SHREVEPORT. — One of the NAIA's most efficient offenses will meet an at-large qualifier from the Sooner Athletic Conference when seventh-seeded Morningside (Iowa) faces 10th-seeded Texas Wesleyan on Friday in the first round of the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament.
The Mustangs (22-7), winners of the Great Plains Athletic Conference regular-season title, will tip off against the Rams (19-9) at 5 p.m. at The Dock on the LSU Shreveport campus. The winner advances to Saturday's bracket championship against the victor of No. 2 seed LSU Shreveport and No. 15 seed Tougaloo, with a berth in the national finals in Kansas City on the line.
Morningside has reached the NAIA tournament in each of the past four seasons and enters averaging 89.2 points per game on elite efficiency — 56.2% shooting from the field and 43.4% from beyond the arc. Senior guards Caleb Dreckman (16.4 points per game) and Daniel Brocaille (15.4 ppg, who recently surpassed 1,000 career points) lead the attack, supported by a balanced roster that also includes GPAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year Fitzy Grant and Freshman of the Year Kaden Van Regenmorter.
Texas Wesleyan earned its at-large bid after finishing 19-9 overall. The Rams return to the national tournament after appearing as the No. 14 seed in 2025, when they concluded the season with a 19-11 record and fell to No. 3 seed Baker University 72-58 in the first round.
Friday's game also marks the second NAIA tournament appearance for second-year head coach Brian Wanamaker.
"We're proud to represent Texas Wesleyan University again on the national stage," Wanamaker said. "Last year's exit taught us what the national tournament demands. It was a great lesson; this year is about the response, and I feel we are prepared for the moment."
The Rams will seek to disrupt Morningside's tempo and force a lower-possession game in an effort to secure a first-round upset.
Live video and statistics will be available through the NAIA's Urban Edge Network. The Shreveport Bracket is one of 16 first- and second-round sites across the country, with the national championship scheduled for March 19-24 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
