Haden Deaton and the Grace Lancers were selected as a four-seed for the NAIA basketball tournament. (Photo courtest Jeff Nycz, Mid-South Images)

WINONA LAKE – For the 10th time in program history, Grace’s men’s basketball team is headed to the NAIA National Championships.

The Lancers earned an at-large invitation to the tournament, held in Sioux Falls, S.D. The 32-team field is broken into four 8-team brackets.

Grace landed the No. 4 seed in its bracket and will play No. 5 seed West Virginia Tech. The game will take place on Thursday, March 12, at 1:45 p.m. (central time) at the Sanford Pentagon.

The Golden Bears boast a 23-8 record while playing in the River States Conference. WVU Tech ran through the regular season with a 15-1 mark in RSC play, claiming the regular season championship.

WVU Tech is an efficient team, ranking in the top-10 of NAIA Div. II in assists and 3-point percentage. The Golden Bears played two Crossroads League schools, losing by double figures to both St. Francis and Taylor.

Seven players on the Golden Bears’ roster average at least 8.0 points per game, led by Junior Arrey’s 16.4 points per game.

WVU Tech is making its fourth straight trip to NAIA Nationals, posting a 1-3 mark since 2017.

Grace is making its first trip to the national tournament since 2015. The Lancers finished third in the brutal Crossroads League, a conference which saw five teams make the NAIA field (Indiana Wesleyan, Marian, St. Francis, Spring Arbor).

The Lancers (19-12) are one of the top shooting teams in the nation. Grace currently ranks No. 12 in field goal percentage (49.1 percent), No. 13 in free throws (75 percent) and No. 16 in 3-pointers (39 percent).

Grace boasts four double-digit scorers this year with Myles Johnson just outside at 9.9 points per game. Charlie Warner (16.6 ppg), Haden Deaton (16.5 ppg), Jaret Sons (14.8 ppg) and Matt Jennings (12.8 ppg) give the Lancers a dynamic scoring attack.

During Grace’s last two NAIA appearances, Grace reached the “Sweet Sixteen” in 2015 and the “Final Four” in 2013.

On a historical note, Grace won the inaugural NAIA Div. II national tournament in 1992 — the first year the NAIA separated into Division I and Division II. This year’s tournament will be the final season with two divisions; the NAIA voted to merge divisions starting next season.