The NAIA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament fields have been announced and it is wealthy with HBCU presence.
There will be seven HBCUs (eight teams total) present in the national tournament, including five in the men’s bracket, one of which is making its first appearance in school history.
Here are the HBCU teams that will be competing for an NAIA national championship.
Women
Rust
Seed: 16
First Round Opponent: Freed-Hardeman
After a year’s absence, the Rust Lady Bearcats are back in the NAIA National tournament, following a remarkable run to the HBCUAC tournament championship.
Playing with just a six-player rotation, the Bearcats cruised through the HBCUAC tournament, beating Talladega 67-60 to claim their fourth conference title in the last five years.
In two of their last three National tournament appearances, the Bearcats have advanced past the opening round.
Riding a seven-game win streak, Rust will have to contend with a Freed-Hardeman that sports a 27-3 overall record, having claimed its first Mid-South Conference championship since 2023.
Talladega
Seed: 16
First Round Opponent: Bethel (Tennessee)
The Talladega Tornadoes find their way into the National tournament as an at-large bid, marking their first appearance since 2022.
Talladega makes it into the tournament after putting together a turnaround from a 10-13 record last season to an 18-8 record this year.
They advanced to the HBCUAC tournament finals for the first time after re-joining the conference in 2023, being upended by Rust.
The Tornadoes will look forward to a matchup against Bethel (Tennessee), which advanced to the National Semifinals of the NAIA tournament last year.
Langston
Seed: 8
First Round Opponent: Bethel (Indiana)
For the second straight year, the Langston Lady Lions will compete for a NAIA women’s basketball national championship.
Following a historic 2024-2025 campaign, in which they posted a school-record 31 wins, the Lady Lions put forth another impressive showing this season.
Despite putting up a 24-4 record in the regular season, Langston was upset in the opening round of the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) tournament.
They will match up in the first round against Bethel (Indiana), entering with a 20-10 overall record, having lost in the semifinals of the Crossroads League tournament.
Men
Arkansas Baptist
Seed: 16
First Round Opponent: Nelson (Texas)
For the first time in school history, the Arkansas Baptist Buffaloes will compete in the NAIA men’s basketball tournament.
Finishing the regular season with a 15-10 overall record, Arkansas Baptist went on a historic run to win the Continental Athletic Conference tournament.
This included overcoming a double-digit deficit in the second half to beat Georgia Gwinnett College 82-78 in the final, claiming their first-ever conference title.
They will clash with the Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season champion Nelson (Texas) in the first round.
Southern-New Orleans
Seed: 16
First Round Opponent: Oklahoma Wesleyan
Southern at New Orleans marches into the NAIA tournament for the first time since 2012, following a Cinderella run to the HBCUAC title.
Entering the HBCUAC conference tournament, the Knights held a 13-13 overall record and were the fourth-seed in the West division.
Their path to the championship game included a blowout win in their opener against Fisk, an upset of the East Division top seed and host Stillman, and another upset of the West No. 2 seed Philander Smith.
They then knocked off the regular-season champion Tougaloo in the championship game in an overtime thriller.
In the first round, the Knights will have to contend with the reigning National championship runner-up, Oklahoma Wesleyan.
Tougaloo
Seed: 15
First Round Opponent: LSU Shreveport
The HBCUAC tournament runner-up, Tougaloo Bulldogs, finds its way into the NAIA tournament after a year’s absence.
Tougaloo won a share of the HBCUAC regular-season championship, tying Stillman with a 10-2 conference record (19-9 overall).
They will open the tournament against the Red River Athletic Conference tournament champion, LSU Shreveport, currently riding a five-game win streak.
Xavier-Louisiana
Seed: 12
First Round Opponent: William Carey (Mississippi)
For the fourth time in the past five years, Xavier University of Louisiana will compete for a NAIA national championship, this time as an at-large selection.
The Gold Nuggets enter the national tournament with a 20-10 overall record, marking their fifth straight year with at least 20 wins in a season.
In their final season as a member of the Red River Athletic Conference, XULA fell short of a tournament championship, falling short in the semifinals against LSU Alexandria.
In the opening round of the NAIA tournament, they will face perennial contender William Carey, the regular-season champion of the Southern State Athletic Conference, which XULA will be joining later this year.
Langston
Seed: 4
First Round Opponent: Bethel (Tennessee)
Rounding out the field is the Langston Lions, making their fourth straight appearance in the NAIA tournament with the highest seeding of any HBCU selection.
Under the direction of head coach Chris Wright, Langston recorded yet another 20-win season, posting a 24-7 overall record.
They were unable to add what would have been their fourth straight Sooner Athletic Conference championship to their list of accomplishments, losing to Oklahoma City in the title game.
The Lions will face a Bethel (Tennessee) team that is currently on a four-game losing streak in the first round.
