NAIA men’s basketball tournament is off and running at KC’s Municipal Auditorium

Freed-Hardeman of Tennessee recorded the first victory of the NAIA men’s basketball tournament’s Sweet 16 on Thursday afternoon at Municipal Auditorium, beating The Master’s of California 69-68.

Competing in the NAIA championships for the ninth time, Freed-Hardeman (29-4) — seeded No. 1 in the Cramer Quadrant — thus became the first team to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals. The Master’s’ season ends at 24-9.

No. 14 seed Central Baptist (29-6) of Arkansas pulled the first stunner of this year’s tourney run in KC by knocking out Cramer Quadrant 2-seed Oklahoma Wesleyan (31-3): final score, 84-79. Then No. 1-seeded Grace (33-1) of Indiana topped Iowa’s Northwestern (25-8), the Naismith Quadrant No. 5 seed, 82-66.

The nightcap ended up being a close one, with Naismith Quadrant No. 15 seed Evangel (21-10) beating No. 11 seed Lewis-Clark State (24-9) 77-74. Evangel, from Springfield, advances to play Grace in Saturday’s quarterfinals.

The Round of 16 games continue Friday afternoon and evening. Following Saturday’s quarterfinals, the semifinals are scheduled to take place Monday and the championship game Tuesday. There are no games Sunday.

Freed-Hardeman’s Peyton Law swipes the ball from Deaken Stangl of The Master’s during a Thursday afternoon Round of 16 game at the 2024 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship inside Municipal Stadium in Kansas City.
Freed-Hardeman’s Peyton Law swipes the ball from Deaken Stangl of The Master’s during a Thursday afternoon Round of 16 game at the 2024 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship inside Municipal Stadium in Kansas City.

By the time the smoke clears, the eventual NAIA national champion will have won four games in a six-day span.

It’s the 86th edition of this championship tournament overall, and the 78th time the annual tourney is taking place in Kansas City.

Here are the results from Thursday’s games:

  • Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 69, The Master’s (Calif.) 68

  • Central Baptist (Ark.) 84, Oklahoma Wesleyan 79

  • Grace (Indiana) 82, Northwestern (Iowa) 66

  • Evangel 77, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 74

Friday’s schedule looks like this:

  • LSU Shreveport, La. (24-8) vs. Langston, Okla. (32-1), 1 p.m.

  • Arizona Christian (25-7) vs. Indiana Wesleyan (28-5), 3 p.m.

  • Madonna, Mich. (27-6) vs. College of Idaho (30-3), 5 p.m.

  • Morningside, Iowa (23-9) vs. Cumberlands, Ky. (28-4), 7 p.m.

And the quarterfinals are taking shape. Here’s how Saturday’s quarterfinal schedule looks after Thursday’s action:

  • Freed-Hardeman vs. Central Baptist, 1 p.m.

  • Grace vs. Evangel, 3 p.m.

  • Langston/LSU Shreveport winner vs. Arizona Christian/Indiana Wesleyan winner, 5 p.m.

  • College of Idaho/Madonna winner vs. Morningside/Cumberlands winner, 7 p.m.

Six of this year’s final 16 teams have won a national title previously. Indiana Wesleyan has three championships on its resume, while Northwestern and College of Idaho have two apiece.

College of Idaho is the defending tournament champion. The Yotes beat Indiana Tech 73-71 for the 2023 NAIA title.

Per the NAIA, the first 14 games of the national championship will be streamed live at www.NAIANetwork.com. The championship final will air on ESPN3 for the seventh straight year.

Pricing for general admission tickets starts at $25, and an all-tourney pass starts at $90.

Kamrin Oriol, right, and Jordan Caruso of The Master’s react after coming up short against Freed-Hardeman, 69-68, in Thursday’s first game at the 2024 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
Kamrin Oriol, right, and Jordan Caruso of The Master’s react after coming up short against Freed-Hardeman, 69-68, in Thursday’s first game at the 2024 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

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