FRISCO, Texas -- The top-seeded and No. 1 nationally-ranked Railsplitters (34-2) will look to win the first national championship in the history of the Lincoln Memorial University athletics department on Saturday at 3 p.m. when they square off against the second-seeded and No. 2 nationally-ranked Augustana Vikings (33-2) in the NCAA Division II National Championship game at Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas. That contest is being broadcast live on CBS.
 
Lincoln Memorial - winners of 24-straight games - is set to make the program's first-ever appearance in the National Championship game and just the second in the history of the athletic department as a whole, following in the footsteps of the 2007 men's soccer team that suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Franklin Pierce in Orange Beach, Ala.
 
The Railsplitters advanced to Saturday's title game by pulling out a dramatic 103-102 win over the fourth-seeded West Liberty Hilltoppers on Thursday evening, prevailing in a contest that featured 20 lead changes and 11 ties. Gerel Simmons (Accokeek,Md.), who scored 35 points with eight points in the final two minutes of regulation, put the Lincoln Memorial ahead for good with a bucket at the 1:24 mark, but the Railsplitters had to hold on for dear life after going just 2-for-8 at the charity stripe over the last 30 seconds of regulation. Four other players hit double figures for Lincoln Memorial, as Jalen Steele (Knoxville, Tenn.) had 19 points with five threes, Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) produced 17 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, and Curtis Webb (Spartanburg, S.C.) and Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) had 11 apiece. Thirteen of Pinson's 17 points came in the second half.
 
No. 2 Augustana had a much easier time securing their spot in the National Championship game, cruising past Western Oregon 74-55 in Thursday's nightcap. The Vikings, who are also set to make the program's first appearance in the Division II title game, were nearly eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, though, as they were forced to overcome a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat Tarleton State on Wednesday.
 
There will star power across the board in Saturday's championship showdown, as Lincoln Memorial will be led by consensus All-American Simmons, while Augustana is fronted by a pair of All-Americans in Daniel Jansen and Casey Schilling. Simmons was tabbed as an All-American by the NABC, the CCA and the Basketball Times, as he leads the top-seeded Railsplitters in scoring with 20.9 points per game on 51.7 percent shooting and a 48 percent mark from three-point range. Jansen and Schilling were also recognized as All-Americans by all three of those publications, while Jansen, a 6-9 senior forward, was minted as the NABC National Player of the Year. Jansen, who has been hobbled for the last two games by a foot injury, accounts for 20.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 54 percent shooting, while Schilling is good for 19.5 points and a team-leading 9.4 rebounds per game. That duo has also combined to hit 91 three-pointers this season.
 
From a pure makeup standpoint, Lincoln Memorial and Augustana couldn't be much more different, as the Railsplitters rely on a guard-oriented offensive attack that favors pace and space, while the Vikings have been carried by a slew of dominant post scorers. Lincoln Memorial is led by the backcourt trio of Simmons, Choice and Steele, who combine to average nearly 55 points per game. Augustana, meanwhile, makes its money on the backs of Jansen, Schilling and 6-5 swingman Alex Richter, a group that pours in more than 54 points per game. In Jansen's absence in the Elite Eight quarterfinal win over Tarleton State, Richter produced a career-high 32 points.
 
Saturday's game marks just the second all-time championship game meeting between the teams that finished No. 1 and No. 2 in the final NABC/Division II rankings. The only other time that occurred was in 1975, when top-ranked Old Dominion defeated second-ranked New Orleans in a 76-74 barnburner. In fact, it will be just the 12th all-time meeting between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in Division II history and the second time this season, as No. 1 Wheeling Jesuit and No. 2 West Liberty squared off back on February 27. The Railsplitters are the second straight No. 1 team to advance to the National Championship game and the 15th all-time. Top-ranked teams are 9-5 in title game history.
 
The Railsplitters enter Saturday's championship game sporting a 24-game winning streak, as they haven't lost since dropping a 98-84 decision at Bellarmine on January 2. Augustana is riding a 14-game winning streak, as the Vikings haven't felt defeat since losing 90-81 at Northern State on February 5.
 
Unsurprisingly, Lincoln Memorial and Augustana are two of the most efficient offensive teams in the nation. The Railsplitters entered the Elite Eight ranked second in the country in field-goal percentage with a 51.9 percent clip and they have maintained that mark by shooting 46.6 percent against Barry and 57.4 percent against West Liberty. Augustana is ranked fourth in the nation in that department with a 50.7 percent clip, but the Vikings have fallen short of that mark in the last two games, shooing 47.1 percent versus Tarleton State and 43.4 percent against Western Oregon.
 
The rebounding battle will play a key role in Saturday's outcome. Coming into the week, Lincoln Memorial and Augustana were both ranked among the top 10 in the country in rebounding margin. The Railsplitters outrebounded Barry 50-42 and grabbed 15 offensive boards, but were outrebounded by West Liberty 35-34. The Vikings accounted for a 40-36 rebounding edge against Tarleton State and also corralled 15 offensive boards before whipping Western Oregon 48-30 in the rebounding column.
 
Lincoln Memorial and Augustana have never played one another. The Railsplitters and Vikings also don't share a common opponent this season.
 
The NCAA Division II National Championship game tips off at 3 p.m. (ET) at the Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas. The game will be broadcast live on CBS, while fans can also follow along via live stats, which can be accessed at www.LMURailsplitters.com.