 18 title under third-year Head Coach Todd Phillips and are just one home victory away from back-to-back appearances at NJCAA Nationals.

The Bruins are averaging 80.7 points scored per game, led by sophomore guard Gary Payton II (Las Vegas, NV) and freshman forward Neal Monson (Sandy, UT), each with 14.2 points per contest. Second on the team in scoring is sophomore guard Jaden Jackson (Salt Lake City, UT) at 12.2 points per outing. SLCC is allowing an average of 68.4 points per game to its opposition.

Scouting the T-Birds: Head Coach Sam Ballard and the Mesa Thunderbirds bring an overall record of 26-4 with them to Bruin Arena for Saturday's game. Mesa is averaging 84.7 points per contest, led by sophomore forward Camyn Boone with 16.7 points per outing. Second on the team in scoring is sophomore guard Shy McClelland at 15.3 points per game. The Thunderbirds eased past in-state rival Arizona Western 108-63 in the Region 1 final.

Follow the Bruins! Following Saturday's matchup, be sure to check back in on the SLCC Athletics home page for a postgame recap, stats and more.

For in-game updates and photos, be sure to follow the Bruins on Twitter with the handle @BruinAthletics, and use the hash tag #Road2Hutch during Saturday's game to chime in on the conversation.