Forester Basketball Teams Ready for NAIA National Tournaments

Men hosting first and second rounds, women competing in Hastings Bracket

The Huntington University men's and women's basketball teams are set to compete in their respective NAIA National Tournaments beginning Friday, with the men hosting the First and Second Rounds, presented by Ballogy, while the women are in Hastings, Nebraska, for their opportunity on the big stage.

The HU men will welcome 14th-seeded Lourdes (Ohio), 6th-seeded Northwestern (Iowa) and 11th-seeded Graceland (Iowa) to the Huntington Bracket on Friday and Saturday. There will be two first round games on Friday with the winners playing on Saturday in round two action. The winner of the Huntington Bracket will earn a spot to the NAIA's final site in Kansas City (Missouri) slated for March 20-25.

For Coach Kory Alford and crew, this marks the fourth consecutive appearance on the big stage. The Foresters, a No. 3 seed, received an at-large bid and will face 14th-seeded Lourdes on Friday at 6:00 p.m. These two programs last met in 2010-2011 with HU cruising past the Gray Wolves 72-38.

Huntington heads into the tourney with a record of 24-7 which includes a 12-6 league record and five wins over Top 25 opponents. This is the 12th time the Foresters have advanced to an NAIA postseason tournament.

Lourdes (21-8, 15-5) received one of 30 at-large bids. This will be their sixth trip to the big dance with their most recent appearance last winter.

All three men's games can be viewed live free of charge through the Huntington University YouTube page using the "NAIA National Tournament 1st and 2nd Rounds | 2025" playlist.

For HU's women, it's their first trip to the big dance since 2015. Coach Darby Maggard's crew received one of 29 at-large bids. The Foresters will face No. 5 LSU Shreveport on Friday with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. This will be the first time these two programs have met.  

Huntington heads into the opening round as the No. 12 seed with a record of 17-12 which includes two wins over Top 15 opponents. This is the seventh time the Foresters have advanced to an NAIA postseason tournament.

LSU Shreveport received an automatic bid as the Red River Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champions. The Pilots bring a 27-3 record into the tourney which includes a 23-1 conference record. This is LSUS's 13th trip to nationals with their most recent appearance last year.

The other two teams in the Hastings bracket include host and 4th-seeded Hastings (Nebraska) and 13th-seeded College of the Ozarks (Missouri).

The women's games can be viewed live free of charge through the Hastings College athletics streaming platform.