SUWANEE, GA– The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference announced the bracket for the 2026 Men's Basketball Tournament, and the University of St. Thomas enters championship weekend as the Gold Division's top seed.
SCAC Tournament Website | Tournament Bracket
The tournament begins Friday, Feb. 27, at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, with the Celts earning a first-round bye after a dominant regular season.
Gold Division
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St. Thomas (16-0 SCAC; 24-1 overall)
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Concordia (Texas) (14-2 SCAC; 21-4 overall)
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Colorado College (10-6 SCAC; 12-13 overall)
Blue Division
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LeTourneau (12-4 SCAC; 17-8 overall)
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Centenary (8-8 SCAC; 10-15 overall)
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Austin College (7-9 SCAC; 10-15 overall)
As Gold Division champions, the Celts will not take the floor until Saturday's semifinal round. St. Thomas will face the winner of Friday's quarterfinal matchup between Colorado College and Centenary at Noon CT.
Ranked No. 4 nationally in the latest D3hoops.com poll — and having climbed as high as No. 3 this season — the Celts enter the tournament riding a 21-game winning streak, the second-longest in conference history. St. Thomas is just the third team in SCAC history to complete an undefeated conference slate, joining the 2022-23 St. Thomas squad (16-0).
The defending SCAC Tournament champions, the Celts are seeking their fourth conference tournament title since joining the league prior to the 2019-20 season. St. Thomas previously captured back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022 before reclaiming the title last season.
In the only regular season matchup between the two divisional winners, St. Thomas secured a 75-64 victory over LeTourneau this past Friday in Houston.
The winner of the 2026 SCAC Men's Basketball Tournament will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Tournament Schedule
Friday – Quarterfinals
Game 1 – Noon CT – Colorado College vs. Centenary
Game 2 – 2 p.m. CT – Austin College vs. Concordia (Texas)
Saturday – Semifinals
Game 3 – Noon CT – St. Thomas vs. Winner of Game 1
Game 4 – 2 p.m. CT – LeTourneau vs. Winner of Game 2
Sunday – Championship
Game 5 – Noon CT – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4
The Celts will look to continue their season and defend their crown as they return to the SCAC Tournament stage this weekend.
