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Having earned a No. 1 seed in the NAIA tournament for the third time in the last four years, the Grace men’s basketball team will once again enjoy the privilege of hosting a total of three first and second round games at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
The top-seeded Lancers will take on No. 16 Johnson (Tenn.) in the opening round on Friday night in the first of two contests. Following the home side’s contest, No. 8 Madonna (Mich.) and No. 9 Southeastern (Fla.) will face off for the right to play in Saturday’s second-round game.
The winner of the pool will advance to the tournament’s final site in Kansas City for the Sweet 16. Having made it that far in each of the last four years, including three straight trips to the Elite 8 or further, head coach Scott Moore says he’s ready to begin another postseason run, and is excited to once again do so with this team.
“It’s awesome. To see where these guys have gone at such a young age, no seniors on the team and eight freshmen. I knew they’d be special, but to see how far they’ve come and how fast they’ve gotten here, it’s incredible what these young men have been able to do,” he said. “They’re so focused, so hungry, these guys just want to get to Friday.”
Despite it being a No. 1 vs. No. 16 matchup against Johnson in the opener, Moore doesn’t expect an easy contest. The Royals qualified for their second straight NAIA tournament by winning the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) tournament as a three seed. Johnson has been on fire in 2026, posting a 14-2 record since January 10.
The Royals have two players that the Lancers will need to prepare for. The sharpshooting Davon Cottle comes into the game averaging 15.3 points a game this season, having made 69 threes. Down low, 6’7” Mason Lockhart leads the team by scoring 16 points a night while also grabbing 9.2 rebounds a game. Both players were named first-team All-AAC.
“Like any nonconference game, it’s more about you than the team you’re playing. We still need to focus on ourselves and do what we do best,” Moore said. “At this point in the season, the seeding doesn’t really matter. There’s 64 teams left and they’re all really good. It’s much more about matchups than your seed. Johnson is a great team, they’ve got a great post player in Lockhart, they’ve got upperclassmen, they’re well coached. We’re going to have our hands full from day one.”
It will be interesting to see how a freshman class that has handled every challenge put in front of it so far will handle its first NAIA tournament. They won’t have to navigate these new, deeper waters alone though. This is far from Moore and the coaching staff’s first rodeo in postseason play, and veteran leaders like Ian Raasch and Gage Sefton have two tournament runs under their belts as well.
“It’s good to have upperclassmen that have leadership capabilities, and we do. We’ve got guys that have made two runs to Kansas City before. They’ve played in those games. They know that arena, they know the hotel. They know the travel schedule,” Moore said. “I think between the coaches and the upperclassmen, if we have the people that can set the tone, the young guys will just come along for the ride.”
As far as how far he thinks this team can go? Moore says he won’t know until after they play that first game.
“We have to get through Friday. I know it’s coach speak but it’s true. With these guys, it’s keeping them so locked in on the next day and letting the coaches take care of everything else,” he said. “So much of what has made these guys who they are this season is taking the game at hand, playing it with urgency, and knowing that the coaches will prepare us for the next one. The reality is you’re going to play one game, and hopefully you get to do so six times. At the end of six, hopefully we’re the last one standing.”
