Buy Games

On January 2nd, UMKC hosted Central Christian College of the Bible, and defeated the Saints 90-10. The Roos held CCCB scoreless in two of the four quarters.

This is the definition of a Buy Game.

We know they happen all the time, around the nation, at all levels of play, both men and women. College football is guilty. College basketball is worse, as teams need to fill 29- or 30-game schedules. So what happens when you need an extra game and have limited open dates?

You reach down the totem pole and schedule NCAA Division 2, Division 3, or if necessary NAIA Division 1 or 2.

How much further down the rabbit hole can scheduling a cheap and easy buy game go? There is the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (Divisions 1 and 2).

And then there is the NCCAA.

Division 2.

The NCCAA is the National Christian College Athletic Association. Home of all private schools that didn't meet the standards for NAIA, and some that did. There exists a vaguely organized national tournament at the end of the year for schools that want to participate and/or failed to qualify for the NAIA postseason.

NCCAA D2 is home to fewer than 30 schools; the average enrollment of all schools is fewer than 600. That average drops to 382 if you remove the two outliers (Bob Jones boasts 2,422 and Pensecola Christian enrolls 4,462). Nineteen member institutions in NCCAA Division 2 enroll fewer than 300.

That is where we find schools like Central Christian College of the Bible of Moberly, Missouri (enrollment 225). Indeed, there are 9 schools smaller than CCCB in the NCCAA Division 2, highlighted by Kansas Christian College (enrollment 105). At 2-12, KCC is decidedly better than CCCB, having defeated CCCB 74-69 in Moberly just 3 days ago.


CCCB is 2-8, but their record is worse than it looks. Their first win of the season was a 44-33 slugfest over Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. Union is 0-8 and unaffiliated with any conference whatsoever. According to one of the referees who works many of their games, they barely fielded a team this year, period. The Saints are scheduled to make another trip to Lincoln tomorrow afternoon to face Union.

Also on the schedule is Nebraska Christian College (an 82-68 loss). NCC is in their first year with an athletic program.

What's more, CCCB hosts Grace University out of Omaha, Nebraska this evening. This is game two of a season home-and-home agreement. They needed to get their chances to play this year, because Grace University is ceasing all academic operations at the end of this school year. Grace, an NCCAA D1 program, is 7-9 on the year and defeated CCCB 63-49 in December.


UMKC has been looking for wins this year; they have 5 wins, but only one against an NCAA Division 1 opponent. They should not be this hard to find.