KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The 74th annual champion of the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship will be crowned tonight from Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, Mo. Unseeded Pikeville (Ky.) (29-7) faces No. 3 Mountain State (W.Va.) (33-3) with tip-off at 9:05 p.m. CDT. The game is broadcast live nationally on CBS College Sports Network. For ticket information, call 1-800-745-3000. The doors open to the public at 7:30 p.m.

Mountain State is appearing in its fourth National Championship final, while Pikeville is competing in its first. The Cougars won a national title in 2004 and stand 1-2 in the title bout. The last time the Cougars played in the big game was in 2008, when they were defeated by Oklahoma City, 75-72. This meeting will be a first for both schools in postseason history.

In their 13th-straight National Championship trip, the Cougars of Mountain State are no strangers to success. Head coach Bob Bolen, who is 463-112 (.805) in his 18th season, has guided his team to a 24-11 (.686) postseason record. In his coaching tenure, his teams have averaged over 25 wins per season. Mountain State improved to 4-0 all-time in the Fab Four after a Monday victory against Georgetown (Ky.), 69-63. Down nine at the half, Mountain State limited Georgetown to just 25.7 percent shooting (9-of-35) in the final 20 minutes to rally for its eighth-consecutive victory.

Mountain State won the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) regular-season title with a 29-3 log. The Cougars posted 15-plus point wins in the first two rounds of the National Championship before close wins in the quarterfinals and Fab Four. Junior guard Doug Wiggins has been the team’s leading scorer in four tournament games (15.5 ppg). The scoring load has been by committee with six players averaging double-figures this year. Behind a front-line that goes 6-8 (Cam Miller), 6-10 (Josh Wamsley) and 7-1 (David Nyarsuk), Mountain State tops the country in total blocks (184) and is second in field goal percentage defense (.369) and rebounding (46.4 rpg).

Winners of eight-straight games, Pikeville has been the surprise of the National Championship. The Championship finals appearance is a first for the Bears and comes at the heels of a big comeback victory in the semifinal on Monday. Pikeville used an 18-0 run in the second half to help erase a 15-point hole in the 110-99 win over No. 5 Martin Methodist (Tenn.). Senior guard Justin Hicks, who is one of four double-figure scorers on the team this season, eclipsed the 1,550-point mark for his career with 15 against Martin Methodist. The theme for the Bears has been upsets with victories during this year’s tournament against the top-seeded Robert Morris (Ill.) Eagles, defending national champion Oklahoma Baptist and defending national runner-up Azusa Pacific (Calif.).

The Bears are an at-large team out of the Mid-South Conference and tied for third in the league with a 13-5 record. Scoring has not been a problem as Pikeville leads the country in scoring offense (90.6 ppg) and 3-pointer’s made (317). Head coach Kelly Wells is in his fifth season with a 104-49 record (.680). Senior guard Vance Cooksey, an All-Mid South Conference First-Team selection, leads the Bears with an average of 19.1 points and a 21.0 clip in four tournament games.

Championship Notables:

• There have been six overtime games played out in the Championship final. The last one occurred in 2003, when Concordia (Calif.) defeated Mountain State (W.Va.), 88-84 in overtime.

• Since 2003, the title game has been a close one. The winning margin has been six points on average during that stretch. Last year’s final was a 84-83 victory for Oklahoma Baptist over Azusa Pacific (Calif.).

• Pikeville is trying to become the fifth unseeded team all-time to win the National Championship. The last unseeded Cinderella to win it all was Rocky Mountain (Mont.) in 2009.

• Mountain State will try to become the 14th team in the 74-history of men’s basketball to earn multiple National Championship titles. The Cougars won the 2004 championship with a 74-70 win over Concordia (Calif.). With the win, Mountain State would also become the first team from West Virginia to have more than one ring.

• Pikeville snapped a seven-year drought in the National Championship with an appearance in 2011. Of all 32 teams this year that had previous experience, the Bears snapped the longest absence. (Lindenwood and St. Catharine were newcomers).

• Mountain State is 3-0 in National Championship action when scoring over 100 points.

• Pikeville becomes the first Mid-South Conference school to reach the final since 2000 (Georgetown (Ky.)) and looks to become the first league member to win the national title since 1998 (Georgetown -- W, 83-69).

• Since 2008 in National Championship play, Mountain State is 10-3 with two trips to the National Championship final.

• Pikeville set a school record with its 29th win on the season coming against Martin Methodist in the semifinal.

• The Cougars are 13-0 on the season in games decided by 10 points or less, which includes two games during the National Championship.

• This year’s championship marks the 74th annual event, which distinguishes itself as the oldest national championship basketball tournament in the country, preceding any NIT or NCAA Tournament. Founded in 1937, the tournament has hailed national champions from 22 states from Maryland to Hawaii. The state of Oklahoma claims the most titles with 10 followed by Missouri with eight.

• In 74 years, the national championship has stopped in two cities, Tulsa, Okla., and Kansas City, Mo. The 2011 event will be in Kansas City for the 10th straight year and 67th time overall. From 1994-2001, the championship was held at three different arenas in Tulsa.