The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team has been in Evansville, Indiana this week prepping for the Division II Elite Eight. The Bearcats (25-2) will square off against the West Liberty University Hilltoppers (18-4) on Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m.

This is Northwest’s fifth trip to the Elite Eight and West Liberty is making their 6th Elite Eight appearance. This will be the first meeting between the two schools that have very different styles. Atlantic native and Bearcat senior Ryan Hawkins talked about the stark difference between the two teams.

Hawkins said taking care of the ball will be the primary key against the pressure from West Liberty.

Northwest has won 40 straight games on neutral floors, which is the longest active streak among all NCAA Division I, II, and III schools. The Bearcats and the Hilltopers tipoff at 6:00 p.m. at the Ford Center in Evansville, IN Wednesday. All games will be streamed live on NCAA.com