The Buccaneers (30-3) are headed to the national tournament for a second consecutive season and will enter the competition as the fifth seed in the field of 24 while also enjoying a first-round bye. Blinn qualified for nationals last season, earning the seventh seed and a bye for the opening round, but ultimately fell to Jones College in the Sweet 16. The announcement was made during the NJCAA’s tournament selection show Sunday night.
A roster loaded with sophomores from the 2021-22 campaign has 21st-year head coach Jeff Jenkins excited for his team’s return to Lubbock, Texas.
“To get the fifth seed, it just shows how good of a year these kids have had,” said Jenkins. “All three of our losses were to teams who are in the national tournament. It has been a really special year. It’s not easy to win games night in and night out with the competition we play, but our team handled it well.”
Blinn is coming off a tough 67-65 loss to fifth-ranked Trinity Valley Community College in the region tournament title game. The Bucs split their regular-season series with TVCC, with each team winning once on the other team’s home court. Blinn’s only other loss came at home to No. 11 McLennan Community College on Dec. 5. Trinity Valley is seeded third in the national tournament, while McLennan is 14th.
“I’m expecting us to have some focused, intense practices this week, and I know we’re going to be ready to go,” Jenkins added. “This group remembers how it felt to get to nationals and lose their first game, and they don’t want that to happen again.”
Blinn has qualified for a second national consecutive tournament for just the second time in Jenkins’ run. This will be the Bucs’ sixth tournament appearance under Jenkins.
The national tournament will kick off Wednesday, March 22, at the Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock, and conclude with the championship game at 8 p.m. on Monday, March 27.
Blinn will play its first game of the tournament at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 24, and will face the winner of 12th-seeded Eastern Arizona College and 21st seed North Dakota State College of Science.
Alongside their selection for the national tournament, the Buccaneers received big news from the region.
Sophomore Tiffany Tullis was voted first-team all-conference and all-region, while also being tabbed the Region XIV Player of the Year.
Tullis is averaging team highs in points per game (14.5) and rebounds (12.4) and has 26 double-doubles. She is now a two-time all-region and all-conference selection and was the region’s Newcomer of the Year in 2021-22.
“I thought winning region player of the year was a possibility, but it was still a shock to me,” Tullis said. “There are a lot of great players in Region XIV. What I think it came down to was stepping up my game from last year. I didn’t just want to be a role player; I wanted to be good at everything and establish myself as a leader on this team.”
Tullis is Blinn’s single-season and career rebounding leader. She has 410 rebounds this season, eclipsing Fatima Adams’ 389 boards during the 2013-14 campaign. Tullis also surpassed Adams for the Bucs’ career mark with 736. Adams is now second all-time with 691.
“It’s a player’s game, and we have the best player in the conference, the best player in the region, and I truly believe the best player in the nation in Tiffany Tullis,” said Jenkins.
Sophomore guard Hannah Humphrey joined Tullis as an all-region and all-conference selection following a regular-season which saw her average 12.2 points (second behind Tullis) and a 35% clip from 3-point range. She has 78 3s on the season.
Tullis and Humphrey also received enough votes to be considered for the 2022-23 NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball All-America Teams.
Earning honorable mention recognition for the Bucs were sophomore guards Jakoriah Long and Skylar Barnes.
“Any time your players win any kind of award, it’s exciting,” Jenkins said. “You get to see the players you’re around all year have success, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
