KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially unveiled the 64-team field and pairings for the highly anticipated 2025 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship. This prestigious tournament kicks off with the First and Second Rounds, presented by Ballogy, on March 14, 2025, hosted at 16 locations across the country.
The top 16 teams from each site will advance to the 2025 NAIA National Championship Final Site in Kansas City, Missouri. The final site will commence on March 20 and culminate on March 25, when the 87th NAIA Men’s Basketball National Champion is crowned at the historic Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City.
This year’s field features a total of 34 automatic qualifiers, which are awarded to conference champions, runners-up, tournament champions, or tournament runners-up, depending on the league's structure. The allocation of automatic bids varies: conferences with 10 or more schools receive two bids, while those with fewer than 10 institutions are allotted one.
The selection of at-large teams was executed by the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Selection Committee (NSC). This committee comprises representatives from each geographic area, a member from the National Administrative Council, the past president of the NAIA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association, and four at-large members. Throughout the year, the committee meticulously evaluated teams based on various performance criteria.
The Heart of America Conference leads the representation with seven qualifying teams, closely followed by the Crossroads League and the Southern States Athletic Conference, each with six teams. Notably, 35 teams are returning from the previous year’s championship, while five teams are making their debut in the national championship field: UC Merced (Calif.), Carolina (N.C.), Middle Georgia State, William Woods (Mo.), and Johnson (Tenn.).
Additionally, Dickinson State (N.D.) makes a long-awaited return to the national tournament after a 21-year absence. Mobile and Saint Mary (Kan.) also return after breaks of 16 and 12 years, respectively. Among the 64 teams, Georgetown (Ky.) boasts the highest number of appearances in the tournament's history with 43, while Cumberlands (Ky.) follows with 32 appearances.
Six teams have claimed the coveted Red Banner three times: Georgetown (Ky.), Oregon Tech, Cornerstone (Mich.), Bethel (Ind.), Life (Ga.), and Indiana Wesleyan. Three teams have secured the national title twice, while ten teams have achieved victory in the tournament once. The recent announcement also indicated that the remaining four host sites for the tournament include Bethel (Ind.), Huntington (Ind.), Langston (Okla.), and Indiana Wesleyan.
The entire 64-team field for the 2025 national championship holds an impressive overall record of 1,410 wins to 477 losses, resulting in a winning percentage of 74.7%. Interestingly, 34 of the participating teams have animal mascots, with the Lion being the most common, followed closely by Tigers.
Here are some key details regarding the institutions qualifying for the 2025 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship:
Institution Qualifying Method Record Last Time Appearances (National Titles) Championship Record Conference Arizona Christian Tournament Champion 26-4 2024 11 13-9 Great Southwest Athletic Conference Carolina (N.C.) Tournament Champion 13-15 N/A 1 0-0 Continental Athletic ConferenceFor more information regarding the NAIA Men’s Basketball and updates on the championship, please click here.
