KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [Opening Round Schedule | Bracket Reveal | Official Bracket] The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the 64-team field and pairings for the 2023 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship. The tournament will begin with the 2023 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship First & Second Rounds, presented by Ballogy, on March 7 at host sites throughout the country.
Four teams will represent the Cascade Collegiate Conference in four different tournament quadrants, highlighted by the No. 1-ranked College of Idaho. The Coyotes swept the regular-season championship and CCC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship, presented by U.S. Bank, for the second consecutive year. They will host their opening round as Westcliff University comes to Caldwell, Idaho.
Eastern Oregon University grabbed the second automatic qualifier from the CCC after picking up the second seed in the conference tournament. The Mountaineers will start in Butte, Mont., to compete against Thomas More University. With at-large bids, Corban University will face Arizona Christian University which is hosting in Glendale, Ariz., and Southern Oregon University takes on Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma.
The 16 winners at each of these sites will advance to the 2023 NAIA National Championship Final Site in Kansas City, Mo., at the 85th annual NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship, March 13-18. For more information on the national championship, click here.
The field consists of 37 automatic qualifiers – given to conference regular season champions, regular season runners-up, tournament champions, or tournament runners-up, depending on the league. The number teams in each league determines the number of automatic bids in each conference. Leagues with 10 or more schools receive two automatic berths, while conferences with less than 10 institutions receive one.
At-large teams were determined by the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Selection Committee (NSC). The NSC consists of one representative from each geographic area, a representative from the National Administrative Council, the president of the NAIA-Men’s Basketball Coaches Association and three at-large members. The committee evaluated teams throughout the year on various criteria.
For more information on NAIA Men’s Basketball, click here.
First & Second Round Notes
• Overall, there are 33 repeat qualifiers from the 2022 field.
• College of Idaho boasts the highest win total in the field with 30 victories each on the year.
• Georgetown (Ky.) leads the field with its 42nd appearance in the men’s basketball championship field. Northwestern (Iowa) and College of Idaho both have 25 appearances while both Columbia (Mo.) and Westmont (Calif.) check-in with 23. Overall, there are nine institutions with at least 20 appearances.
• There are three newcomers to the National Championship in this year’s field in Columbia International (S.C.), Thomas (Ga.) and Westcliff (Calif.).
• There are five conferences with five representatives in the field (Crossroads League, Golden State Athletic Conference, Great Plains Athletic Conference, Heart of America Athletic Conference, Mid-South Conference).
• 16 teams of the 64 in the field have captured a red banner in their history. Bethel (Ind.), Georgetown (Ky.), Indiana Wesleyan and Life (Ga.) lead those with three national titles each.