Here are five reasons why Amherst (29-2) will play Mary Hardin-Baylor (27-5) in Sunday’s Division III men’s basketball championship game at Philips Arena (The game is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m.):
Seniors: Amherst features three seniors — Willy Workman, Allen Williamson and Peter Kaasila.
Workman, a 6-foot-6 forward who started 31 games, has averaged 12.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He led the Lord Jeffs with 48 blocks.
Williamson, a 6-4 guard who started 28 games, has averaged 11.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
Kaasila, a 6-9 center who started 31 games, has averaged 12.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Mary Hardin-Baylor features four seniors — Thomas Orr, Brian Todd, Cory Meals and Sheldon Jones.
Orr, a 6-5 wing who started 11 games, has averaged 14.8 points per game. He also led the team with 14 blocks.
Todd, a 6-4 wing who started 23 games, has averaged 10.8 points per game. He led the team with 50 steals.
Meals, 6-5 wing who started 32 games, has averaged 9.2 points per game.
Jones, a 6-9 center, missed the season with an injury.
Coaches: Both teams have had stability at the top.
Dave Hixon has been a player, assistant or coach at Amherst for 42 years. This will be his third appearance in the national title game, with a victory in 2007. He has a career record of 692-253 and is 32-15 in the tournament.
Mary Hardin-Baylor’s Ken DeWeese has led the Crusaders for 15 years. DeWeese, an assistant at Georgia State for one season, has led MHB to the DIII tournament six times in seven years. This is the first time beyond the Sweet 16. He is 691-229 overall and 287-124 at MHB.
Point guards: Both teams feature exceptional point guards.
Amherst is led by Aaron Toomey, an All-American who led his team with 17.4 points and 4.9 assists per game. He is an accurate shooter, making 44 percent of his field goals, including 42.7 percent of his 3-pointers.
Mary Hardin-Baylor is led by James Allen. In starting every game, Allen averaged 13 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He is a volume shooter, making only 39.4 percent of his field goals, including 27.5 percent of his 3-pointers.
Defense: Amherst features a more traditional defense than does Mary-Hardin Baylor, which can press if needed. The Lord Jeffs scored 83.8 points and limited opponents to 68.6 points per game on 40.5-percent shooting. They outrebounded opponents by 6.4 per game.
Mary Hardin-Baylor limited opponents to 66.9 points per game on 38.9-percent shooting. They outrebounded opponents by 5.9 per game. The defense is anchored by Kitrick Bell, who earned All-American honors after averaging 12.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
Resiliency: Both teams showed resiliency this season, just at different times of the season.
Amherst started 5-0 before losing two of its next three games. The team’s seniors called a meeting, and the Lord Jeffs haven’t lost since.
Mary Hardin-Baylor trailed in the second half of its past three games, only to find a way to complete the rally, with Meals leading the way. His four-point play helped the Crusaders knock off St. Thomas in the semifinals.
