Clay Yeo once again is leading Bethel to the NAIA Division II National Championship Tournament. (File photo by Mike Deak)

The NAIA Division II men’s and women’s basketball tournaments get underway Wednesday, and the Bethel men and the Goshen women are among the teams hoping to make the run to tournament glory.

Bethel (23-9) is returning to the NAIA tournament in Point Lookout, Mo., as the No. 4 seed in the Cramer Bracket, or the 13th overall seed in the tournament. Opposite the Pilots is No. 5 Robert Morris (Ill.) (24-9), which is a 4 p.m. Thursday matchup. The winner would have to return less than 24 hours later to face either No. 1 seed Briar Cliff (Iowa) (30-3) or Washington Adventist (Md.) (16-12) in the Sweet 16.

The Pilots have been led all season by standout Clay Yeo, who in his second season with Bethel has been at the top of the heap in a super-competitive Crossroads League. Yeo has filled up the stat sheets again this season, scoring 21.3 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per night. The Triton High School standout has hit 50 percent of his field goal attempts and has become the focal point to stop on the Pilots.

Bethel lost in the semi-finals of the Crossroads League tournament to Indiana Wesleyan, but still had a quality-enough résumé to make the big dance. The Pilots enter the NAIA Divison II Tournament for the fourth straight year, and are looking for their fourth NAIA National Championship, the last coming in 1998.

“Defense has fueled this run,” Yeo said Tuesday from Missouri. “We know that teams that make defense a priority are the ones that make a run. It’s going to be extra hard to win five games in a row. We just have to get to our core principles, placing defense first and trusting our teammates and our coaches. This will be a lot of fun, and I’m excited to be here representing Bethel.”

Also in the Cramer Bracket from the Hoosier state is IU East (19-13), which is the No. 7 seed taking on the No. 2 seed Tabor (Kan.) (30-3), a noon Thursday start.

Two other Crossroads League teams will be in action in the tournament, with St. Francis (29-4) the No. 1 seed in the Naismith Bracket. The Cougars will take on No. 8 Dakota State (S.D.) (19-13) today at 1:45 p.m. St. Francis outlasted the Crossroads League to win the tournament in a thriller, 81-80, over Indiana Wesleyan. Bryce Lienhoop and Austin Fox are each scoring over 14 points per game and Kegan Comer is near 13 points a night for the Cougars.

On the opposite side of the bracket is Indiana Wesleyan (28-5), which is in line as the No. 2 seed in the Duer Bracket and set to face Bellevue (Neb.) (20-11) in Thursday’s 1:45 p.m. contest. Lane Mahurin is filling it up for the Wildcats at 18.5 points per game, and Bob Peters is dropping 17 points per game.

Also in the Duer Bracket is No. 4 Indiana Tech (23-9), which will meet No. 5 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) (22-10) Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

To win the NAIA Division II title, teams will have to win five games in six days, culminating with the championship game set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, which will be televised on ESPN3.

In Sioux City, Iowa, the ladies will hit the court for the NAIA Division II tourney. Five teams from the Hoosier state will lace ’em up, including three from the Crossroads League.

Goshen College had a rebound season and are a No. 5 seed in the Liston Bracket, sitting at 24-8 overall. The Maple Leafs will face No. 4 Concordia (Neb.) (22-9) in a noon tip today. The Maple Leafs won six of its final seven games, falling 61-59 in the semi-finals of the Crossroads League tourney to Indiana Wesleyan. Tyra Carver and Gabby Williams each hit for 12 points per game for Goshen.

Crossroads League champion Indiana Wesleyan (26-7) are the No. 4 seed in the Cramer Bracket and will meet Dickinson State (N.D) (23-8), the bracket’s No. 5 seed Thursday at 5:15 p.m. The Wildcats are paced by the 11.4 ppg scoring of Kelsey Key, but seven players score at least six points per outing for the conference champs.

Marian University (27-6) is the No. 3 seed in the Naismith Bracket, lined up with Milligan (Tenn.) (23-7) the six-seed today at 7:30 p.m. Lakan Hasser-Smith paces the club with 16.6 ppg and four rebounds per night.

Also in the Cramer Bracket is No. 6 seed Purdue Calumet (22-8), which will take on No. 3 Mount Marty (S.D.) (22-10) Thursday at 7 p.m. and No. 8 IU East (22-10), meeting the top seed Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) (27-5), a 3:30 p.m. Thursday tip.

The same scenario holds for the women, which will require a team win five games in a row in six days to be called NAIA champion. The final is scheduled for 7:04 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN3.