Bracket
NEW ORLEANS —
Xavier University of Louisiana will play Ave Maria
Friday, March 14 in Dalton, Ga., in the 2025 NAIA Men's
Basketball National Championship First & Second Rounds, presented by Ballogy.
The NAIA announced Thursday evening the
64-team field and pairings. Dalton is in the northwest part of the state and 32 miles
southeast of Chattanooga, Tenn.
The other first-round game at that site will
match the host school, Dalton State, and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Winners
will meet March 15 for the right to advance to the
NAIA Championship Final Site at Kansas City, Mo.
The final four rounds will be played March 20-25.
XULA is 20-9, finished second
in the Red River Athletic Conference regular season and reached the
semifinals of the RRAC Tournament. The most notable Gold Rush victory
was 89-72 at home Nov. 26 against LSU-Alexandria, the Red River regular-season
and tournament champion and No. 2 in the final coaches poll.
The Gold Rush are a No. 14 seed
in the bracket's Cramer Quadrant. Ave Maria (24-6) is a No. 3 seed,
Dalton State (24-6) is sixth, and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (26-5) is 11th.
Ave Maria was 16th and Dalton State 18th in the coaches poll.
The XULA men qualified for nationals
for the fifth time in six seasons, the sixth time in eight seasons —
all under current head coach Alfred Williams — and the 16th time in 21 seasons.
XULA leaders
•
Points Per Game: Lance Williams 15.1,
Seviuhn Turner 12.7
•
3-Pointers Made: Jathen Ross 49,
Lance
Williams 49
•
Free Throws Made: Seviuhn
Turner 102,
Lance
Williams 100
•
Rebounds Per Game: Corey Dunning 6.4,
J'Quan Ewing 5.6
•
Assists Per Game: Lance
Williams 3.9,
James Weathers 3.5
