Loyola to host NAIA men’s and women’s tournament basketball games in March at Devlin Fieldhouse

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Both the men’s and women’s Wolf Pack basketball teams turned in impressive regular seasons, both winning the Southern States Athletic Conference regular-season crown. For those efforts, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) rewarded the two teams by making Loyola a host of the men’s and women’s NAIA Opening Round tournaments, which is scheduled for Friday, March 11, and Saturday, March 12.

The two tournaments will be hosted at Tulane’s Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse, and it’s a single-elimination format with four games (two women, two men) slated for Friday, March 11, and two games (men’s and women’s Opening Round Championships) scheduled for Saturday. There are eight hosts for each of the men’s and women’s brackets, and the winners of the two-round tournament will advance to the final site of the NAIA National Championship. The men’s final site takes place at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri, and the women’s will be played at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Starting with the Round of 16, the final four rounds of the NAIA Championship will be played March 17-22.

The Wolf Pack women’s basketball team went 19-5 overall this season and 13-3 in Southern States Athletic Conference play, and the men turned in a 28-1 regular season with a 17-1 mark in the league. Both teams are ranked in the Top 25, too, as the women checked in at No. 25 in the latest NAIA poll while the men were No. 2, and both teams earned the SSAC Regular-Season Championship, playing as the No. 1 seeds in this week’s SSAC Championship.

More information regarding the Opening Round tickets, broadcast, and game times will be released in the coming days. The NAIA will announce the Opening Round brackets on Thursday, March 3.

SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION
If you’d like to help sponsor the upcoming basketball regional event please contact Senior Alumni Engagement officer, Garrett Lacour gmlacour@loyno.edu or visit online here — Sponsorship Opportunities.

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS BRETT SIMPSON
“We’re looking forward to bringing some great college basketball uptown. Our student-athletes and coaches have worked very hard to have this opportunity and we’re excited that they get to compete in front of the New Orleans crowd. We’re grateful to Troy Dannen and the staff at Tulane who have been gracious hosts while we recover from Hurricane Ida. They have gone above and beyond to assist us this season.”

WOLF PACK HEAD COACH STACY HOLLOWELL
“This is a nice surprise and a great opportunity for the Wolf Pack fans to see our team play in town. I’d love to see the city of New Orleans get behind this group and pack Devlin Fieldhouse on March 11th and 12th.”

WOLF PACK HEAD COACH KELLIE KENNEDY
“It’s so exciting to be able to showcase NAIA women’s basketball on the national stage to our Loyola and New Orleans community. I know teams will love the chance to visit our great city. What an awesome opportunity to be able to stay at home for the opening round and to play in front of a home crowd. I can’t wait.”

OPENING ROUND HOSTS
Men’s Basketball Hosts
Alexandria, La., LSU Alexandria (La.)
Bourbonnais, Ill., Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)
Caldwell, Idaho, College of Idaho
Crestview Hills, Ky., Thomas More (Ky.)
Helena, Mont. Carroll (Mont.)
Lakeland, Fla., Southeastern (Fla.)
Marion, Ind., Indiana Wesleyan
Montgomery, Ala., Faulkner (Ala.)
New Orleans, La., Loyola (La.)
Omaha, Neb., Omaha Sports Commission
Oskaloosa, Iowa, William Penn (Iowa)
Park City, Kan., Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
Rocklin, Calif., William Jessup (Calif.)
Talladega, Ala., Talladega (Ala.)
Waxahachie, Texas, SAGU (Texas)
Wichita, Kan., Visit Wichita/Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference

Women’s Basketball Hosts
Alexandria, La., LSU Alexandria (La.)
Billings, Mont., Rocky Mountain (Mont.)
Bowling Green, Ky., Mid-South Conference/Campbellsville (Ky.)
Crestview Hills, Ky., Thomas More (Ky.)
Dayton, Tenn., Bryan (Tenn.)
Indianapolis, Ind., Marian (Ind.)
Lakeland, Fla., Southeastern (Fla.)
Marion, Ind., Indiana Wesleyan
New Orleans, La., Loyola, La.
Newhall, Calif., The Master’s (Calif.)
Omaha, Neb., Omaha Sports Commission
Park City, Kan., Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
Plainview, Texas, Wayland Baptist (Texas)
Santa Barbara, Calif., Westmont (Calif.)
Sioux City, Iowa, Morningside (Iowa)
Wichita, Kan., Visit Wichita/Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference

You can keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com