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By David Boyce  |  Northwest vs. Augustana  |  Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016  |  Bearcat Arena  |  Maryville, Mo.
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MARYVILLE, Mo. - With 4.6 seconds remaining in the Central Regional championship game last season, Northwest Missouri State men's basketball team saw its wonderful season come to an end when Augustana guard Jordan Spencer drilled two free throws.
 
The Bearcats were unable to score. They walked off Sanford Pentagon floor sad after suffering an 80-78 loss to Augustana. The Vikings to the Elite Eight and went on to win the NCAA Division II national championship.
 
Spencer is one of two starters back for Augustana. The Bearcats are looking forward to seeing them again and this time it will be in Maryville.
 
A year ago, Northwest lost twice to Augustana. Both games were in Sioux Falls, S.D. And both losses were by two points.
 
The rematch is 7 p.m. Thursday evening. The Vikings will bring a 3-0 to Bearcat Arena.
 
"I think everybody is excited to try and get revenge on them," Northwest senior Anthony Woods said. "They beat us last year. We got to come out and set a tone."
 
The two programs have gained a healthy amount of respect for each other over the last few seasons. In the 2014-15 season, Northwest beat Augustana 66-65 in the Central Regional semifinal game. Augustana was the No. 1 seed.
 
After last year's championship game, an Augustana assistant coach said he wouldn't be surprise if Northwest is in the championship game in 2017,
 
Because Augustana lost three key starters, the Vikings started this season ranked No. 18 in the NABC Coaches poll. Northwest is ranked sixth.
 
"We want to improve and the best way to improve is to play well-coached, good basketball teams that expose some of the things that you do and need to improve  on to get you ready for conference," Northwest coach Ben McCollum said.
 
A game of this magnitude gives everybody involved a taste of postseason basketball in November.
 
"It goes without saying I am pretty excited," Northwest senior D'Vante Mosby said. "I think the whole team is. I think previous players are as well, just to get a crack at playing one of the best teams. Playing the defending national champs is why you play basketball. It is why I came here. I want to compete at a high level."
 
Northwest basketball players would love to see Bearcat Arena filled up.
 
"This is great for our fans," McCollum said. "It puts us on the map a little bit more in basketball, especially a marquee game like this. You are the center of attention. It will be a fun atmosphere.
 
"We just want to be ready to play. I want us to give great effort, fly around defensively and offensively, be who we are and give them our best shot. If we give them our best shot, I will be pleased."
 
The game itself will be a great early-season test for the Bearcats. Northwest is off to a 2-0 start, winning the first two games by an average of 26.5 points. It is the first time since the 2012-13 season that Northwest has won its first two games.
 
"I thought we did really well implementing our game plan defensively," Mosby said. "We held the two teams to not a lot of scoring in the half court. We cut down on transition buckets and easy buckets. It was a good thing to see."
 
Facing Augustana, the Bearcats will know exactly where it stands and the things it needs to improve on. It is the start of a tough stretch for Northwest. The Bearcats will play at Metro State on Sunday and then return home to face Lake Superior on Nov. 23. A week later, on Nov. 30, Northwest plays at Central Oklahoma in the Bearcats' MIAA opener.
 
"It prepares us a lot," Mosby said. "Coach always talks about getting ourselves to a higher-level night after night. It can sometimes be grind when you get into the conference schedule, playing game after game. If you can get to that higher level in non conference then when you get to conference it is a piece of cake."