KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NAIA released the seeding and opponents on Thursday evening of the 2026 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship First & Second Rounds, presented by Ballogy. The Wildcats will return to Luckey Arena as the No. 2-seed in the Cramer Quadrant and will welcome Shawnee State (Ohio) (7-seed), Dalton State (Ga.) (10-seed), and St. Francis (Ill.) (15-seed) to the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University next week on March 13-14.
The Wildcats will make their 19th NAIA Tournament appearance and 18th consecutive when they hit the court at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 13, against No. 15-seeded St. Francis (Ill.).
No. 15-seeded St. Francis (Ill.) comes to Marion boasting a record of 23-7. The Fighting Saints are making their seventh NAIA National Tournament appearance after earning an automatic bid as the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. No. 7-seeded Shawnee State (Ohio) makes their fifth NAIA National Tournament appearance after earning an automatic bid as the regular season champion of the River States Conference. They will match-up against the No. 10-seeded Dalton State (Ga.) who earned an automatic berth as the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament Champions. The Roadrunners are making their sixth appearance in the NAIA National Tournament.
To view the Marion Bracket Tournament Central Page, click
HERE.
To view the full release for the NAIA, click
HERE.
THE SCHEDULE
Friday, March 14, 2026
- Game 1: No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan vs. No. 15 St. Francis (Ill.) // 5:30 p.m.
- Game 2: No. 7 Shawnee State (Ohio) vs. No. 10 Dalton State (Ga.) // 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 15, 2026
- Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 // 4:00 p.m.
TICKETS
Tickets are sold by the day and grant the individual access to all games on that day. Tournament Passes give individuals access to both days for all games.
- All-Tournament Pass
- Adult $20
- Students (6-17) - $12
- Single Day/Game Tickets
- Adult - $12
- Students (6-17) - $8
- Children (5 & Under) – Free
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS
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