INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian women's basketball team is set to embark on its final journey of the season, as the NAIA National Tournament begins on Friday, March 13, with the Knights hosting the NAIA First and Second Round in Indianapolis. Marian will tip-off the NAIA First Round against Haskell Indian Nations on Friday night, looking to get off to a strong start in their NAIA postseason run. 

The 2026 NAIA Second Round winners will meet in Sioux City, Iowa, at the NAIA Championship final site presented by Bomgaars and Sterling. The 45th annual championship occurs at the Tyson Events Center from March 19-24.

This year's First Round field includes 35 automatic qualifiers and 29 at-large selections. Automatic berths were given to teams that either won their respective conference tournament title or regular season championship, finished runner-up at the conference tournament or were otherwise selected by the conference. The NAIA Women's Basketball National Selection Committee determined the at-large bids. The selection committee consists of one representative from each geographical area and six at-large members, comprised of coaches and administrators from around the country.

Marian is one of seven Crossroads League teams to make the NAIA Tournament field, joining Saint Francis, Indiana Wesleyan, Huntington, Spring Arbor, Bethel, and Taylor. The Crossroads League led the NAIA in teams in the championship field, while the Cascade Collegiate Conference, Great Plains Athletic Conference and Mid-South Conference all qualified six teams. 

Eleven teams in the field boast one or more titles. Northwestern (Iowa) has claimed five Red Banners and is followed closely by Hastings (Neb.), which has three of its own. Two-time defending national champion, Dordt (Iowa), returns to the field after earning back-to-back Red Banners in Sioux City. Marian (Ind.) and Indiana Wesleyan have also won multiple titles, while Concordia (Neb.), Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Saint Francis (Ind.), Shawnee State (Ohio) and Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) each have one.

Marian is 9-0 all-time in the NAIA Tournament First and Second Round, and is serving as a host for the sixth consecutive year. Marian is on the one-line for the first time since the 2023-24 season, serving as the top team in the Liston Quadrant. Marian is in the NAIA Tournament for a 13th time in program history. 

SELF-SCOUTING MARIAN
Marian earned the No. 1 seed in the Liston Quadrant and are one of five NAIA programs in the 2026 championship field with multiple NAIA Championships. The Knights are entering the NAIA First Round with a record of 29-2, and were ranked as high as No. 4 in the NAIA Coaches' Poll this season. Marian is the top team in the North ARC this season, and is third in the NAIA 2025-26 RPI. The Knights went 13-2 overall in quad one games this season. 

Marian is entering the national tournament on a 12-game winning streak, having last played in their thrilling Crossroads League Tournament Championship win against Saint Francis. Marian is led by the Crossroads League Player and Defensive Player of the Year, Abbey McNally, and is coached by the CL Coach of the Year, Suntana Anderson. Marian had 11 total Crossroads League honors this year, with Taylor Double joining McNally on the league's First Team. 

McNally eclipsed 2000 career points this season, becoming the third player in program history to hit the milestone. The senior is second all-time in career scoring, and is in contention to become the program's all-time leading scorer. She is the all-time leading rebounder in women's basketball history in the Crossroads League, as she approaches 1400 career boards this weekend. 

SCOUTING COLUMBIA
Columbia is making their second trip to Indianapolis for an NAIA Tournament First and Second Round, as the Cougars will be the No. 8 seed in this year's tournament. The Cougars came to Indy last in 2022, earning a 10-seed in the 2022 tournament, where they would lose to No. 7 Rio Grande in the First Round. 

This season, the Cougars are 30-1 overall and have won 19 consecutive games entering the NAIA Tournament. Columbia was receiving votes in the final NAIA Coaches' Poll of the season, and is ranked No. 26 in the final RPI metrics this season. The Cougars earned an automatic bid to the NAIA Championship, winning both the American Midwest Conference Regular Season and Tournament championships. This year's appearance marks the 22nd overall NAIA Tournament spot for the Cougars. 

Like the Knights' Anderson, the Cougars' head coach Matt Moore is in his second season and was named as the AMC Coach of the Year. The Cougars had a pair of players make the AMC First Team in Lexi Miller and Ashtyn Klusmeyer, and had five other players collect AMC honors, including the league's defensive player of the Year in Tori Rubel. 

If the Cougars were to advance and play the Knights, it would be the first meeting in program history between the two schools. The Knights and Cougars did not have any common opponents this season.

SCOUTING CARROLL
Carroll College is heading to Indianapolis as the No. 9 seed in the Liston Quadrant, matching up with Columbia College in the NAIA First Round. Carroll is making its 17th all-time appearance in the NAIA Championship field, and enters the postseason with a 19-10 overall record this season, qualifying as an at-large bid team. The Fighting Saints were receiving votes in the final NAIA Coaches' Poll of the season, and are 46th in the NAIA RPI. 

The Saints have one common opponent with the Knights this season in Rocky Mountain College, a Frontier Conference member with Carroll. The Saints went 1-1 against the Battlin' Bears this year, while Marian won its matchup 71-46 on a neutral floor in Arizona in December. Carroll is 1-0 all-time against Marian, having defeated the Knights on November 12, 2022, playing on a neutral court at Indiana Wesleyan. Marian lost that contest 69-61, playing without the team's star player at the time, Ella Collier. Abbey McNally would lead Marian in scoring in their only matchup with Carroll with 17 points as a freshman, while Olivia Faust and Kenna Kirby combined for 15 points in the meeting their freshman season. 

For Carroll, Jillian Kanduch has provided a spark in her first collegiate season as she was named as the Frontier Conference Freshman of the Year, providing the second-highest scoring average per game this season. Kenzie Allen was named the Frontier's Co-Newcomer of the Year as well as a second-team all-league and all-defense performer, and Willa Albrecht was named to the Frontier first team. 

SCOUTING HASKELL
Marian's opponent in the NAIA Tournament First Round is Haskell Indian Nations University. Haskell, located in Lawrence, Kansas, will be making its first-ever trip to Indianapolis, having qualified after winning the Continental Conference Tournament Championship. Haskell secured their spot in the national tournament after defeating Georgia Gwinnett College 66–56 in the CAC Championship game on March 1. The victory marks back-to-back conference titles for Haskell and sends the program to the national stage for the second consecutive season. 

Haskell is 14-16 overall on the season and will be playing Marian for the first time in program history on Friday night. This is Haskell's sixth overall NAIA appearance, as they will be a 16-seed in the Indianapolis bracket. 

Ona Dauphinais was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, while Ivy Fox and Tierzah Penn earned All-Tournament Team honors. Fox was also named the CAC Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-Conference, while Dauphinais earned First Team All-Conference recognition, leading Haskell this year. 

WATCH AND FOLLOW ALONG
All games of the NAIA Tournament First and Second Round will be live-streamed on the Urban Edge Network. Marian will have one of the largest numbers of camera angles in the NAIA for the championship First and Second Round, as the ISC Sports Network will produce the games with six total camera angles. Each game will have live stats on the Marian StatBroadcast Channel and PrestoStats. 

Tickets are on sale now for the contests in Indianapolis on Friday, March 13. Sales for Saturday's contest will go live on Friday night following the conclusion the Columbia and Carroll contests. 

WHAT'S AT STAKE
The winner of the Indianapolis bracket of the Liston Quadrant will play on Friday, March 20, in the NAIA Round of 16. The Indianapolis bracket plays the winner of the Springfield bracket, which features No. 4 Evangel, No. 13 University of Oklahoma Science & Arts (USAO), No. 5 William Carey, and No. 12 Shawnee State. 

Tip on Friday between Marian and Haskell is at 5:30 p.m.

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