Men's Basketball | 3/22/2016 11:03:00 PM

FRISCO, Texas – There's a hint of déjà vu surrounding the No. 5-ranked West Liberty University basketball team as Coach Jim Crutchfield's Atlantic Region champion Hilltoppers prepare for their NCAA Division II Elite Eight quarterfinal date with unranked East Region champion Stonehill (Mass.). Tipoff for the second quarterfinal game of Wednesday's afternoon session is set for 3:30 p.m. (EDT) at the Dr. Pepper Arena.
    It's a rematch of the 2012 Elite Eight quarterfinal between the same two teams which saw another unranked Stonehill team storm back from a double-digit deficit in the second half to pull out a 91-90 win, shocking a No. 3-ranked West Liberty team that had won 30 of its last 31 games.
    Crutchfield has led the Hilltoppers to seven straight "Sweet 16s" and five of the last six Elite Eights but he remembers that afternoon in Highland Heights, Ky. all too well.
    "I thought that year's team had been as dominant in the regional as any team we've ever had so losing in the quarterfinals was extremely disappointing," said Crutchfield, whose career winning percentage (330-56, .855) ranks No. 1 in NCAA men's basketball history.
    "That's the only time I thought we didn't bring our 'A' game in an NCAA Tournament game and we paid the price. When you get to this level, you have to play at a championship level if you expect to win a championship."
    Senior All-American Seger Bonifant leads the high-scoring Hilltoppers (30-3), who lead the nation in scoring at 99.0 ppg. The 6-7 Bonifant (25.1 ppg.) is the top 3-point shooter in NCAA history and the leading scorer in this year's Elite Eight field but the 2,200-point career scorer has plenty of support.
    Joining Bonifant in the starting lineup are 6-1 All-MEC junior guard Devin Hoehn (15.6 ppg.) – a 1,300-point scorer – along with speedy 6-1 MEC Freshman of the Year David Dennis Jr. (13.7 ppg.) and 6-8 All-MEC junior post Zac Grossenbacher (12.4 ppg., 9.5 rpg.) with Mike Lamberti (8.5 ppg.) – a 6-5 senior who will be playing in his 122^nd career game – rounding out the starting five.
    Third-year Stonehill coach Chris Kraus is no stranger to the Elite Eight. He was a star guard on the Skyhawks' first Elite Eight team in 2006 and was an assistant coach on the Stonehill squad that stunned WLU in the 2012 event. His Skyhawks (24-8), who survived a pair of overtime nail-biters to emerge from the East Regional, also feature a well-balanced attack led by a trio of All-Northeast 10 selections.
    Their leading scorer is 6-7 junior forward Ryan Logan (17.7 ppg., 8.3 rpg.) with 5-10 senior point guard Carter Smith (16.3 ppg.) close behind. The third All-NE10 selection is Pierce Cumpstone, a 6-8 senior post who scores at a 14.3 ppg. clip while averaging an Elite Eight-best 9.7 rebounds a night.
    Rounding out the starting five are a pair of 6-3 guards in senior Adam Bramanti (10.7 ppg.) and sophomore Isaiah Bess (7.5 ppg.). Keep an eye out for Jimmy Walsh, a 6-6 junior who adds 10.7 points and 4.3 rebounds a game off the bench.
    The West Liberty/Stonehill winner advances to Thursday's 7 p.m. (EDT) semifinal against the winner of Wednesday's 1 p.m. quarterfinal between No. 1-ranked Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. (32-2) and unranked Barry, Fla. (26-6).
 
THE ELITE EIGHT
(all times EDT)
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, March 23
       No. 1 Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. (32-2) vs. Barry, Fla. (26-6), 1 p.m.
       No. 5 WEST LIBERTY (30-3) vs. Stonehill, Mass. (24-8), 3:30 p.m.
       No. 2 Augustana, S.D. (31-2) vs. Tarleton State, Texas (24-8), 7 p.m.
       No. 3 Western Oregon (30-3) vs. No. 25 Saginaw Valley State, Mich. (25-7), 9:30 p.m.
Semifinals
Thursday, March 24
       Lincoln Memorial/Barry winner vs. WEST LIBERTY/Stonehill winner, 7 p.m.
       Augustana/Tarleton State winner vs. Western Oregon/Saginaw Valley winner, 9:30 pm
Championship
Saturday, March 26
       Semifinal winners, 3 p.m.