JOPLIN, Mo. – The wait is over. The No. 1 seed and undefeated Johnson County women's basketball team will be facing a familiar opponent tomorrow as the Lady Cavaliers begin their quest to capture the 2024 NJCAA D-II National Women's Basketball Championship.
No. 17-seed North Central Missouri dominated 16-seed Southwestern Michigan 79-63 in the first round Monday afternoon to advance for a matchup against the top ranked team in the country. The tip is scheduled for 11 a.m., at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center in Joplin, Mo.
This will be the 21st all-time meeting between the two programs, and the third this season. This will also be the second time these two programs have faced off in a national tournament. In 2022, JCCC defeated the Pirates 72-46 in the fifth/sixth place game.
The Lady Cavaliers swept the season series with the Pirates this year, winning 79-57 at home on November 26 and 56-41 in Trenton, Mo., on January 4. Johnson County leads the all-time series 16-4 and head coach Ben Conrad is a perfect 10-0. The last time Johnson County suffered a setback to NCMC was on January 20, 1986.
JCCC is making its 15th appearance at the NJCAA D-II National Tournament, and the 9th under Conrad. JCCC is 30-14 all-time with national titles in 2000 and 2015, and runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2021.
North Central Missouri is playing in its sixth national tournament and stand 8-9 overall including Monday's victory.
The 2024 NJCAA Division 2 National Tournament will be streamed live by the NJCAA Network.