Stillman College basketball makes NAIA Tournament, has chance to defend HBCU national title

The Stillman basketball team was awarded a berth in the NAIA Tournament as a No. 7 seed. The field was announced Thursday.

Stillman (20-8) also won last year's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) small school national championship and is in the hunt to repeat, but will need a deep postseason run.

The Tigers will play in Crestview Hills, Ky. against Union (Tenn.) on Friday, March 11, in the opening round of the NAIA Tournament. How far it and other HBCU schools advance in the postseason will determine if Stillman defends its national title.

"To be a part of an HBCU program like Stillman and the history involved in our college is an honor," coach John Teasley said. "We are bringing awareness to HBCUs across the country and are getting our brand out in the process."

This is the fifth straight season the Tigers have made the NAIA Tournament field and their sixth postseason tournament appearance in seven years (including the 2016 NCAA Division II Tournament).

The Tigers are currently fourth in the HBCU national rankings.

LONDELL KING RETURNS:Stillman basketball's Londell King is back on the court after brain surgery, seizure

1,000-POINT SCORER:Trey Petty, cousin of former Alabama basketball star John Petty Jr., becomes Stillman 1,000-point scorer

"It means a lot for us to represent HBCUs across the country. We've really helped put HBCUs on the map these past couple of years," guard Devin Merriweather said. "We aren't done yet, and we're ready to go and play."

This season is the first where the NAIA will field a 64-team tournament. In years prior, the tournament only fielded 48 teams.