AAC Sending 3 Teams to NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship

(Story provided by NAIA Athletic Communications)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [First/Second Round Schedule | Bracket Reveal | Official Bracket] The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the 64-team field and pairings for the 2025 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship. The tournament will begin with the 2025 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship First & Second Rounds, presented by Ballogy, on March 14 at 16 host sites nationwide.

The 16 winners from each site will advance to the 2025 NAIA National Championship Final Site in Kansas City, Mo., which tips off on March 20 and concludes on March 25th when the 87th NAIA Men's Basketball National Champion is crowned at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City.

The field consists of 34 automatic qualifiers – given to conference regular season champions, regular season runners-up, tournament champions, or tournament runners-up, depending on the league. The number of 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 past president of the NAIA-Men's Basketball Coaches Association, and four at-large members. The committee evaluated teams throughout the year on various criteria.

The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) is sending three teams to the national tournament in Pikeville, Milligan, and Johnson. Pikeville and Milligan each received an automatic berth as the regular-season and tournament champions, respectively. Meanwhile, Johnson received an at-large berth. This is Johnson's first-ever trip to the national tournament.

For more information on NAIA Men's Basketball, click here.

First & Second Round Notes

• The Heart of America Conference leads all conferences in representation, with seven teams qualified, followed by the Crossroads League and the Southern State Athletic Conference following with six teams each.
• There are 35 repeat qualifiers from the 2024 field.
• Five teams make their first-ever appearance in the national championship field: UC Merced (Calif.), Carolina (N.C.), Middle Georgia State, William Woods (Mo.), and Johnson (Tenn.).
• Dickinson State (N.D.) returns to the national tournament after a 21-year hiatus since their last appearance; Mobile and Saint Mary (Kan.) also return to the tournament field after 16 and 12-year breaks.
• Georgetown (Ky.) leads the 64-team field, having the most appearances in program history at 43; followed by Cumberlands (Ky.) at 32 appearances.
• Six teams have taken a Red Banner back to their campus three different times: Georgetown (Ky.), Oregon Tech, Cornerstone (Mich.), Bethel (Ind.), Life (Ga.), and Indiana Wesleyan.
• Three teams have secured a national title twice in their program history, while ten teams have won the tournament only once.
• The four remaining host sites were also determined with Bethel (Ind.), Huntington (Ind.), Langston (Okla.), and Indiana Wesleyan all now hosting along with the 12 site that were announced last week. That release can be found here.
• The entire 64-team field for the 2025 national championship has an overall record of 1,410-477, sporting a winning percentage of 74.7%.
• 34 teams sport an animal as a mascot this season, with a Lion being the most common and tigers being the second most common.