Men's Basketball | 3/26/2014 12:20:00 AM

    EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The No. 7-ranked West Liberty University men's basketball team tips off its fourth straight NCAA Division II Elite Eight quest tonight at 7 p.m. (EDT) against defending national champion and No. 8-ranked Drury, Mo. in the third of today's four national quarterfinals at the Ford Center.
    The game presents quite a contrast in styles as Coach Jim Crutchfield's Hilltoppers (29-3) are leading the nation in scoring for the eighth time in the last nine seasons (101.5 ppg.) while Coach Steve Hesser's Panthers (28-3) hold opponents to just 67.2 points a night.
    Crutchfield, however, sees more similarities than differences in this showdown between a pair of NCAA Division II heavyweights that have gone a combined 122-12 record over the past two seasons despite sustaining heavy graduation losses after last year's joint 30-win campaigns.
    "We're pretty similar to Drury," Crutchfield said during Tuesday's Elite Eight press conference at the Ford Center. "We lost three 1,000-point scorers from last year's Final Four team, including the National Player of the Year, but we were able to replace them in-house with people stepping up into larger roles. I know Drury has a very similar story but we both made it back. That's the key. It's so hard to make it here, I feel like if you're good enough to get in it, you're good enough to win it. That's true for every team here and that's what makes it exciting."
    Consensus All-American Cedric Harris (17.9 ppg.), already well over 2,000 points for his career, leads seven double-figure scorers for the Hilltoppers but balance and versatility have been the keys to success for the Black and Gold. Not only have nine West Liberty players hit double figures at least once this season, five different players have posted double-doubles by collecting 10 or more rebounds, assists or blocks to go along with a double-digit scoring night.
    Junior forward C.J. Hester (14.6 ppg., 8.6 rpg.), a 2-time Academic All-American, and junior guard Shawn Dyer (14.4 ppg.) have already passed the 1,000-point career milestone while senior forward Keene Cockburn (12.1 ppg.) has emerged as a force in the paint, ranking No. 7 nationally with nearly 3 blocks a game. Rounding out the double-figure scorers are freshman guard Devin Hoehn (12.0 ppg.), sophomore guard Kelvin Goodwin (11.1 ppg.) and sophomore forward Seger Bonifant (10.4 ppg.).
    Drury – which had to replace more than 50 percent of its scoring from last year's national championship squad – relies heavily on the 1-2 punch of 6-5 junior forward Cameron Adams (17.5 ppg., 6.1 rpg.) and 6-2 sophomore guard Kameron Bundy (17.6 ppg.), one of whom has led the Panthers in scoring in 29 of this year's 31 games.
    Rounding out the starting lineup are 6-6 senior Ian Carter (9.6 ppg., 5.4 rpg.), 6-4 junior Drake Patterson (6.9 ppg.) and 6-2 senior Lonnie Boga (6.7 ppg.). Carter, who scored his 1,000^th career point in Drury's Midwest Regional championship game win against Michigan Tech, is the school's all-time leading shot blocker with 120 career rejections.
    West Liberty's Harris, who will be playing in his 15^th NCAA Tournament game tonight, said the Panthers certainly got the Hilltoppers'attention during film study.
    "In all honesty, I thought Drury was the best defensive team I've seen all season," Harris told reporters following Wednesday's practice session at the Ford Center. "They're all very mature on the court and they seem to have high IQs for the game of basketball. It's going to be a tough challenge for us but we're up for it."
    Quarterfinal action gets under way at 1 p.m. (EDT) when No. 4-ranked Southern Connecticut State (30-2) takes on No. 20 Central Missouri (27-5). Top-ranked Metro State, Colo. (31-1) closes out the afternoon session with a 3:30 p.m. game against unranked Tuskegee, Ala. (21-11). Chico State, Calif. (25-7) and No. 5 South Carolina-Aiken (32-3) follow the Hilltoppers and Panthers onto the court at 9:30 p.m. for the last quarterfinal of the day.
   
THE ELITE EIGHT
(all times EDT)
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, March 26
       No. 4 Southern Conn. State (30-2) vs. No. 20 Central Missouri (27-5), 1 p.m.
       No. 1 Metro State, Colo. (31-1) vs. Tuskegee, Ala. (21-11), 3:30 p.m.
       No. 7 WEST LIBERTY (29-3) vs. No. 8 Drury, Mo. (28-3), 7 p.m.
       Chico State, Calif. (25-7) vs. No. 5 South Carolina-Aiken (32-3), 9:30 p.m.
Semifinals
Thursday, March 27
       Southern Conn. St./Central Missouri winner vs. Metro State/Tuskegee winner, 7 p.m.
       West Liberty/Drury winner vs. Chico State/USC-Aiken winner, 9:30 p.m.
Championship
Saturday, March 29
       Semifinal winners, 3 p.m.
*-Final NABC Coaches' Poll