COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Eagles are less than 24 hours from the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship with a tricky matchup with the No. 6 ranked team in the NAIA as a matchup with fifth-seeded Pikeville  is set for a 7:15 p.m. tipoff in the Arena of Southwell Complex on the campus of Columbia College.

Season Results
Faulkner enters with a 20-9 record, finishing second in the SSAC having lost their last two contests but had won 10 of the last 11 before the skid to close the regular season and fall in the SSAC quarterfinals. 
Pikeville enters at 27-4 having lost just once since Veterans Day and as the No. 6 ranked team in the last NAIA Poll released ahead of the conference tournaments. Pikeville ran away with the Appalachian Athletic Conference title by five games with an 18-1 record. The Bears outscored foes by an average of 16.7 points in league play. Pikeville fell in the AAC title game by one point to Johnson (Tenn.). 

Team Strengths
The Eagles have outrebounded their opponents in 16 of the last 18 games. There were 9 instances where the Eagles won by double figures. Tanner Vogel has 10 double-digit rebound games in the last 12. Faulkner ranks 2nd in the NAIA offensive boards with 14.7 and 4th in rebounding margin with 9.0. Faulkner averaged 94.2 points per game in its last 11 regular season games with a 9-2 record in that time with only four games before postseason.
Pikeville is the best free throw shooting team in the country, connecting on 80.5% of attempts. They also take care of the ball better than any team in the NAIA with just 8.6 turnovers per game. Pikeville also ranks first in the NAIA in personal fouls, committing just 11.5 per game. The Bears also rank in the top 10 in offensive efficiency (1.218, 3rd), net efficiency ( .210, 6th), 3 pointers per game (10.9, 4th). 

National History
Faulkner is in the Little Dance for the 16th time in program history. The Eagles are in the fifth national tournament in the last six seasons. Pikeville is in for the 18th time and fourth straight season. Both teams have won a national championship, with the Bears winning in 2011. This is the second meeting with the Eagles winning the 2001 semifinals in an 87-78 decision. Two-time Faulkner Athletics Hall of Famer, and one of seven retired jerseys, Paul Little scored 37 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win that put the Eagles into the title game in which they won. Pikeville is seeking its first appearance in Kansas City since the 2019 quarterfinals. 

Star Power
The Eagles are led by a duo of first team all-SSAC performers in KJ Rogers and Tanner Vogel. Rogers has double digit points in the last five games highlighted by a double-double against Mobile. Rogers averages 15.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2 steals per game. Vogel has found a different gear in the new year, averaging 14.5 points and 12.8 rebounds an outing in 2026, including a 20 rebound performance with 12 on the offensive end against Brewton-Parker in the SSAC tournament. Kamal Green II joined the all-freshman team after scoring 8.7 points per game and 12 games in double figures. 
The Bears are led by back-to-back Appalachian Athletic Conference Player of the Year Bradley Bunch. Bunch averages 16.8 points per game with 40 percent shooting from deep on the season with 71 makes to couple 7.6 boards and 2.5 assists. Zion Blevins was the Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year in the AAC with 41 blocks and 18 steals on the season. All five starters were either first or second team selections in the AAC.

Coaches
Faulkner Head Coach Scott Sanderson is in his 12th season leading the Eagles and has taken them to the National Championship seven times, just one behind his brother Jim, who led the 2001 team that beat Pikeville in the semis. Sanderson enters with a 561-340 record in his 30th year as a college head coach. He is 254-114 (69.1%) at Faulkner. In his 12 seasons, Faulkner has compiled a winning record 11 times and eight 20-win seasons. 
Tigh Compton is in his sixth season leading the Bears, winning his second regular season conference title and the NAIA National Championship for the fourth time as the head coach. He's been on staff since 2009 climbing from student assistant to head coach in that time. With Compton on staff, Pikeville is 343-106 (76.4%) with the 2011 national title and 11 tournament appearances. As head coach, Compton carries a 124-57 (68.5%) record. 

Stakes
The winner gets a matchup with either No. 4 seed Columbia or No. 13 McPherson in the Second Round of the Cramer Quadrant at 2 p.m. Saturday with that winner advancing to the Round of 16 in Kansas City. 

Series History
Including the 2001 NAIA semifinal, Pikeville leads the all-time series 4-2 overall with Faulkner's two wins coming on neutral floors. This is the first meeting since 2018 when Faulkner beat Pikeville 88-81 at Dalton State. 

Coverage
All games of the NAIA Men's and Women's NAIA Basketball Championships are streamed free of charge on the Urban Edge Network.