Kobe Mitchell leads Walsh into D2 NCAA Tournament
After spending two years with the Akron Zips, redshirt sophomore Kobe Mitchell has found his groove at the NCAA Div. II level with the Walsh Cavaliers. Saying it’s been an eventful March for the Harrison Central class of ’21 alum would be an understatement. Not only did he help lead the Cavaliers to a Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament title this past weekend, he was also named to the All-Tournament team in the process.
Mitchell didn’t only shine in the conference tournament – he had a stellar regular season as well. The reliable guard that once burned up the nets right here in the Ohio Valley currently leads the Cavaliers in scoring at 16.6 points per game. Additionally, he is the team-high in overall points with 465 to date, and leads the team in three pointers made with 92.
Taking all of that into consideration, Mitchell was named to the GMAC All-Conference First Team prior to the start of the conference tournament. He finished 7th in the conference in individual scoring and led the entire 13-team conference in 3-point field goals made. His squad split the regular season title with Kentucky Wesleyan.
The Cavaliers marched through the bracket en route to their fourth conference tournament championship all-time (2019, 2020, 2022). A thrilling 66-64 triumph over Trevecca Nazarene in the quarterfinals sent Mitchell and his teammates to the next round. In the 81-74 semifinal victory against Cedarville, Mitchell led Walsh in scoring with 20 points on 4 of 9 shooting from beyond the arc, he added seven boards for good measure.
The Cavs topped the Thomas More Saints in the championship game 65-56 to punch their ticket into the big dance. It’s worth noting that this won’t be Mitchell’s first trip to an NCAA Tournament, as he got a taste of March Madness at the highest level back in 2022 as a redshirt freshman. After winning the MAC Tournament, the Akron Zips traveled to Portland, Oregon where they nearly upset the 4th seeded UCLA Bruins in the first round. While Mitchell may not have played a role in that contest, you can count on a different story this weekend when the Cavaliers take the floor for first round play in Indianapolis.
Walsh earned the #3 seed in the DII Midwest Regional and they are set to tip off tournament play against the #6 seed Lake Superior State in the quarterfinal on March 16 at 12 p.m. The University of Indianapolis will be the #1 seed in the region, and will play host to all three rounds of the regional bracket. The semifinals will be played March 17, with the Regional Championship slated for March 19.
Should the Cavaliers advance out of the first round, they will meet the winners of (2) Kentucky Wesleyan and (7) Upper Iowa on Sunday.
Mitchell enters the NCAA tournament averaging 33.1 floor minutes per game, so if you’re looking to catch the former Harrison Central standout in action from home there are multiple options to stream the game(s). Viewing details are as follows via ncaa.com: “NCAA Championships Pass will stream 120 DII men’s and women’s basketball tournament games (all games from first round through quarterfinals) live on NCAA.com. Games will be available on NCAA.com, school sites that stream through Hudl and opt to co-distribute the live streams, and the NCAA Championships Pass app available for Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Google TV.” If you are wondering about prices for viewing (first round through quarterfinals), the fee structure is included here: $9.95 per game, $29.95 per championship, or $49.95 for all games.
