MERCED, Calif. – No. 16 seed UC Merced men's basketball will make its NAIA National Championship debut on Friday night when it takes on No. 1 seed The College of Idaho at the J.A. Albertson Activities Center in Caldwell, Idaho at 6:00pm PST.
UC Merced (20-6) and College of Idaho (29-2) enter the national tournament as two of the hottest teams in the NAIA. UC Merced is one of just six teams in the country to win 14 of its last 15 games, while the Yotes have the nation's second longest active winning streak at 19 games.
The winner between the Bobcats and the Coyotes will take on the winner of #8 Friends/#9 Florida Memorial on March 15.
Live coverage from J.A. Albertson Activities Center is available here: Watch | Live Stats
WATCH PARTY
UC Merced invites Bobcat Nation to a NAIA National Championship watch party at UC Merced on Main (1635 M Street) this Friday. Doors open at 4:30pm and the event is free. With 2 projectors and multiple screens showing both the men's and women's basketball national tournament games, this is the ultimate way to experience all the action. Pizza and refreshments are provided.
OPENING TIP
UC Merced earned an at-large berth to the NAIA National Championship following a 20-win season, including a signature win over No. 7 The Master's University on December 5. The win over TMU was the highest ranked win in program history.
UC Merced is the first Cal Pac men's basketball team to earn an at-large berth to the national tournament in the last 20 years.
The Bobcats are looking to become the fifth Cal Pac team in the last 20 years to win a national tournament game. University of Antelope Valley earned the conference's last win in 2023.
Friday will mark the Bobcats first ever meeting against College of Idaho. It is also the Bobcats first game against the No. 1 team in the country since playing Cal State San Marcos on February 3, 2014.
UC Merced is 14-1 in its last 15 games and 18-2 in the last 20. UC Merced is the only team on the West Coast to win 14 of its last 15 and just one of six teams in the country.
UC Merced is one win away from tying the program's single-season win record of 21 wins set in the 2022-23 season.
UC Merced won the Cal Pac Regular Season Championship for the first time in program history with a 10-0 record outscoring opponents by 13.4 points per game. The Bobcats became the first Cal Pac team other than University of Antelope Valley to win the regular season title outright since Cal Maritime in 2015-16. Also of note, the Bobcats are one of just four teams in the Cal Pac to go 10-0 or better in league play in the last 15 years.
The Bobcats have won seven consecutive road games and are 9-3 on the road overall this season. The Bobcats nine road wins are a program record.
Last time out, the Bobcats fell 64-53 to Westcliff in the Cal Pac Tournament Championship game. The Bobcats cut a 12-point deficit late in the game to a four-point deficit inside of two and a half minutes, but couldn't complete the comeback. Westcliff followed the Bobcats push with an 8-1 game-ending run. Cameron Brown led the Bobcats with 20 points and ten rebounds, while Aidan Sevilla scored eleven points and notched a steal. UC Merced forced 16 Westcliff turnovers.
Prior to the Bobcats final Cal Pac slate, UC Merced had a program-record nine nonconference wins. The Bobcats previous record was eight nonconference wins in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
UC Merced played five nonconference games against NCAA Division II competition this season. The Bobcats, who are currently transitioning to NCAA Division II, finished 3-2 against NCAA Division II teams. UC Merced's wins include Stanislaus State, Fresno Pacific, and Menlo College. Prior to beating Menlo on November 15, the Bobcats last NCAA Division II win was 76-68 over Dominican in 2019. All-time, UC Merced is 5-3 under head coach Kevin Pham against NCAA Division II members.
UC Merced is looking to join Freed-Hardeman as the only other team in the country this year to beat a No. 1 team on their home floor. Freed-Hardeman beat Georgetown on January 18.
The NAIA's No. 1 seed has won the national championship two of the last three years.
2024-25 TROPHY CASE
Kevin Pham – Cal Pac Coach of the Year
Cameron Brown – Cal Pac Player of the Year, All-Cal Pac First Team, Cal Pac All-Defensive Team
Aidan Sevilla – Cal Pac Defender of the Year, All-Cal Pac First Team, Cal Pac All-Defensive Team
Jaron Mertle – All-Cal Pac First Team, 2X Cal Pac Defensive Player of the Week
Jayson Wiltz – Cal Pac Honorable Mention
CAL PAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Cal Pac Player of the Year Cameron Brown is one of just two players in the conference and is one of just eleven players on the West Coast averaging 15.0 points per game. He is top ten in the conference with 5.0 rebounds per game, 2.0 assists per game, and 1.3 steals per game.
Brown is the Bobcats first Cal Pac Player of the Year since Aki Chambers in 2012-13.
Brown has scored in double digits 20 times this season, including scoring a program-record 39 points in a win over Lincoln on December 7. He has scored at least 15 points on 15 occasions. Brown also has turned in eleven games tallying 10+ points and 2+ steals.
Brown is coming off back-to-back double-double's and has six overall in his career. He had 12 points and 13 rebounds vs. Cal Maritime and 20 points and ten rebounds against Westcliff.
He was named the Cal Pac Offensive Player of the Week on January 27.
Brown is eleven points away from his second consecutive 400+ point season and is 31 points away from becoming the fourth player in program history to score 1,000 career points. Brown is also top ten in program history with 360 career rebounds, 146 career assists, and 99 career steals.
ALL-CAL PAC FIRST TEAMERS (SEVILLA & MERTLE)
Cal Pac Defender of the Year Aidan Sevilla has recorded at least one steal in six consecutive games and has tallied 25 on the year as an anchor of one of the best defenses in the country. Offensively, he leads the Bobcats and is sixth on the West Coast with 3.3 assists per game and his 87 total assists this season are the fourth most by any Bobcat in program history. Sevilla scores 8.4 points per game and shoots .475 from the floor, .400 from three-point land, and .736 from the charity stripe.
Jaron Mertle is one of just two Bobcats to start all 26 games this year and leads the Cal Pac with 180 rebounds. All-time, Mertle holds the program's record with 676 career rebounds. That number is also good for fourth in the Cal Pac. This season Mertle is averaging 8.0 PPG while shooting a team-best 53% the floor and 40% from beyond the arc. He has also tallied 26 assists, 18 steals, and nine blocks. Mertle has registered three double-double's this year and has 14 in his career.
BOBCATS PLAY DEFENSE
The Bobcats are currently ranked third nationally allowing just 61.3 points per game and are eighth holding opponents to just a .394 field goal percentage. UC Merced also ranked top five each of the last two seasons in scoring defense, allowing just 59.7 PPG last year and 62.7 PPG in 2022-23. The 59.7 opponents PPG stands as the program-record.
Since 2019-20, head coach Kevin Pham's led defenses have held opponents under 60 points 52 times and the Bobcats are 48-4 when doing so. In the middle of that stretch was a 29-game winning streak when holding teams under 60. In the same span, UC Merced is 31-4 holding opponents under 55 points and are 17-3 when holding the opposition under 50.
UC Merced has held 10 of its last 15 opponents under 40% from the field. Overall, the Bobcats are 14-1 this season when holding opponents under 40% and are 42-8 in their last 50 when doing so.
On five occasions this season, UC Merced has snapped an opponents offensive streak:
UC Merced held Montana Tech to 42 points on November 20. Prior, the Orediggers had scored at least 50 points in 109 consecutive games.
UC Merced held The Master's to 60 points on December 5. Prior, TMU had scored more than 60 points in 66 consecutive games.
UC Merced held UC Santa Cruz to 51 points on January 10. Prior, the Banana Slugs scored 55+ points in 20 consecutive games.
UC Merced held Westcliff to 57 points on January 30. Prior, Westcliff had scored 60+ points in 25 straight games.
UC Merced held Cal Maritime to 49 points on February 8. Prior, Cal Maritime had scored 50+ in 38 straight games.
For the first time, the California Pacific Conference named an offensive player of the week and a defensive player of the week. UC Merced claimed a league-high six defensive awards. Elijah Charles and Jaron Mertle have both won two weekly accolades, while Austin Dewes and Aidan Sevilla earned the nod once. Cameron Brown was named Cal Pac Offensive Player of the Week on January 27. UC Merced's seven total weekly award winners is a program record.
LEADING THE CHARGE
2025 Cal Pac Coach of the Year Kevin Pham is in his tenth season leading the Bobcats and has a 139-105 career record. He is 94-46 since the start of the 2019-20 season. In conference play, he is 79-49 overall and 53-21 since 2019-20. Pham is assisted by Jaylen Wiltz, Moses Oceguera, and Jonah Cottrell.
Pham is the winningest coach in program history and among all active Cal Pac head coaches. Recently, Pham was named the 2023 Asian Coaches Association Men's Coach of the Year by ACA President Mike Magpayo during the NCAA Men's Final Four weekend in Houston.
FOR THE LOVE OF NUMBERS
UC Merced has won 33 consecutive games when scoring 80 points or more and have reached that mark on eight occasions this season.
The Bobcats are slashing .484/.369/.702 in victories compared to .348/.253/.732 in defeats.
Four Bobcats are shooting at least 50% from the field, two Bobcats are shooting at least 40% from three-point land, and three are over 80% from the charity stripe.
Fifth-year seniors Josiah Ajiake, Tiler Fears, and Jaron Mertle have combined to play in 286 career games. The only trio in program history to play more games together than them is Kevin Ellsworth, Mitch Flores, and Michael Pierick.
UC Merced is outrebounding opponents by an average 7.8 per game. There have been seven occasions this year in which the Bobcats outrebounded the opponent by 15 or more. The biggest rebounding margin was +33 against Lincoln on December 7.
UC Merced outrebounded three straight opponents by 13+ rebounds (Stanton, Menlo, Jessup) for the first time since December 1-4 in 2022.
The Bobcats are 47-8 since the 2022-23 season when outrebounding its opponents and are 14-3 this season when doing so.
UC Merced is 13-2 in its last 15 games dating back to last season when winning the turnover battle. UC Merced won the turnover battle against every team in the Cal Pac at least once this year, including three times over Westcliff and twice over Simpson and La Sierra.
Elijah Charles, Jaron Mertle, and Cameron Brown have combined for eight double-double's this year. Charles vs. Menlo (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Lincoln (21 points, 10 rebounds), Mertle vs. Stanton (14 points, 11 rebounds), Menlo (12 points, 12 rebounds), and Lincoln (11 points, 10 rebounds), and Brown vs. PUC (15 points, 10 rebounds), Cal Maritime (12 points, 13 rebounds), and Westcliff (20 points, 10 rebounds).
The Bobcats are 18-3 when leading or tied at halftime this season. UC Merced only trailed on five occasions and came back to win two of them, including the Cal Pac Semifinal game against Cal Maritime. Earlier in the season, UC Merced trailed 30-18 at halftime against Menlo College and the comeback marked the biggest second half comeback away from Merced since December 28, 2018.
In nonconference play, UC Merced had a four-game winning streak from November 23-December 7, where the Bobcats combined to shoot 54% from the field and shot at least 48% in all four games. It marked the first time the Bobcats put together four straight games shooting 48% or better since a stretch in the 2019-20 season.
The Bobcats have shown their depth this season as 12 different players have either led the Bobcats in scoring or finished second on the team in scoring.
Games finishing as the top scorer: Cameron Brown (12), Jayson Wiltz (3), Jaron Mertle (3), Elijah Charles (2), Wiltz/Mertle (1), Wiltz/Haynes (1), Brown/Pawllos Habtom (1), Brown/Wiltz (1), Brown/Wiltz/Habtom (1), Aidan Sevilla/Habtom (1),
Games finishing as second leading scorer: Brown (5), Sevilla (5), Wiltz (4), Charles (3), Mertle (2), Fears (2), Habtom (1), Haynes (1), Ajiake (1), Fears (1), Wiltz/Dewes (1)
Nine Bobcats have scored in double figures this year.
UC Merced has made 20+ free throws in back-to-back games. It is just the fifth occurrence in program history reaching that output in consecutive games as it also happened once at the beginning of the season, once last season, once in 2014-15, and once in 2011-12.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHTS
Jayson Wiltz is ranked second in the Cal Pac with a career-high 45 three-pointers this season. He is averaging 9.3 PPG and has started 25 of the Bobcats 26 games. Also of note, Wiltz is fifth in program history with 108 career three-pointers.
Myles Haynes has started ten straight games for the Bobcats and is top five on the squad owning a .511 field goal percentage. He has been credited with a block or a steal in six straight games and 12 of the last 13.
Tiler Fears is one of seven Bobcats in program history to play at least 100 career games. He is averaging 6.7 PPG this year while ranking fourth on the West Coast shooting 87% from the free throw line. He is averaging a steal per game over the last five outings.
Pawllos Habtom has scored double digits six times this year and has knocked down a triple in six of the Bobcats last seven games. He also grabs 2.9 rebounds per game.
Josiah Ajiake is shooting 44% (13-29) from three-point range since January 25 and is ranked eighth in program history with 83 career triples.
Austin Dewes has blocked a team-high 18 shots and is shooting 51% (21-41) from the field.
Blake Hudson is shooting 63% (14-22) from the floor to go along with 1.2 steals per game since February 6.
Jordan Bateman has made six of his ten shots this season. Landon Edmond, Jon Taylor, and Cyprus Graham have all grabbed at least six rebounds and have made a three-pointer.
STARTING FIVE
Cameron Brown and Jaron Mertle have started all 26 games for UC Merced and the duo combines to average 23 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 3.0 APG, and 2.0 SPG. They are the only duo in program history to start every game of the season together.
Jayson Wiltz has started 25 games.
The Bobcats have mixed up their starting lineup this season, but the most common lineup of Sevilla/Brown/Wiltz/Haynes/Mertle has started eight of the last nine games together. That lineup is 7-1.
Eleven different Bobcats have made at least one start.
Sevilla is 18-3 as a starter for the Bobcats this season. Haynes is 8-1.
HISTORIC STRETCH
UC Merced put together a historic four-game winning streak from November 23-December 7. The first three wins in the stretch marked the Bobcats first ever wins against its opponents, while the fourth win saw UC Merced score a program-record 117 points.
The run started with an 86-83 overtime win at Stanislaus State. UC Merced's win over Stan State was the first in school history for any sport. Stan State is the closest four-year university in proximity to UC Merced and the two foes will be conference members beginning in the 2025-26 season. The Bobcats overcame an eight-point deficit inside of six minutes to force overtime and eventually win the game.
A week later, UC Merced knocked off Fresno Pacific University for the first time in ten tries with a dominant 71-51 road win. The 20-point margin of victory was the largest ever against a NCAA Division II team. The Bobcats outrebounded the Sunbirds by 20, their biggest rebounding advantage in a road game since April 7, 2021.
The Bobcats returned home to host No. 7 The Master's University on December 5 and earned their first ever win over a top 10 opponent, beating the Mustangs 76-60. The Bobcats turned in a great defensive outing, snapping TMU's 66-game streak of scoring 60+ points. Offensively, five Bobcats scored in double figures. With the win, UC Merced snapped an eleven-game losing streak against Top 10 opponents and a six-game losing streak against The Master's. It was the Bobcats first ever win for each scenario.
After three program-first wins, the Bobcats made more history as they scored a program-record 117 points in a 117-72 win over Lincoln. The Bobcats also finished with a program-record .641 field goal percentage in the victory. Cameron Brown scored a school-record 39 points finishing 17-24 from the field, while Elijah Charles also made program history becoming the first ever Bobcat to go 10-10 from the floor in a game. Charles finished with 21 points and notched a double-double with ten rebounds.
ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
UC Merced played its toughest nonconference schedule in program history. Of the Bobcats nonconference opponents, Arizona Christian is currently ranked third in the NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, The Master's is ranked No. 8, and Montana Tech is ranked No. 21 but was as high as No. 5. UC Merced played TMU twice, including beating them 76-60 when they were ranked seventh in the nation. UC Merced also played four NCAA Division II opponents on the road and one on a neutral court.
SCOUTING COLLEGE OF IDAHO
College of Idaho leads the NAIA with 29 wins this year and own the second longest active winning streak in the country at 19 games. College of Idaho is 29-2 overall.
The Yotes have been to the elite eight or better in four straight seasons and won the NAIA National Championship two seasons ago.
College of Idaho has won six consecutive Cascade Collegiate Conference Regular Season Championships and just won the CCC Tournament title 86-69 over Lewis-Clark State College on March 3.
The Coyotes possess a top 15 scoring offense and scoring defense in the NAIA putting up 87 PPG (13th) while holding opponents to just 63.6 PPG (7th). The Yotes are also second in the country limiting opponents to shoot just 38.3% against them. Additionally, College of Idaho is top 20 in RPG, APG, and BPG. They are first in the NAIA committing just 8.4 turnovers per game.
4X CCC Coach of the Year and 2023 NAIA NABC Coach of the Year Colby Blaine is in his seventh season leading the Coyotes. He owns an overall record of 199-30 and has reached 30 wins in every possible year on the sidelines. Blaine started with College of Idaho as an assistant coach in 2014 before getting promoted to associate head coach in 2016 and then head coach in 2018.
Johnny Radford leads three Coyote double digit scorers with 14.4 points per game. Radford, the school's all-time leader for three-pointers made, is ranked 22nd in the NAIA with 83 triples this season. Radford is No. 11 shooting 90.6% from the free throw line. He shoots 42% from downtown.
Drew Wyman scores 12.5 PPG on a stellar .552 field goal percentage to go along with 5.9 rebounds per game.
Samaje Morgan is 19th in the NAIA with 141 assists. Morgan also averages 10.9 PPG and 1.5 SPG.
2X CCC Defensive Player of the Year Straton Rogers grabs 8.2 RPG and is good for either a block or a steal a night. Rogers is 39th in the country shooting 62.1% from the floor, scoring 7.4 PPG.
Tyler Robinett (9.6 PPG/49 blocks) and Dougie Peoples (9.7 PPG/55 3-PT FG's) are also players to watch.
College of Idaho has scored 85+ points in six of its last seven games.
College of Idaho is 18-1 at home this season and 37-3 in the last 40 home games dating back to last season.
OVERTIME
UC Merced is one of just three schools in the NAIA this year and is the first school on the West Coast since Azusa Pacific University in 2010-11 to qualify both men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, and women's volleyball for the NAIA Championships in the same athletics year.
