Foresters Bring Big Dance Back to Platt

HUNTINGTON, Ind. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced this afternoon that Huntington University has been selected as a host site for the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship First and Second Rounds, presented by Ballogy, on March 13–14. All games will be played at Platt Arena. 

The selection provides the 22nd-ranked Foresters with the opportunity to host national postseason competition on their home floor in back-to-back seasons. 

The Huntington bracket will feature four teams competing in a two-day, single-elimination format. Opening-round games will take place on March 13-14. The bracket champion will earn a berth to the NAIA National Championship final site in Kansas City where the 16 qualifiers will compete for the red banner March 19-24. 

Huntington enters postseason play with a 22–8 overall record which includes a 13-2 record when playing in the friendly confines of Platt Arena. The Foresters posted a 12–6 mark in Crossroads League action for a third-place finish in the regular season standings.

First year head coach Jared Jauch and his squad have continued to build momentum with strong performances both at home and against nationally competitive opponents, positioning themselves for a deep run in the tourney with a resume that already includes seven wins over Top-20 opponents. 

This year's bid marks the Foresters' fifth consecutive trip to the NAIA National Tournament. The official national championship drawing will be held Thursday, March 5 at 7:00 PM, when first- and second-round pairings will be announced on the NAIA YouTube Channel.

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 181 NAIA All-America honors and 631 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. Huntington has a top quartile ranking in the 2026 U.S. News Best Regional Universities Midwest Rankings.