2023 Men’s Basketball National Championship National Championship Field Announced
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.
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.
| Institution | Qualifying Method | 2023 Record | Last Time | Consecutive | Appearances | Championship Record | Conference |
| Antelope Valley (Calif.) | Cal Pac Regular Season Champion | 25-2 | 2020 | 1 | 4 | 1-2 | California Pacific Conference |
| Arizona Christian | GSAC Regular Season Champion | 24-5 | 2022 | 5 | 9 | 8-7 | Golden State Athletic Conference |
| Baker (Kan.) | At-Large | 22-8 | 2012 | 1 | 5 | 0-4 | Heart of America Athletic Conference |
| Bethel (Ind.) | At-Large | 17-12 | 2021 | 1 | 18 | 35-14 | Crossroads League |
| Bethel (Kan.) | At-Large | 20-10 | 2022 | 3 | 4 | 4-3 | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference |
| College of Idaho | Cascade Regular Season/Tournament Champion | 30-1 | 2022 | 2 | 25 | 28-22 | Cascade Collegiate Conference |
| Columbia (Mo.) | AMC Tournament Champion | 23-8 | 2018 | 1 | 23 | 13-22 | American Midwest Conference |
| Columbia International (S.C.) | AAC Tournament Champion | 18-13 | N/A | 1 | 1 | 0-0 | Appalachian Athletic Conference |
| Concordia (Neb.) | At-Large | 18-12 | 2022 | 2 | 12 | 14-11 | Great Plains Athletic Conference |
| Corban (Ore.) | At-Large | 20-10 | 2017 | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | Cascade Collegiate Conference |
| Dordt (Iowa) | GPAC Tournament Champion | 25-6 | 2022 | 2 | 7 | 6-7 | Great Plains Athletic Conference |
| Eastern Oregon | Cascade Tournament No. 2 Seed | 21-10 | 2017 | 1 | 9 | 7-8 | Cascade Collegiate Conference |
| Evangel (Mo.) | At-Large | 22-8 | 2022 | 2 | 14 | 13-13 | Heart of America Athletic Conference |
| Faulkner (Ala.) | SSAC Tournament Runner-Up | 26-5 | 2022 | 4 | 14 | 14-11 | Southern States Athletic Conference |
| Florida College | Continental Tournament Runner-Up | 26-5 | 2022 | 2 | 2 | 1-1 | Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) |
| Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) | Mid-South Tournament Champion | 23-8 | 2022 | 2 | 8 | 2-7 | Mid-South Conference |
| Georgetown (Ky.) | Mid-South Regular Season Champion | 26-5 | 2022 | 32 | 42 | 73-39 | Mid-South Conference |
| Grace (Ind.) | Crossroads Regular Season/Tournament Champion | 27-3 | 2022 | 2 | 12 | 15-9 | Crossroads League |
| Hope International (Calif.) | At-Large | 20-10 | 2021 | 1 | 9 | 6-7 | Golden State Athletic Conference |
| Huntington (Ind.) | At-Large | 24-7 | 2022 | 2 | 10 | 12-9 | Crossroads League |
| Indiana Tech | WHAC Regular Season Champion | 27-3 | 2022 | 6 | 14 | 6-13 | Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference |
| Indiana Wesleyan | Crossroads Regular Season Runner-Up | 20-9 | 2022 | 15 | 16 | 34-11 | Crossroads League |
| Iowa Wesleyan | Continental Tournament Champion | 27-2 | 2011 | 1 | 6 | 1-5 | Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) |
| IU Kokomo (Ind.) | At-Large | 23-8 | 2020 | 1 | 4 | 4-2 | River States Conference |
| IU South Bend (Ind.) | Chicagoland Tournament Champion | 23-8 | 2022 | 4 | 4 | 1-2 | Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference |
| IU Southeast (Ind.) | River States Tournament Champion | 23-8 | 2018 | 1 | 14 | 8-12 | River States Conference |
| Jamestown (N.D.) | GPAC Regular Season Champion | 25-6 | 2022 | 3 | 13 | 11-12 | Great Plains Athletic Conference |
| Kansas Wesleyan | At-Large | 25-4 | 2022 | 2 | 7 | 4-6 | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference |
| Langston (Okla.) | SAC Regular Season/Tournament Champion | 29-2 | 2018 | 1 | 7 | 3-6 | Sooner Athletic Conference |
| Life (Ga.) | At-Large | 19-10 | 2018 | 1 | 18 | 27-14 | Southern States Athletic Conference |
| Lourdes (Ohio) | At-Large | 22-8 | 2022 | 1 | 4 | 0-3 | Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference |
| Loyola (La.) | SSAC Regular Season/Tournament Champion | 24-6 | 2022 | 5 | 9 | 15-6 | Southern States Athletic Conference |
| LSU Shreveport (La.) | RRAC Regular Season Champion | 24-7 | 2022 | 18 | 18 | 14-17 | Red River Athletic Conference |
| Madonna (Mich.) | WHAC Tournament Champion | 24-7 | 2020 | 1 | 4 | 0-3 | Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference |
| Marian (Ind.) | At-Large | 21-9 | 2022 | 6 | 10 | 12-7 | Crossroads League |
| Mayville State (N.D.) | North Star Tournament Champion | 25-5 | 2020 | 1 | 11 | 8-10 | North Star Athletic Association |
| MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | At-Large | 20-9 | 2020 | 1 | 20 | 34-17 | Heart of America Athletic Conference |
| Montana Tech | Frontier Tournament Champion | 26-4 | 2022 | 2 | 4 | 1-3 | Frontier Conference |
| Morningside (Iowa) | At-Large | 22-7 | 2021 | 1 | 19 | 16-17 | Great Plains Athletic Conference |
| Northwestern (Iowa) | At-Large | 20-9 | 2022 | 4 | 25 | 31-22 | Great Plains Athletic Conference |
| Oklahoma Wesleyan | KCAC Regular Season Champion | 26-4 | 2022 | 6 | 11 | 19-8 | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference |
| Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | Chicagoland Regular Season Champion | 23-7 | 2022 | 3 | 22 | 13-21 | Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference |
| OUAZ (Ariz.) | GSAC Tournament Champion | 21-9 | 2022 | 2 | 2 | 1-1 | Golden State Athletic Conference |
| Peru State (Neb.) | Regular Season Runner-Up | 24-7 | 2019 | 1 | 19 | 8-19 | Heart of America Athletic Conference |
| Pikeville (Ky.) | At-Large | 19-12 | 2020 | 1 | 15 | 15-12 | Mid-South Conference |
| Rio Grande (Ohio) | River States Overall No. 1 Seed | 24-6 | 2021 | 1 | 9 | 6-8 | River States Conference |
| SAGU (Texas) | At-Large | 20-10 | 2022 | 4 | 11 | 10-9 | Sooner Athletic Conference |
| Saint Xavier (Ill.) | At-Large | 24-7 | 2016 | 1 | 14 | 5-13 | Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference |
| Shawnee State (Ohio) | At-Large | 17-12 | 2021 | 1 | 3 | 5-0 | Mid-South Conference |
| Southeastern (Fla.) | The Sun Tournament Champion | 18-12 | 2022 | 2 | 6 | 3-4 | The Sun Conference |
| Southern Oregon (Ore.) | At-Large | 20-10 | 2020 | 1 | 10 | 7-8 | Cascade Collegiate Conference |
| Southwestern (Kan.) | KCAC Tournament Champion | 25-6 | 2022 | 2 | 13 | 14-11 | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference |
| St. Thomas (Fla.) | At-Large | 24-7 | 2018 | 1 | 9 | 4-8 | The Sun Conference |
| Texas A&M -Texarkana | At-Large | 22-8 | 2021 | 1 | 2 | 0-1 | Red River Athletic Conference |
| The Master's (Calif.) | At-Large | 21-8 | 2020 | 1 | 12 | 7-10 | Golden State Athletic Conference |
| Thomas (Ga.) | At-Large | 17-8 | N/A | 1 | 1 | 0-0 | The Sun Conference |
| Thomas More (Ky.) | At-Large | 22-8 | 2022 | 4 | 6 | 7-4 | Mid-South Conference |
| Tougaloo (Miss.) | GCAC Tournament Champion | 28-1 | 2021 | 1 | 9 | 2-7 | Gulf Coast Athletic Conference |
| Union (Ky.) | AAC Regular Season Champion | 27-2 | 2022 | 3 | 11 | 6-9 | Appalachian Athletic Conference |
| Wayland Baptist (Texas) | SAC Tournament Runner-Up | 23-8 | 2020 | 1 | 21 | 11-19 | Sooner Athletic Conference |
| Westcliff (Calif.) | Cal Pac Tournament Champion | 18-8 | N/A | 1 | 1 | 0-0 | California Pacific Conference |
| Westmont (Calif.) | At-Large | 17-11 | 2020 | 1 | 23 | 21-21 | Golden State Athletic Conference |
| William Penn (Iowa) | Heart Regular Season/Tournament Champion | 28-3 | 2022 | 8 | 13 | 17-11 | Heart of America Athletic Conference |
| Xavier (La.) | RRAC Tournament Champion | 22-8 | 2022 | 4 | 22 | 6-20 | Red River Athletic Conference |
