BUTTE, Mont.- The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced that the Orediggers of Montana Tech would be one of the 16 host sites where the first and second-round games of the National Championship, presented by Ballogy, would be played.

We looked at the Orediggers opponent Wayland Baptist University yesterday (You can read that HERE)

The first game of the National Tournament in Butte will be played at 5:00 pm, as the Royals of Hope International battle the Warriors of Lewis-Clark State College.

The Warriors enter the tournament as the No. 11 seed in the Naismith Quadrant, and the Royals are the No. 6 seed in the 16-team quadrant.

You don't have to dig too deep in the history books to find the last meeting between the Royals and Warriors, as the two teams met earlier this season in Caldwell Idaho on November 25^th. The Royals were able to secure the win 74-71.

Hope International University is a private Christian university that was founded in 1928. The campus is located in Fullerton, California, and shows an enrollment of approximately 2,000 between in-person and online learning. The Royals are a member of the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) where they compete in 21 different sports.

The Royals finished 21-9 on the year and 9-5 in GSAC play. That 9-5 mark in conference was good for 3^rd place behind a tie at the top between Arizona Christian and The Masters at 10-4. The GSAC is one of four conferences that have five teams represented in the field of 64.

This is the 10^th trip to the National Tournament for the Royals overall, and their second in a row. (They fell to Xavier, La. In the first-round last year 57-95) Hope International received an at-large bid for this year's tournament.

The Royals averaged 77.2 ppg on the year, (8^th in the GSAC) shooting 44.4% from the field, and 31.5% from the 3-point line. They pull down 34 rebounds a game, getting 11 offensive and 23 defensive on average.

Their 'work ethic' stats are where they jump off the page. They don't turn the ball over, giving up 11 turnovers a game (leads the GSAC), they also get nearly 11 steals a game (1^st in the GSAC, and 5^th in the country) They shoot 76% from the free throw line, and they spend a whole lot of time there. They lead the GSAC in FT attempts, FTs made, and FT percentage. They are 513/673 from the line this year. Their 513 made free throws is the 10th-highest mark in the country. 

Defensively, they are holding their opponents to 68.5 points per contest. 

The Royals have three players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Gaven Ramirez, a 6'7" forward from Corona, CA. Ramirez is averaging 14 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Grant Sii checks in at 12.7ppg, and Tristan Williams accounts for 10.7 a game, as well as 5.6 rebounds.

Round 2 of the Royals v. Warriors will take place on Kelvin Sampson Court, Friday at 5:00 pm. You can get tickets by calling (406) 496-4896, and you can watch the (free) stream HERE.