NAIA men’s and women’s basketball brackets are bursting with teams from Kentucky
Four men’s and seven women’s basketball teams will represent Kentucky at the NAIA national tournaments this month.
Brackets for the 64-team men’s and women’s events were drawn Thursday, with Georgetown, Cumberlands, Thomas More and Union qualifying for the men’s field and Campbellsville, Cumberlands, Georgetown, Lindsey Wilson, Midway, Pikeville and Thomas More landing spots in the women’s tournament.
First- and second-round games take place March 11-12 at 16 men’s and 16 women’s campus sites around the country.
The winners of each of these “quadrants” will advance to the national championship final sites to play out the remainder of their tournaments. The men’s final 16 will square off March 17-22 at Kansas City, Mo. The women’s final 16 will battle on the same dates in Sioux City, Iowa.
Men’s teams
Georgetown (25-7) received an automatic bid by winning the Mid-South Conference Tournament. The three-time national champion Tigers are the No. 5-seeded team in their 16-team quadrant and open against No. 12 seed Huntington (Ind.) at Montgomery, Ala.
Cumberlands (20-12) received an at-large bid and a No. 10 seed. The Patriots’ first game is against No. 7 Grace (Ind.) at Bourbonnais, Ill.
Thomas More (27-4) is a No. 2 seed after winning the Mid-South regular-season title. The Saints host No. 15 Grand View (Iowa).
Union (25-8) drew a No. 10 seed after winning the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. The Bulldogs take on No. 7 Stillman (Ala.) at Crestview Hills, Ky.
Women’s teams
Campbellsville (29-4) earned a No. 1 seed in its quadrant by winning the Mid-South Conference Tournament and finishing second in the league during the regular season. The Tigers start their journey in Bowling Green, Ky., against No. 16 Rochester (Mich.)
Thomas More (26-4) is also a No. 1 seed after winning the Mid-South regular-season championship. The Saints’ first game is against No. 16 Haskell (Kan.) at Crestview Hills, Ky.
No. 8 seed Cumberlands (20-12) faces No. 9 Rust (Miss.) at Lakeland, Fla.
No. 7 Georgetown (22-11) tips off against No. 10 Southern Oregon at Newhall, Calif.
No. 14 Lindsey Wilson (16-15) opens against No. 3 Carroll (Mont.) at New Orleans.
No. 11 Midway (25-7) begins its quest versus No. 6 Northeastern (Iowa) at Marion, Ind., after securing the school’s first-ever berth in the NAIA national tournament. Midway won the River States Conference Western Division and was runner-up in the league tournament.
No. 12 Pikeville (18-13) plays its opening game against No. 5 Indiana Tech at Dayton, Tenn.
This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 1:22 PM.