UAFS embracing long-awaited shot

So what is Arkansas-Fort Smith’s reward for making its first NCAA Division II Tournament appearance?

How about playing in possibly the tournament’s toughest region with the No. 1 team in Division II (Metro State), and doing so at 5,280 feet?

Of course, none of that seems to matter to Arkansas-Fort Smith Coach Josh Newman. His team’s first NCAA Tournament appearance is well worth the challenges.

The Lions will face Midwestern State (22-7) at 1 p.m. Central today in Denver in the South Central Region, with the winner advancing to face Tarleton State or Texas A&M-International on Sunday.

Arkansas-Fort Smith won two NJCAA titles before transitioning to Division II in 2007-2008 and have been eligible for postseason play for only three seasons.

Arkansas-Fort Smith won the Heartland Conference regular-season championship this season, but the Lions lost on a buzzer-beating three-pointer to the University of Texas at Permian Basin in an opening-round game in the conference tournament in Fort Smith. The team still earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s five years of hard work,” Newman said. “Every day we spent together as a team was for this moment. It was relieving. It was exciting.”

The Lions are led by Jake Toupal, a senior guard who averages 14.3 points per game and was named the conference’s player of the year this season. Freshman guards Seth Youngblood (14.5 ppg) and Alex Cooper (10.0 ppg) also have been key contributors.

“We’ve got a very balanced team,” Newman said. “Our young guys haven’t played like freshmen.”

Arkansas-Fort Smith is in a region with four of the top 25 teams in the NBCA coaches poll - No. 1 Metro State, No. 3 Tarleton State, No. 13 Colorado School of Mines and No. 23 Midwestern State - but Newman said the Lions are ready for the challenge.

“We’ve got a tough road,” Newman said. “I don’t know if there’s a tougher region, but we expect to be here. We’re here for business.”