Graceland Earns No. 6 Seed in NAIA National Tourney, Returning to Huntington

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The Graceland University men's basketball team has earned the No. 6 seed in the Huntington (Ind.) pod of the 2026 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship, marking the second consecutive season the Yellowjackets will compete in the opening rounds at Huntington University.

The 64-team field (click here for bracket) for the 2026 NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament was officially announced Thursday by the NAIA national office. First-round games will be played March 13 at 16 host sites across the country, with second-round matchups scheduled for March 14. The winner from each pod advances to the Round of 16 at historic Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri, beginning March 19.

Graceland will open tournament play against No. 11 seed Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) in the first round on March 13 in Huntington, Indiana. The other matchup in the Huntington pod features No. 3 seed Huntington (Ind.) hosting No. 14 seed Bellevue (Neb.). The winners of those two contests will meet in the second round on March 14, with the victor advancing to the national tournament's final site in Kansas City.

The appearance marks a return trip to Huntington for the Yellowjackets, who also competed at the site during the 2025 national tournament. Last season, Graceland entered the field as an No. 11 seed and fell to No. 6 seed Northwestern (Iowa) in the opening round.

The 2026 national tournament features 64 teams, including 35 automatic qualifiers from conference championships and 29 at-large selections determined by the NAIA Men's Basketball National Selection Committee. The opening two rounds will be hosted at 16 campus sites before the tournament shifts to Kansas City for the Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and national championship game.

This year's tournament field includes a wide mix of established national contenders and emerging programs. Among the highlights, Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) enters tournament play with the best overall record at 29-1, while several conferences—including the Southern States, Sooner, Mid-South, KCAC, Crossroads and Cascade—each placed five teams in the national bracket.

For Graceland, the return to postseason play represents another opportunity to compete on the national stage and advance deeper into the tournament bracket.

The NAIA Men's Basketball First Round begins March 13, with the second round scheduled for March 14. Pod champions from each of the 16 sites will advance to Kansas City, where the tournament continues at Municipal Auditorium, the longtime home of the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship.

For more information on Graceland men's basketball and all Yellowjacket athletics, visit GUjackets.com.