Stillman, Dillard set sights on NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship Opening Round
NEW ORLEANS - March 8, 2025 - The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) regular season champion Stillman College and the HBCUAC 2025 Hope Credit Union Basketball Champions Dillard University found out their site and first round opponents for the 2025 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Men's Basketball National Championship Opening Round, during the selection show Thursday evening. The Tigers earned the No. 16 seed in the Liston Quadrant and will face No. 1 seed Louisiana State University at Alexandria. The Bleu Devils earned the No. 15 seed in the Duer Quadrant and drew the No. 2 seed William Woods University (Mo.) in West Palm Beach, Fla.\
Stillman plays at 7:30 p.m. on March 14. Dillard's game tips at 6 p.m. The winners will play on March 15 to determine who advances to the final site at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. All games will stream on the NAIA Channel on the Urban Edge Network or naianetwork.com. For the first time, the games will be free to watch.
The Tigers (18-11) went 10-4 in the second half of the season. Calvin Finch Jr. is the leader for Stillman, winning multiple HBCUAC Weekly Honors. He averaged 13.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and garnered All-HBCUAC First Team, All-Defensive Team and All-Tournament Team.. Michael Taylor is one of the top 3-point shooters in the conference hitting 40.5 percent and averaging 12.6 points per game. Tyler Martin is hitting 39.4 percent from beyond the arc. Stillman split its games at the HBCUAC 2025 Hope Credit Union Basketball Championship with a 72-54 victory over Wiley University in the quarterfinals and a 79-69 loss to Philander Smith University, which finished as the tournament runner-up, in the semifinals. Stillman makes its sixth appearance in the NAIA Tournament and first since 2022.
The Bleu Devils (19-11) took home the HBCUAC 2025 Hope Credit Union Basketball Championship title with three nail-biting victories: 63-60 over Southern University at New Orleans in the quarterfinals, 89-80 double overtime victory over Wilberforce University and a 74-72 win over Philander Smith University in the championship. Bentravin Phillips earned Most Valuable Player with his clutch performance in the final two minutes. Tory Cargo and Justin Warren earned spots on the All-Tournament Team. Cargo was also an All-HBCUAC First Team selection. Armond Williams earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team. Dillard makes its ninth appearance in the NAIA Tournament and first since 2018.
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About HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.