Oklahoma City – Four Sooner Athletic Conference teams have advanced to the 2025 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Tournament, which will begin on Friday at 16 sites around the country.
The 16 teams that advance from the regionals will move on to the NAIA Final Site at the Historic Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City that will begin on March 20 with the championship game set for March 25.
Conference regular season champion Nelson and tournament winner Langston claimed the SAC automatic berths into the field, while Mid-America Christian and Texas Wesleyan earned at-berths.
Langston will host the first and second rounds starting Friday, as the Lions are the No. 4 seed in the Naismith Quadrant and will host St. Mary with tip set for 1 p.m. The Lions won the Sooner Tournament Championship with an overall record of 24-7 as they returned to the field after playing in the championship game last season. They will matchup against the No. 13-seeded Spires. The Spires are the KCAC Tournament Champions with an overall record of 22-9 and are returning to the field for the first time since 2013.
The second regional semifinal will see No. 5 Seed Central Baptist out of the AMC take on No. 12 seed William Carey out of the Southern States. Both teams garnered at-large berths into the field and will play at 3 p.m., with the winners of the two contests matching up on Saturday.
Nelson will head to Alexandria, Louisiana, to take part in the regionals. The No. 8 seed in the Liston Quadrant will be Nelson. The Lions claimed the Sooner regular season title with an overall record of 23-8 and will be making their 12th appearance in the National Championship field. They will face the No. 9-seeded Knights of Middle Georgia State. The Knights grabbed an at-large berth out of the Southern States with an overall mark of 19-8 and are making their first-ever national championship field appearance. The game time for this contest is set for 5:30 p.m.
In the other regional semifinal, LSU-Alexandria in the top seed in the quadrant after winning the Red River regular season title, and they will take on No. 16 seed Stillman, who won the HBCU regular season crown. The two teams will play at 7:30 p.m. Friday, with the winners playing on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Texas Wesleyan will head to the Baldwin City, Kansas, regional in the Liston Quadrant and will be the No. 14 seed after gaining an at-large berth with an overall record of 19-10. They will face off against No. 3 seed Baker, who claimed the Heart regular season title with an overall mark of 28-3. Tip is set for 7 p.m. Thursday.
The second semifinal will feature No. 6 seed Concordia out of the GPAC as they will meet up with No. 11 seed Bethel, who garnered an at-large berth out of the KCAC. The start time for that contest is slated for 5 p.m., with the winner playing Saturday at 6 p.m.
Mid-America Christian will travel to Sioux Center, Iowa, regional in the Liston Quadrant and is the No. 10 seed after earning an at-large berth with an overall record of 22-8. They will take on No. 7 seed Oklahoma Wesleyan, who won the KCAC regular season crown with an overall record of 23-7. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
The second semifinal will see No. 2 seed Dordt, who won the GPAC regular season crown with an overall mark of 27-3, as they will play No. 15 seed Dickinson State. The Blue Hawks won the North Star Tournament with an overall record of 19-10. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m., with the winner playing on Saturday.