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SALEM, Va.- In 49 seasons of Christopher Newport men's basketball, the Captains have played 1,304 total games. Friday night, in game #1,305, CNU will play its first game ever in the Final Four.

The Captains, 30-1 and riding a 21-game winning streak, take on the Tommies of the College of St. Thomas (MN). Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Salem Civic Center.

John Krikorian's squad didn't have far to travel this week to get to the Final Four site. CNU made the four-hour bus trip Wednesday night, the shortest trip of any of the four remaining squads. CNU enjoyed a lengthy road trip last weekend for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8, venturing to Oswego, NY,  and advancing with wins over Keene St. (NH) and Wooster (OH).

"This is a special group of guys, and different in a lot of ways from other teams I've coached," Krikorian said Thursday night following an NCAA banquet on the floor his team will play on beginning Friday night. "They've got a special bond, and really like being together...on a bus or in a hotel or on planes like last week. Being away takes away some of the distractions you have playing at home, and we've embraced being on the road."

CNU is 14-0 away from the Freeman Center this season, and the Captains posted a 16-1 mark in home games. Christopher Newport's lone loss of the season came on December 30th to Scranton, 65-58, at the Freeman Center.

The Captains are led by sophomore Marcus Carter, who scored 22 points in both wins last weekend in Oswego. Carter tops the team in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game. He is also averaging 7.1 rebounds per game. The Williamsburg native received several accolades this week. He was named a first team All-America selection Friday by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), and was also selected the Player of the Year in the Middle Atlantic district. Carter is just the third CNU player to ever be named first team All-American (joining Lamont Strothers and Antoine Sinclair). He is also the first sophomore to ever achieve the honor. Carter, the Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year, was also an All-Region selection this week by d3hoops.com.

The Final Four matchup will be the first game ever with the College of St. Thomas. The Tommies are 28-3 this year, and are playing in the Final Four for the third time in the last six years. St. Thomas won the National Championship in 2011. Over the last eight seasons, St. Thomas has Division III's best record at 209-30 for a winning percentage of .874.

"Any time you get this far, you know everyone left is going to be very good," Krikorian continued. "This is more about us, and what we can do. We can't worry about anything but putting our best effort forward. All that we can focus on is what we can control. If we do the things we've done all season, the result will be positive."

CNU was ranked fourth in the country in the last national poll on February 28th, while St. Thomas was ranked eighth in the nation.

Head Coach John Krikorian and junior Tim Daly also received honors this week. Krikorian, who is in his sixth season leading CNU, was named the Coach of the Year in the Middle Atlantic district by the NABC. Krikorian is now 132-38 (.776) coaching the Captains.

Daly, a junior from Richmond, was selected second team All-District by the NABC. Daly is averaging 13.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

In the opening national semifinal Friday, Amherst (26-5) plays Benedictine (30-0). The winners will play for the National Championship on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m.

The Captains/Tommies battle will be broadcast live on the Christopher Newport/Pepsi Radio Network (Xtra 99.1 FM). The pre-game show begins at 7:10 p.m.

Tickets for the games in Salem will be available at the Civic Center Ticket Office.