WICHITA - The Newman men's basketball will make history this week, traveling to San Antonio, Texas, for its first-ever appearance in the Heartland Conference Championship tournament. The Jets are the No. 2 seed in the tournament, and have been rewarded with a first round bye.

The Jets will be competing in the tournament just one year after earning full NCAA Div. II membership, and are competing in the post-season for the first time since the 2004-05 season. Newman will open it's tournament Friday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of Thursday's St. Mary's vs. St. Edward's contest. All games of the 2010 Heartland Conference Championship will be played at Bill Greehey Arena on the campus of St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas.

Incarnate Word will be the top seed in the tournament. The Cardinals are the only team in the Heartland Conference that Newman has not beat this season. The rest of the tournament field includes, in seeded order, Dallas Baptist, St. Mary's, St. Edward's, and Texas A&M International.

Breaking Down the Field...

1. Incarnate Word Cardinals (21-6, 13-3 Heartland)
The Cardinals enter the tournament as the Heartland Conference regular season champions after winning their last eight contests. Incarnate Word is led by Pierce Caldwell, a senior guard who leads the team with 17.5 point per game. Sophmore guard Shaun Umeh leads the Heartland Conference in steals per game at 2.6 per contest; a mark that ranks him 12th nationally. The Cardinals are led by 13th-year Head Coach Ken Burmeister who has posted a 207-159 overall record and 79-35 record in his fourth season at Incarnate Word.

2. Newman Jets (18-9, 11-5 Heartland)
The Jets enter the tournament on a high note after sweeping Oklahoma Panhandle State and Texas-Permian Basin last weekend in Wichita. The Jets are led by Keaton Schultz, a junior guard who leads the entire NCAA (all divisions) with a 54.7 shooting percentage from three-point range. Schultz averages 14.1 points per game. Senior forward Jaray Mathews is the Heartland Conference rebounding leader, averaging 8.3 rebounds per game; a mark that has him 63rd nationally. The Jets are coached by 12th-year Head Coach Mark Potter who brings a 228-133 record into the tournament.

3. St. Mary's Rattlers (15-12, 10-6 Heartland)
The Rattlers enter the tournament on a three game losing streak. St. Mary's is led by freshmen center Kevin Kotzur who leads the team in points (15.7 ppg) and rebounds (8.0). Kotzur also leads the Heartland Conference in field goal percentage, shooting 67.2 percent from the floor. One of the Rattlers strengths has been team rebounding as they are fifth nationally in rebounding margin, out-rebounding their opponents by 8.7 boards per game. The Rattlers are coached by sixth-year Head Coach Jim Zeleznak who brings a 79-62 record into the tournament.

4. Dallas Baptist Patriots (17-10, 10-6 Heartland)
Despite losing a heart breaker against Incarnate Word to end the season, the Patroits have been one of the Heartland conference hottest teams heading into the tournament, winning seven out of their last nine games. Dallas Baptist is led by Junior Guard Braxton Adamson who leads the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game. A strength for the Patroits has been team free throw percentage. DBU shoots 76.4 percent from the charity stripe, which is good enough to rank sixth nationally. Dallas Baptist is coached by fourth-year Head Coach Blake Flickner, who brings a 72-52 record into the tournament.

5. Texas A&M International Dustdevils (12-14, 9-7 Heartland)
The Dustdevils go into the Heartland Tournament on a strong note, as they closed out the regular season on a three game winning streak. TAMIU is led by junior guard St. Paul Latham who led the team this season, scoring 14.0 points per game. The Dustdevils are one of the toughest defensive teams in the conference, allowing just 65.4 points per game, which ranks 2nd in the Heartland Conference. The Dustdevils are coached by Shane Rinner who is in his first season as Head Coach.

6. St. Edward's Hilltoppers (12-15, 7-9 Heartland)
The Hilltoppers claimed the sixth seed by winning two out of their last three games. St. Edward's are led by Heartland Conference scorinng leader Reggie Shanks, a senior forward who averaged 17.6 points per game this season. Fellow teammate, Jeff Miner, a junior guard who challenged Shanks for the scoring title, but fell just short by averaging 17.5 points per game.The Dustdevils are led by Head Coach Andre Cook, who is in his first season at St. Edward's, and has a overall record of 131-55 in seven seasons as a head coach.

The Tournament Schedule...
Thursday, March 4
5 p.m. - Dallas Baptist vs. Texas A&M International
7:30 p.m. - St. Mary's vs. St. Edward's

Friday, March 5
5 p.m. - Incarnate Word vs. DBU/TAMIU Winner
7:30 p.m. - Newman vs. St. Mary's/St. Edward's Winner

Saturday, March 6
5:30 p.m. - Championship Game

Follow the Tournament Live...
All tournament games will be broadcast live on www.collegetvticket.com. All Newman games will be carried locally on Sports Radio, 1410 AM, KGSO, with Jason Mals and Brad Streeter on the call. Updated schedules, stats and scores will be available at www.rattlerathletics.com