RAMS vs. OBU
March 19, 2006

KANSAS CITY, MO:  At 8:00 p.m. on Monday, the Texas Wesleyan University men’s basketball team will play in its first NAIA Fab Four in the 68-year history of the program.  The school has made eight tournament appearances, reaching the Elite Eight in 1940 and 1941, but they had not made the field since 1983.

The Rams advanced to Monday’s semifinal by taking three wins in three days.  They defeated #5 Union University 82-64 on Thursday, took their first win in ten seasons over Oklahoma Christian University 67-62 on Friday, and knocked off #4 Carroll College in a thrilling 73-70 contest on Saturday.

In the locker room after defeating Carroll in the Elite Eight, assistant coach Brennan Shingleton told his team, “You did it the right way, and that is something that you can take with you for the rest of your lives.”  The Rams can already be viewed as the greatest team in school history.  Now they will try to accomplish something that no one outside of the team imagined they were capable of.

#3 Robert Morris College will take on #7 Oklahoma City University in the other semifinal at 6:00 p.m. before the Rams meet #8 Oklahoma Baptist in the Fab Four.  The Bison have a rich tournament history, making 19 appearances.  They hold a record of 44-17 in tournament play, and have reached the final six times, winning the title in 1966.

This season, the Bison defeated the University of Illinois-Springfield 86-70, #9 Georgetown College 80-71, and #15 Olivet Nazarene University 91-75.

Oklahoma Baptist leads the all-time series between the two schools 5-3, but they have not met since 1991.

On Sunday, the Rams had a walk through practice on the floor at Municipal Auditorium before each of the final four teams put on a clinic for Special Olympics athletes. They will have one more practice Monday morning before their 8:00 p.m. game.