The Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith (27-4) will travel to Bakersfield California, March 21, 2001 to compete for the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II National Championship .
Coach Steve Joyner, the CIAA Coach of the Year, led his team through the South Atlantic Region, by defeating Wingate 88-67 in the regional semi-finals, and fellow CIAA opponent Winston-Salem State University 65-48 in the finals on March 10, 2001.
JCSU is the first team to represent the CIAA and the South Atlantic Region, since the 1997-98 season, when theVirginia Union University Panthers advanced to the National Championship semi-finals in Louisville, Kentucky.
The 2001 CIAA Champions will face Washburn (27-4), on March 21 at 6pm in Bakerfield California at 6:30 pm Pacific time. Washburn, of Topeka, Kansas, advances out of the South Central Region with wins over West Texas A&M 86-61 and Northwest Missouri State 67-61.