FULLERTON – The Hope International men's basketball program readies for its 12th appearance in the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament field, and a first-time opportunity to serve as host.
Hosting the Fullerton Bracket in Darling Pavilion on March 13 and 14, the third-seeded Royals drew No. 14 Georgia Gwinnett in the NAIA Men's Basketball First Round presented by Ballogy. The other first round matchup pits No. 6 seed Keiser (Fla.) against 11th-seeded Oregon Tech.
The Fullerton Bracket is part of the Cramer Quadrant in the national championship bracket.
There are 16 First and Second Round host sites. Each of the 16 site bracket winners will advance to the final site in Kansas City, Mo., where the Round of 16 will tip off on March 19.
HIU earned an at-large bid into the 64-team field after finishing 23-6 overall and 13-3 in the Great Southwest Athletic Conference. The Royals shared the GSAC regular season title with Arizona Christian. In the GSAC Tournament semifinals, HIU fell to The Master's.
The Royals are 6-10 overall in their 11 previous NAIA Tournament appearances. They advanced to the national semifinals in 2015 after defeating West Virginia Tech, Montana Western and Tennessee Southern. HIU also won first round games in 2017 (Wiley), 2014 (Xavier) and 2013 (Emmanuel), the latter the program's inaugural postseason appearance.
HIU is seeking to end a five-game losing streak in the NAIA Tournament.
For the complete NAIA Bracket, click HERE.
Schedule
Friday, March 13
Keiser (Fla.) vs. Oregon Tech – 5:30 pm
Georgia Gwinnett at Hope International – 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 14
First round winners meet – 6:00 pm
Watch Live
The games will be available on the NAIA Urban Edge Network free of charge.
Keiser (Fla.) vs. Oregon Tech – LINK
Georgia Gwinnett at Hope International – LINK
Round two – TBD
Live Stats
Keiser (Fla.) vs. Oregon Tech – LINK
Georgia Gwinnett at Hope International – LINK
Round two – TBD
Tickets
$20 for adults
$10 for students
PURCHASE HERE
HIU faculty, staff and coaches will receive free admission with a valid school ID.
Teams
Hope International (23-6) is the top seed in the Fullerton Bracket and the No. 3 seed in the Cramer Quadrant.
Georgia Gwinnett (25-6) is the No. 14 seed in the Cramer Quadrant. This is the first NAIA Tournament appearance for the Grizzlies, which went 5-0 in the Continental Athletic Conference.
Keiser (Fla.) (24-5) is the No. 6 seed in the Cramer Quadrant. The Seahawks are making their 15th NAIA Tournament appearance. They finished 13-3 in the Sun Conference, tying Ave Maria for the regular season title.
Oregon Tech (19-10) is the No. 11 seed in the Cramer Quadrant. The Fightin' Owls are appearing in their 25th NAIA Tournament and have won three national titles – 2004, 2008 and 2012. HIU and Oregon Tech already have met twice this season, with the Royals winning 85-79 in Klamath Falls and 80-63 in Fullerton.
