Muskogee’s Tavian Davis – Athlete Spotlight Presented By Rogers State University

CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State Men’s Basketball team has made its return back to the national tournament stage in 2019-20 after receiving an at-large bid for the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championships.

Rogers State finished the regular season at 23-5, including the No. 15 overall ranking in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Top 25 Poll. In their first season in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), which is often regarded as the toughest Division II basketball conference in the country and winners of two of the last three national championships, Rogers State finished second in the regular season standings with a 15-4 record. The Hillcats battled with the league’s best and finished behind only defending national champion and No. 1 Northwest Missouri State.

The Hillcats are a team that features seven Oklahoma student-athletes, including five from the Northeast Oklahoma region, that have all played a part in the return for Rogers State to the national stage after the transition to the NCAA.

Senior guard Tavian Davis, who came to College Hill from Muskogee, has played all four seasons in Red and Navy, setting multiple program records this season. Davis is averaging 10.4 points per game heading into the national tournament. Over the last month of the season, Davis has set career records for assists and steals at RSU and also set the single season and single game record for assists. Davis is also second in the MIAA and seventh in the NCAA shooting 91.7 percent at the free-throw line.

Senior Christopher Miller has also made a big impact, leading the Hillcats in shooting percentage at 63 percent, which is first in the MIAA and in the top 10 in the nation entering the national tournament. The Tulsa native and Booker T. Washington product is averaging 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Brewster Peacock has also been a key part of the Hillcats this season. The junior from Verdigris is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.8 points per game. Peacock is the second-leading three-point shooter on the team as well, making 62 triples on the season. He has moved into the top 10 at RSU all time in both categories. Peacock is also averaging 4.9 rebounds per game.

The Hillcats have also seen a big impact out of freshman Jett Sternberger. The reigning Mr. Oklahoma is averaging 9.9 points per game and has 53 three pointers this season. Sternberger hit the game-winning three at the buzzer to sink then No. 24 Northeastern State in December.

The Hillcat Men’s Basketball program last made a trip to the national tournament in 2011-12, when the Hillcats made a deep run in the NAIA National Tournament, reaching the quarterfinals. Rogers State will make its first appearance in the NCAA National Tournament in Men’s Basketball since becoming eligible for the postseason after becoming full NCAA members in the 2016-17 academic year.

This season, Rogers State is 3-2 against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament, including wins over Henderson State, Oklahoma Baptist and Missouri Southern. The Hillcats also lost to Missouri Southern and No.1 overall seed Northwest Missouri.

For more information on the Rogers State Men’s Basketball team and their NCAA Tournament appearance, be sure to check out RSUhillcats.com and follow RSU Athletics on social media @RSUhillcats.