EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The West Regional Champion California State University San Bernardino men's basketball team will face Nova Southeastern University in the Final Four for the second consecutive season Thursday afternoon at the Ford Center.

Last Meeting
The Coyotes and Sharks met in the 2023 national semifinal, also at the Ford Center. Nova Southeastern prevailed by a final score of 93-87, and went on to win the National Championship two days later.

How They Got Here
Cal State San Bernardino enters with an overall record of 27-7 on the season, and finished CCAA play with a mark of 17-5. The Coyotes won the CCAA Regular Season Championship, but fell to Cal State Los Angeles in the Tournament Championship. CSUSB responded just nine days later however, winning the West Region in Cal State LA's gym, after defeating Alaska Anchorage, Chico State, and Azusa Pacific. In the opening game of the Elite Eight, the Coyotes dominated Gannon University 99-65 to advance to the Final Four on Tuesday. 

Nova Southeastern enters on a 19-game winning streak, and has an overall record of 31-2 this season. They won the Sunshine State Conference Regular Season and Tournament championships, before knocking off Benedict, Embry-Riddle, and Florida Southern to win the South Region. The Sharks trailed Southern New Hampshire by as many as 17 early in the second half in the Elite Eight, but came from behind to knock off the Penmen on Tuesday afternoon

Players to Watch
Leading the way for Cal State San Bernardino will be CCAA All-Conference First Team selections Chris Mitchell (Oceanside, Calif.) and Robby Robinson (San Diego, Calif.). 

Mitchell averages a team-high 16.1 points per game this season to go along with 7.4 rebounds per game. He was named to the CCAA All-Tournament Team after averaging 18.0 points and 11.0 rebounds over the two games, and was also named Most Valuable Player of the West Regional Tournament.

Robinson was named a National Association of Basketball Coaches minutes before tip-off on Tuesday, and is CSUSB's second-leading scorer this season. Robinson averages 14.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He and Mitchell each earned NABC All-District honors on Monday.

CCAA All-Conference Second Team selection Sedrick Altman (Rialto, Calif.) was named an All-District Second Team on Monday, and responded with a career-best 37 point performance against Gannon. He averaged 13.7 points per game this season for the Coyotes, ranking third on the team.

The only other Yote averaging double figures this season was senior LeAndrew Knight (Lompoc, Calif.), who averaged 10.6 points per game and was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the CCAA. He posted 29 points on 12-for-13 shooting against Gannon.

Nova Southeastern will be led by NABC All-South District Team selection Shane Hunter. He has averaged 15.5 points per game this season on 56.6 percent shooting. Hunter is one of five players for the Sharks that averages double figures on the season, joining Isaiah Fuller (13.1), MJ Iraldi (12.8), GianFranco Grafals (10.5), and Trey Doomes (10.1). 
 

All the Details
Thursday's Elite Eight contest between the Coyotes and Sharks will take place at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. CT (11 a.m. PT).

The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network, and online at CBSSports.com with a cable login.

Tickets can be purchased at FordCenter.com

Live statistics will be available at CSUSBAthletics.com. 

You can also listen live on KMET Radio 1490 AM and the KMET mobile app.

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