College of the Ozarks to host national basketball championship

Point Lookout's College of the Ozarks will host the 20th annual National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship March 9-15.

This will be the 12th year C of O has hosted the tournament.

The economic impact of the weeklong event can be felt in Branson via the nearly 20,000 visitors the tournament attracts each year, according to a C of O news release.

The 2011 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball included 144 schools, according to the tournament's Web site.

The championship is a 32-team, single-elimination tournament.

All games will be held at the university's Keeter Gymnasium of the Howell W. Keeter Athletic Complex.

C of O draws on approximately 650 local volunteers to aid NAIA staff with program sales, ushering and ticket sales, the release said.

Reserved seating is $15 a session, and general admission is $10 a session.

The final championship game will be televised on CBS College Sports March 15 at 9 p.m., according to C of O.
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