This will be the 61st season of The Yarnell Invitational (named after Yarnell Ice Cream in Searcy, AR). The Yarnell is a 6-team round-robin tournament that'll occur in weeks 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the non-conference schedule. Harding University has been the tournament host historically, and it has been New Mexico Highlands University since season 92. The defending champ from the previous year is an automatic qualifier. The remainder of the field is invitation only.

Defending Champ: Pfeiffer [CVAC] – Acting as DC after Bentley’s the 0nlyis quit and Cal Poly Pomona’s staypuft moved to the Peach Belt. Pfeiffer essentially played Yarnell 2 that year in the post-season beating 3 Yarnell teams on the way to the NT title.
Host: New Mexico Highlands [Northern Sun]

Historical Conference Standings:
Heartland -15
Peach Belt - 9
Central Atlantic – 7.5
CVAC - 7
Gulf South - 4
GLV – 4
GLIAC - 4
Lone Star - 3
Cal CAA- 3

FORMAT: 5 games, Round Robin

Game #5:
Pfeiffer @ New Mexico Highlands
Wisconsin, Parkside @ Columbus St.
Glenville St. @ New Jersey Tech

Game #6:
New Mexico Highlands @ Glenville St.
Columbus St. @ Pfeiffer
Wisconsin, Parkside @ New Jersey Tech

Game #7:
New Jersey Tech @ New Mexico Highlands
Columbus St. @ Glenville St.
Pfeiffer @ Wisconsin, Parkside

Game #8:
New Mexico Highlands @ Wisconsin, Parkside
New Jersey Tech @ Columbus St.
Glenville St. @ Pfeiffer

Game #9:
Columbus St. @ New Mexico Highlands
Wisconsin, Parkside @ Glenville St.
New Jersey Tech @ Pfeiffer

Here is a quick rundown of Yarnell teams this season.

Wisconsin, Parkside – After winning a title in Seattle in season 79, tcole has build a contender at UWP, going to three F4’s and one E8 over the last few seasons, as well as winning the Yarnell in season 95. This season UWP enters both the season and the Yarnell ranked #1.

Glenville St. – Having collected over 1100 victories in Iba, mostly in D2, that include several S16 appearances, sheath in now entering the 26^th season at Glenville in the WVIAC. Over the last 20 seasons, Glenville St has made the tournament 17 of those seasons.

New Jersey Tech – Entering the 7^th season at NJIT, deroches has NT bids the last 5 seasons and has reached the S16. Over the last 5 seasons, deroches has complied at NJIT a record of 129-23 and enters this season ranked 11^th.

Pfeiffer – While having a successful program over the last 22 seasons, zorzii has really pushed Pfeiffer into elite territory in recent seasons, going to two S16s, one F4, and collecting two NT titles in the last 5 seasons, as well as displacing N. Florida for the first time in many seasons at the top of the dynasty rankings.

Columbus St. – Now entering his 18^th season in Columbus, pdxblazerfan represents the always powerful Peach Belt this season. Having achieved 11 straight NT bids, Columbus St. has made an E8 and F4 during that time and was the top ranked team for much of the seasons during last year’s F4 run.

New Mexico Highlands – weird talking in third person about myself, but whatever. Kind of a rebuild season, long_ge has reached 19 straight NT bids, and has made at least the 2^nd round in 15 straight seasons. During that time, NMHU has reached three E8’s, two F4’s and one finals appearance, as well as a title in season 81.

PRESEASON RANKINGS:
#1 – Wisconsin, Parkside
#8 – Pfeiffer
#11– New Jersey Tech
#19 – Columbus St.
#24 – Glenville St.
NR – New Mexico Highlands


PLAYERS TO WATCH
Richard Heywood, PF, Wisconsin, Parkside, 1st Team All-American
Vincent Utter, PG, Wisconsin Parkside, 2nd Team All-American
Robert Seymour, C, Wisconsin, Parkside, 2nd Team All-American
Andrew Hayman, SF, Glennville St., 3rd Team All-American
Alan Tarpley, PF, Columbus St., 3rd Team All-American
David Check, PG, Columbus St., Honorable Mention
James Smith, SG, Wisconsin, Parkside, Honorable Mention
John Tarantino, SF, New Jersey Tech, Honorable Mention
Elroy Robinson, C, Pfeiffer, Honorable Mention
Fletcher Welsh, PG, Pfeiffer
Brian Stolle, SG, Glenville St.
Stanley Perdomo, C, New Jersey Tech
Keith Gabriel, PG, New Mexico Highlands
Patrick Morris, PF, New Mexico Highlands


ROUND ONE
#13 Pfeiffer (4-0) -8 @ New Mexico Highlands (2-2)
#1 Wisconsin, Parkside (4-0) -30 @ Columbus St. (1-3)
Glenville St. (2-2) +13 @ #11 New Jersey Tech (4-0)

Gonna be a rough season for me until all my young guys get some IQ. Good luck everyone and thanks long_ge for putting this together

All three games last night stayed close until relatively late. #1 UWP was given a challenge from Columbus St., as UWP couldn't pull away from a 3 point margin until the final seconds. Glenville St. kept New Jersey Tech within 4 points into the last 3:30 or so of the game, before NJIT closed the game out on a 12-3 run. New Mexico Highlands stayed with Pfeiffer with the game tied inside the last 5 minutes, before Pfeiffer went on an 8-point run and eventually won by double digits.

Tonight's marquee match-up will be #1 Wisconsin, Parkside traveling to take on #8 New Jersey Tech. Both teams come into this game 1-0 in the Yarnell, so this contest looms large in that the winner will have the all important 2-0 lead as well as the tie-breaker over a top contender. #10 Pfeiffer will try to keep pace as they host a Columbus St team that took the nation's top ranked team into the final minute. New Mexico Highlands will go on the road to take on Glenville St, as both try to avoid falling behind in the standings early.

STANDINGS
Wisconsin, Parkside 1-0
New Jersey Tech 1-0
Pfeiffer 1-0
Columbus St. 0-1
Glenville St. 0-1
New Mexico Highlands 0-1

ROUND TWO
New Mexico Highlands (2-3) Pickem @ Glenville St. (2-3)
Columbus St. (1-4) +11 @ #10 Pfeiffer (5-0)
#1 Wisconsin, Parkside (5-0) -7 @ #8 New Jersey Tech (5-0)

ROUND ONE RESULTS
Pfeiffer 85 @ New Mexico Highlands 74
PU - F Welsh 24/5A (POG), G Phelan 21/10R/3blk, E Robinson 12
NMHU - K Gabriel 18/6S, P Morris 14, B Trimm 12/4S

Wisconsin, Parkside 60 @ Columbus St. 54
UWP - M Geraghty 15 (POG), R Seymour 10/8R
CSU - J Rader 21, A Tarpley 11

Glenville St. 57 @ New Jersey Tech 70
NJIT - A Sturgis 15/9R (POG), J Tarantino 15, S Perdomo 12,11R
GSC - B Stolle 17, A Heyman 9, M Carpenter 7/9R

Posted by pdxblazerfan on 8/5/2018 1:10:00 AM (view original):
Gonna be a rough season for me until all my young guys get some IQ. Good luck everyone and thanks long_ge for putting this together

Just to note, Columbus St would have been perfect for the Yarnell last season and would have been in, except that conference rival and fellow F4 team Kennesaw St was back in the Yarnell as Defending Champ, so that pushed Columbus St. back one season.

All three games last night ended up being tight contests. The Wisc Parkside/NJ Tech game lived up to its billing. Wisconsin, Parkside held as much as a 10 point lead early in the 2nd half. After a late NJ Tech run, NJ Tech had an 8 point lead, before UWP was able to make it a 1-point game with 1:24 remaining. With 5 seconds to go, UWP tied it up, and NJ Tech won it at the buzzer. For the second night in a row, Columbus St took a highly ranked team into the last minute. Leading Pfeiffer much of the late second half, Columbus St led with less than 2 minutes to go. However, Pfeiffer scored the last 9 points of the game and held Columbus St scoreless the last 5 minutes. NMHU and Glenville St. also had an entertaining game that went into OT. The largest lead of the second half was 4, just seconds into the second half, and the rest of regulation, NMHU and Glenville St traded leads, no one getting more than a 3 point lead. NMHU tied the game with a 3 pointer with 7 seconds left, but Glenville St pulled away the last 90 second of OT.

Tonight, the game that will garner the most attention is #11 Pfeiffer at #1 Wisconsin, Parkside. Interestingly, UWP retained their #1 rank after falling last night, and NJ Tech stayed in the same spot at 8 (should someone send a ticket...). To stay in Yarnell contention, beating Pfeiffer will be vital, and UWP would still need help, possibly in the form of Pfeiffer beating NJ Tech to nullify the tiebreaker NJ Tech has on UWP. If Pfeiffer wins, it would start to set up a potential showdown with NJ Tech on the last night of the tournament. #8 NJ Tech goes on the road to take on a New Mexico Highlands team who is starting to play the role of spoiler. Columbus St., after two last minute losses to top teams will travel to Glenville St, who is coming off a close win and looking to move back into contention.

STANDINGS
New Jersey Tech 2-0
Pfeiffer 2-0
Wisconsin, Parkside 1-1
Glenville St. 1-1
Columbus St. 0-2
New Mexico Highlands 0-2

ROUND THREE
#8 New Jersey Tech (6-0) -19 @ New Mexico Highlands (2-4)
Columbus St. (1-5) -1 @ Glenville St. (3-3)
#11 Pfeiffer (6-0) +4 @ #1 Wisconsin, Parkside (5-1)

ROUND TWO RESULTS
New Mexico Highlands 89 @ Glenville St. 96 OT
GSC - A Hayman 22/4A (POG), B Stolle 23
NMHU - R Akin 12/3S, P Morris 13, B Trimm 13

Columbus St. 51 @ Pfeiffer 55
PU - G Phelan 16/10R (POG), E Robinson 13/3A, R Weller 10
CSU - J Rader 13/3A, A Tarpley 10

Wisconsin, Parkside 85 @ New Jersey Tech 87
NJIT - S Perdomo 15/12R (POG), J Tarantino 13, B Gardner 12
UWP - V Utter 12, J Modica 11/9R, M Geraghty 11/7A

Last night, New Mexico Highlands played the role of spoiler knocking NJ Tech from the inside track to the Yarnell and opening the race up potentially to all teams. NJ Tech was leading 67-60 midway through the second half when NMHU went on a 23-6 run from which NJ Tech couldn't recover, foul trouble playing a major factor. Wisconsin, Parkside showcased just how strong they could be in the dominant performance against another top team, Pfeiffer. With about 6 minutes to go in the first half, UWP pulled away to go into the half leading by 10 and continued to gain separation in the 2nd half. The closest contest of the night was Columbus St and Glenville St., which went into the final minute undecided. Columbus St took the lead 49-48 with just 2:17 to go, and the game had a 1-point margin into the final minute when Columbus St hit a jumper with 32 seconds remaining.

With all teams separated by just a game, all teams are in the race to win the Yarnell. It will certainly be an uphill climb for the 2-loss teams, and each plays a 1-loss team tonight. New Mexico Highlands has to go on the road as a 26-point underdog to face #1 Wisconsin, Parkside, and a loss would eliminate NMHU. Columbus St. will host NJ Tech and we'll see if the streak continues where the Columbus St games are not decided until the final minute. Notably, despite the loss last night, NJ Tech is the only team that controls their own destiny and would win the Yarnell if they win remaining games, due to owning the tie-breaker against Wisc, Parkisde and still playing Pfeiffer. Glenville St. will try to get back to .500 as they go on the road to play a Pfeiffer team that is still looking to force a showdown with NJ Tech tomorrow night, although they would need additional help in the form of a Wisconsin, Parkside loss to win the Yarnell.

STANDINGS
New Jersey Tech 2-1
Pfeiffer 2-1
Wisconsin, Parkside 2-1
Glenville St. 1-2
Columbus St. 1-2
New Mexico Highlands 1-2

ROUND FOUR
New Mexico Highlands (3-4) +26 @ #1 Wisconsin, Parkside (6-1)
#13 New Jersey Tech (6-1) -9 @ Columbus St. (2-5)
Glenville St. (3-4) +10 @ #17 Pfeiffer (6-1)

ROUND THREE RESULTS
New Jersey Tech 91 @ New Mexico Highlands 103
NMHU - B Trimm 19 (POG), P Morris 19, K Gabriel 16
NJIT - S Perdomo 20/14R, B Graves 20, J Tarantino 16/4S

Columbus St. 55 @ Glenville St. 50
CSU - A Tarpley 20/9R (POG), G Duppstadt 20/9R, J Rader 11/4A
GSC - A Hayman 15, B Stolle 12, P Barber 10

Pfeiffer 51 @ Wisconsin, Parkside 75
UWP - C Mulcahy 12(POG), R Heywood 11/3blk, M Geraghty 10
PU - F Welsh 17, E Robinson 13, G Phelan 15

New Jersey Tech and Wisconsin, Parkside both won against Columbus St. and New Mexico Highlands respectively to take their shared lead into the last night of the Yarnell. Clinging to just a 1-point lead against Columbus St. with under 10 minutes to go, NJ Tech went on a 15-point run to put the game away. Likewise Wisconisn, Parkside trailed by 1 with just over 10 minutes to go in a battle with New Mexico Highlands, and then blew the game wide open on a way to a 20-point blowout win. Glenville St. prevented Pfeiffer from keeping pace with the Yarnell leaders by winning 51-43. In a slow paced game, Glenville built their lead from 2 midway through the second half to establish a double digit lead late in the game. Glenville St stays alive with the victory.

Tonight, #13 NJ Tech goes on the road to play #20 Pfeiffer, coming of two tough losses. If NJ Tech can prevail, they win the Yarnell, due to owning the tie-breaker against Wisconsin Parkside. If Pfeiffer wins, they pull into a tie with NJ Tech, while waiting for the result of the Wisconsin, Parkside game. In the event of a NJ Tech loss, Wisconsin, Parkside could win outright as the only team at 4-1 if they can win at Glenville St. If both NJ Tech and Wisconsin, Parkside loss, that would create a 4-way tie at the top, and it would take some work to sort out the tie-breakers. New Mexico Highlands also hosts Columbus St in a game that has no impact on the Yarnell title, but could be a good preview of two young teams that could be very competitive at the end of the season.

STANDINGS
New Jersey Tech 3-1
Wisconsin, Parkside 3-1
Pfeiffer 2-2
Glenville St. 2-2
Columbus St. 1-3
New Mexico Highlands 1-3

ROUND FIVE
Columbus St. (2-6)+1 @ New Mexico Highlands (3-5)
#1 Wisconsin, Parkside (7-1) -26 @ Glenville St. (4-4)
#13 New Jersey Tech (7-1) -2 @ #20 Pfeiffer (6-2)

ROUND FOUR RESULTS
New Mexico Highlands 64 @ Wisconsin, Parkside 84
UWP - M Geraghty 10/8A/3S (POG), C Mulcahy 17, J Smith 14
NMHU - K Langlois 8, K Gabriel 11, P Morris 11

New Jersey Tech 68 @ Columbus St. 55
NJIT - C Tucker 17 (POG), B Graves 13, S Perdomo 11
CSU - J Rader 15, G Duppstadt 8/8R

Glenville St. 51 @ Pfeiffer 43
GSC - A Hayman 17 (POG), B Stolle 14, D Mallory 10
PU - F Welsh 15, G Phelan 12, R Weller 9

We came dangerously close to a 4-way tie at the top. New Jersey Tech, needing a win to clinch the Yarnell, held a 1-point lead in the last minute against Pfeiffer. When Pfeiffer was able to retake the lead 65-64 with 28 seconds remaining, NJ Tech was unable to answer in the next couple of possessions, as Pfeiffer padded their lead with free throws. That moved both Pfeiffer and NJ Tech to 3-2 as they awaited the result of the Wisconisn Parkside/ Glenville St. game. After a game that remained close throughout, Wisconsin, Parkside started to pull away, building a 9-lead with less than 3 minutes remaining. However, Glenville St. went on a 10-2 run, capped off with a 3-pointer with 18 seconds to draw within 1. Wisconsin, Parkside was able to then hit clutch free throws and make key defensive stops in the waning seconds to hold off Glenville St.'s rally and clinch the Yarnell. If Glenville St. had completed the comeback, four teams would have been tied at 3-2, but as it stands, Wisconsin, Parkside wins the Yarnell by virtue of their 4-1 record. New Mexico Highlands was able to add a win against Columbus St. also with a strong second half.

Congrats to tcole 23 and Wisconsin, Parkside on the Yarnell Title in season 103 and the automatic invite for season 105. Thanks to everyone for participating in the Yarnell this season. Good luck to everyone on having deep NT runs this season, and hope to see everyone back sometime in future Yarnell Invitationals.

STANDINGS
Wisconsin, Parkside 4-1
Pfeiffer 3-2
New Jersey Tech 3-2
Glenville St. 2-3
New Mexico Highlands 2-3
Columbus St. 1-4

FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Columbus St. 57 @ New Mexico Highlands 75
NMHU - K Langlois 13 (POG), B Trimm 13, K Gabriel 10/4S
CSU - A Tarpley 16, J Rader 15/4A, G Duppstadt 12

Wisconsin, Parkside 63 @ Glenville St. 59
UWP - R Seymour 12/7R (POG), M Geraghty 15, J Smith 10
GSC - A Hayman 13, P Barber 10, M Carpenter 7/11R

New Jersey Tech 64 @ Pfeiffer 68
PU - G Phelan 17/11R (POG), E Robinson 13, F Welsh 12/4A/3S
NJIT - J Tarantino 22, S Perdomo 13

Thanks so much for letting Glenville State be a part of the Yarnell. This was a lot of fun and good luck to everyone the rest of the way! Appreciate all your work on this long_ge!

Thanks for running this as always long_ge!

Congrats Tcole, thanks long_ge, still a blast!

Here are the post-season results for Yarnell teams. Congrats to tcole and Wisconsin, Parkside for taking home both the Yarnell and NT titles, the second season in a row a team has done that, when Seattle took home both sets of brass.

Wisconsin, Parkside - 1-seed, NT Champs
Pfeiffer 3-seed, 1- st Round
New Jersey Tech - 8-seed, E8
Glenville St. - 8-seed, 2nd round (lost to Wisc, Parkside)
New Mexico Highlands - 3-seed, 2nd round
Columbus St. - 9-seed, 1st round (lost to New Jersey Tech)