Carson Medley, an assistant in Chico State's department of graduate studies, loves to tell stories. He loves it so much, in fact, that he spent all last season with the Chico State men's basketball team in an effort to tell the 2015-16 Wildcats' story in a book. It's a work in progress.
 
Medley attended almost every practice and sat behind the bench at nearly every game. He was in the locker room after they won their second straight California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship as the 8^th-ranked team in the land. He was also there when they lost their third straight game to end a once-promising season in the first round of the NCAA Championship Tournament. The shocking ending was a far cry from the one Medley had once imagined.
 
He has himself one hell of an epilogue now.
 
The 2016-17 Wildcats, who feature 10 holdovers from last season's squad, got on a bus Sunday in front of Acker Gym to begin the first leg of their journey to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and the promised land of Division II men's basketball–the Elite Eight.
 
More than 100 Chico State faculty, staff, students, and fans, got up before the sun to send the Wildcats off.

 
"We've got some of the best fans in the nation, which is fitting, because we've got one of the best programs in the nation," said University President Gayle E. Hutchinson. "It was great to see the Wildcat pride out here today. To send the team off in style is fantastic."
 
The Wildcats appreciated the sendoff.
 
"We love the community and the support you guys give us," Isaiah Ellis said. "We're going to go out there and fight and hopefully bring home a national championship."
 
That quest begins with a matchup against last season's national runner-up, Lincoln Memorial University of Tennessee, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., Pacific.

How to Follow
LISTEN: The game will be broadcast in the Chico area on AM-1290 KPAY with Mike Baca providing the call beginning with the pregame show at 6:05. LISTEN ONLINE HERE.
WATCH: The game will be broadcast, free of charge, on NCAA.com.
FOLLOW: Track the game's progress via LIVE STATS.
 
Thursday night's semifinal games will be televised on the CBS Sports Network, and Saturday's NCAA Division II Championship game will be broadcast on CBS at noon.
 
Lincoln Memorial, 29–5, opened the season ranked No. 2 in the nation. The Railsplitters got off to a so-so start, dropping four of their first 14 games, but rebounded nicely by winning 19 of their last 20. They claimed a share of their fifth straight South Atlantic Conference title and avenged a loss to Queens in the SAC Tournament title game by beating the Royals 82–68 in the Southeast Regional championship game.
 
The only team to make a return trip to the Elite Eight this season, LMU ranks fifth nationally in scoring at 92.8 points per game. The Railsplitters also rank third in rebounding margin (+10.2), third in field-goal percentage (51.9), and sixth in field-goal percentage defense (39.4).
 
Luquon Choice, one of three starters remaining from LMU's run to the title game, is one of two players in the Elite Eight to have scored 2,000 career points. The 6-foot-3 senior guard leads the nation with 134 made 3-pointers and was recently named to the Top-25 Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award, given annually to the top collegiate men's basketball player competing outside of Division I.
 
Railsplitters forward Chris Perry, a 6-8 senior transfer from the University of South Florida, leads the nation in field-goal percentage at 68.1 percent.
 
Choice is averaging 18.2 points per game, and Perry 18.1. The Railsplitters' other probable starters are 6-2 junior Trevon Shaw (11.6 ppg), 6-0 freshman Cornelius Taylor (11.1 ppg), and 6-9 senior Paul Woodson (5.1 ppg).
 
"They run. They push the ball. They shoot a ton of threes. They have multiple guys who can score it," said Chico State Head Coach Greg Clink. "If we can do a good job of getting back in transition and guarding the 3-point line we'll put ourselves in great position to win."
 
The Wildcats will likely be considered a bit of a Sioux Falls Cinderella. They finished third in the CCAA and were seeded No. 6 in the West. They are once again the No. 6 seed in the Elite Eight. LMU is seeded third.
 
Robert Duncan isn't interested in trying on anyone else's shoe.
 
"We don't look at it like that," said Duncan. "We know we have the talent to go out there and do something special."
 
Duncan is one of the Wildcats' "core-four." He, Jalen McFerren, Corey Silverstrom, and Ellis are playing in their third straight NCAA Tournament together. All four average between 12.0 and 13.2 points, and better than two assists per game. All four were named All-CCAA this season.
 
Fellow starter Marvin Timothy and redshirt freshman Justin Briggs combine to add size and strength to the Wildcats' lineup, while Nate Ambrosini, Michael Bethea, Jr., and Joseph Lynch all provided important minutes off the bench during the Wildcats' West Region championship run.
 
It was all working for the Wildcats at the Regional Championship as they played perhaps their three best games of the season. If they take with them that same level of play to Sioux Falls, the Wildcats are a legitimate National Championship contender.
 
Clink, for one, is not shying away from the subject. When asked by a local television reporter about the prospect of playing for the national title on national television prior to Thursday's practice, he replied simply: "That's the plan."
 
A few minutes later, Medley walked into that same practice, notepad in hand. It was the Wildcats' first after winning the West Region title. He seemed to be enjoying himself nearly as much as the Wildcats, who were noticeably giddy about being back in the gym for another practice.
 
Medley's notebook was folded backward, revealing a page filled with notes and scribbles, mostly illegible to anyone but him. There was one word at the very top circled boldly over and over so that it had a thick, ink border–like something out of a child's journal. The word? Epilogue.
 
The bottom half of the page was blank, waiting to be filled in with the events of this week. Maybe this time Medley and the Wildcats will get the dream ending they were hoping for.
 
NCAA Championship Elite Eight Schedule (all times Pacific)
Sioux Falls, S.D. – Sanford Pentagon
Wednesday, March 22 (All games streamed on NCAA.com)
10:00 a.m. – #8 Rollins (24-10) vs. #1 Fairmont State (32-2)
12:30 p.m. – #5 Colorado School of Mines (30-4) vs. #4 Bellarmine (31-3)
4:00 p.m. – #7 St. Thomas Aquinas (28-5) vs. #2 Northwest Missouri State (32-1)
6:30 p.m. – #6 Chico State (26-7) vs. #3 Lincoln Memorial (29-5)
Thursday, March 23 (Both games on CBS Sports Network. No streaming option)
4:00 p.m. – Rollins/Fairmont State winner vs. Colorado School of Mines/Bellarmine winner
6:30 p.m. – Chico State/Lincoln Memorial winner vs. St. Thomas Aquinas/Northwest Missouri State winner
Saturday, March 25 (Broadcast on CBS. No streaming option)
12:00 p.m. – Championship Game