The Thresher men’s basketball team will make its third appearance in a row in the NAIA National Tournament, with a 7 p.m. tip-off Tuesday, March 7, against the University of Jamestown (N.D.) Jimmies.

Bethel had a 50/50 chance of making the tournament with an at-large bid or staying home, following a loss to Southwestern College in the KCAC Championship game on Feb. 27.

Bethel, the 14th seed in the Liston quadrant, is set to square off with the 3rd-seeded Jimmies, Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) co-champions, along with Morningside, after a 25-5 overall and 15-5 GPAC campaign. The game will take place in Jamestown.

The University of Jamestown had the GPAC Player of the Year in Mason Walters, who averaged 26.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.9 blocks per contest this year. Jamestown’s next two top scorers, James Cordes and Cole Woodford, both averaged 12.8 points per game on the season, with Woodford connecting on 93 three-point baskets this season.

The game will be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/@JimmieAthletics

Purchase tickets at https://www.jimmiepride.com/tickets (or contact Thresher Athletics, which will pay for tickets for anyone willing to make the drive to Jamestown).

Live stats will be available at https://bethelthreshers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

The winner of the March 7 game will face off on Wednesday, March 8, at 6 p.m. against the winner of No. 6 Peru State and No. 11 Mayville State.

Bethel is a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1887 and is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Known for academic excellence, Bethel ranks at #14 in the Washington Monthly list of “Best Bachelor’s Colleges,” and #24 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of “Best Regional Colleges Midwest,” both for 2022-23. Bethel is the only Kansas college or university to be named a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center. For more information, see www.bethelks.edu

In sports, Bethel competes in the 13-member Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and the NAIA. Learn more at bethelthreshers.com