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By David Boyce  |  Northwest vs. Upper Iowa  |  Saturday, March 11, 2017  |  Bearcat Arena  |  Maryville, Mo.
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MARYVILLE, Mo. - Well before Northwest Missouri State's men's basketball team tipped off its 2016-17 season Nov. 11 against Upper Iowa, the Bearcats thought about this moment.
 
Of course, it never entered the players' mind that they would see Upper Iowa again this season in postseason. But it was an outside possibility because coach Ben McCollum purposely put high-quality opponents on the nonconference schedule to make sure the Bearcats were battle-tested.
 
In addition to Upper Iowa, the Bearcats took on defending Division II champions Augustana, Metro State and Lake Superior State in the first month of the season. The goal for Northwest was to win all those games.
 
A year ago, Northwest lost to Upper Iowa and Augustana and started the season 1-2. The slow start prevented Northwest from being in position to host the Central Regional, which went to Augustana.
 
So when the Bearcats walked out of the Sanford Pentagon March 15, 2016 after a heartbreaking 80-78 loss, they had a goal to be the host school in the Central Regional this season. They knew it was realistic. The only player they lost was Conner Crooker, who graduated.
 
"We have been on a mission since the end of last year," Northwest senior Zach Schneider said. "We pretty much had the core group coming back. Throughout the summer, we had the same goal."
 
Northwest started the season beating Upper Iowa and, in the third game, beat Augustana. The Bearcats kept winning and setting records along the way. The moved to No. 1 in the country.
 
The Bearcats won their first 24 games, and that put them in position to do exactly what they set out to do. They are the No. 1 seed and are hosting the Central Regional at Bearcat Arena.
 
"I think right now, the toughest part about it is you don't want to feel a sense of accomplishment from just hosting," McCollum said.
 
"I think hosting gives you an advantage to be able to win the regional. That is really how we are approaching it right now. I think it is a big deal and it will be after the season, reflecting back."
 
When Northwest, 29-1, faces Upper Iowa, 22-10, at 6 p.m. Saturday, the Bearcats' focus will be on just winning that one game and not thinking of anything else.
 
"We always say the first game in any tournament is most difficult," McCollum said. "I think it is probably because both teams play with desperation in that first game."
 
Upper Iowa will definitely want to prove it is much better than what it showed in the season-opener for both teams. Northwest won that game 87-52.
 
"We have some confidence with the win we got against them," Schneider said. "Both teams are going to be different from the beginning of the year.
 
"We will do a good job of watching film and picking up any new tendencies that they have."
 
The nice part for the Bearcats is they will be able to do game preparation like it was a regular-season home game. They don't have to take a 4-hour bus trip to South Dakota. They are not sitting in a hotel room or finding places to eat.
 
"That is the biggest thing other than playing in front of your home crowd," Schneider said. "You get to do your pregame routine that you do at home throughout the year.
 
"We are really looking forward to playing in front of a huge crowd. It will be sold out. Fans will be energized for sure. It will be awesome."
 
Past history no longer matter. Northwest wants to add a new chapter that will be talked about years from now.
 
"We don't bring it up too much, but it does get brought up," Schneider said of the last three regionals. "Everyone is aware of that. This year we are pretty confident in our ability that we are going to get farther. We just got to take it one possession and one game at a time, and hopefully it will work out for us."
 
McCollum is confident the players will handle the pressure that comes with being the top seed. All season he has watched the Bearcats take every opponent's best shot.
 
"I think we have been in enough big games and enough big situations and taken so many shots from being No. 1 in the country that I don't know at this point that pressure will bother us," McCollum said.
 
 "It will be much the same this time. That first game will be our most difficult test. If we are fortunate to get passed that game, obviously, you adjust your psyche and the second game becomes the most difficult. You don't get a second game if you don't win the first game."
 
These Bearcats want a second game, a third game and then some more.
 
"We want this to be the year," Schneider said. "Right now, we are on track for it. We just got to finish strong the last six games."