RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – With the 2025-26 GAC men’s and women’s basketball regular seasons complete, the league announced the brackets and schedules for the GAC Basketball Championships. The event tips off on Thursday with four quarterfinal contests. For the first time, Northside Arena in Fort Smith, Arkansas serves as the host venue.
The Championships open with the top two men’s and women’s seeds playing on Thursday. At noon, Ouachita Baptist, the men’s No. 2 seed, faces Southwestern Oklahoma State. The Tigers secured a top-two seed for the second-straight year. They swept the regular-season series with the Bulldogs. At 2:15 p.m. Northwestern Oklahoma State plays East Central to start the women’s portion of the draw. The No. 2 seed the Rangers earned represents their best in their GAC era. They won their first GAC Championship game a season ago. The Tigers closed the regular season by winning eight of their final 11 games, including a home win against the Rangers on February 14. Northwestern beat ECU in December.
The two regular-season champions hit the court in the evening session. For the first-time ever, Oklahoma Baptist claimed the men’s title. They won a division title in the 2021 season. They finished on a 17-game win streak, the third-longest active streak in Division II. The Bison draw Henderson State for a 5:45 p.m. tilt. Oklahoma Baptist won both regular-season matchups. At 8 p.m., the Harding Lady Bisons play Southern Nazarene. The Lady Bisons claimed the top seed for the fourth time in school history. They reached the finals in each of the three previous instances and won titles from the No. 1 position in 2015 and 2017. The Crimson Storm grabbed the final seed with a late-minute win on Saturday against Northwestern Oklahoma State.
Friday’s slate begins at noon with a men’s doubleheader - No. 4 Southern Nazarene against No. 5 East Central followed by No. 3 Harding and No. 6 Southeastern Oklahoma State. The Crimson Storm have reached the finals each of the previous two seasons while the Tigers have not advanced to the semifinals since their 2017 title-winning campaign. During the regular season, both the Crimson Storm and Tigers claimed eight-point road wins. The Bisons, the 2025 GAC champions, finished the season on an eight-game win streak whereas the Savage Storm secured their spot in the field with a road win on Saturday against Southwestern Oklahoma State. Harding took both regular-season matchups.
The evening women’s twin bill consists of No. 4 Henderson State playing No. 5 Southeastern Oklahoma State at 5:45 p.m. and No. 3 Arkansas Tech facing No. 6 Ouachita Baptist. The Reddies return to the championship field following a one-year absence. They beat top-seeded Harding in Saturday’s regular-season finale. The Savage Storm, who reached the title game in 2025, enter as the hottest team in the field. They won 11 of their final 12 games. Both the Golden Suns and Tigers qualified one year after missing the field. Tech won both regular-season meetings. This year represents the final GAC Championship for Tech head coach Dave Wilbers, who announced his retirement in November. His teams won three GAC Championship titles.
Semifinal Saturday opens at noon with the two men’s semifinals followed by the women’s semifinals at 5:45 p.m. On Sunday, the men’s final tips at 1 p.m. with the women’s title clash scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
The GAC Sports Network will broadcast all 14 contests. Joey McWilliams and Luke McConnell will call all the action over the four days while Alyssa Orange will handle sideline duties and postgame interviews. Fans can purchase session passes for $12 each. For complete coverage and additional information, visit the GAC Basketball Championships Central page
2026 GAC Basketball Championships
Thursday, March 5 - Quarterfinals:
Men’s Game #1: Noon - #2 Ouachita Baptist vs. #7 Southwestern Oklahoma State
Women’s Game #1: 2:15 PM - #2 Northwestern Oklahoma State vs. #7 East Central
Men’s Game #2: 5:45 PM - #1 Oklahoma Baptist vs. #8 Henderson State
Women’s Game #2: 8:00 PM - #1 Harding vs. #8 Southern Nazarene
Friday, March 6 - Quarterfinals:
Men’s Game #3: Noon - #4 Southern Nazarene vs. #5 East Central
Men’s Game #4: 2:15 PM - #3 Harding vs. #6 Southeastern Oklahoma State
Women’s Game #3: 5:45 PM - #4 Henderson State vs. #5 Southeastern Oklahoma State
Women’s Game #4: 8:00 PM - #3 Arkansas Tech vs. #6 Ouachita Baptist
Saturday, March 7 - Semifinals:
Men’s Game #5: Noon – Winner Game #2 vs Winner Game #3
Men’s Game #6: 2:15 PM - Winner Game #1 vs Winner Game #4
Women’s Game #5: 5:45 PM- Winner Game #2 vs Winner Game #3
Women’s Game #6: 8:00 PM - Winner Game #1 vs Winner Game #4
Sunday, March 8 - Finals:
Men’s Game #7: 1:00 PM - Winner Game #5 vs Winner Game #6
Women’s Game #7: 3:30 PM - Winner Game #5 vs Winner Game #6