SEWARD, Neb. – For the fifth time in program history and for the third time during Head Coach Ben Limback’s tenure, Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball has reached the GPAC Championship Game. The postseason path for the second-seeded and NAIA 11th-ranked Bulldogs has included home wins over seventh-seeded Midland, 101-81, and third-seeded Northwestern, 67-61. The semifinal clash with the 13th-ranked Red Raiders was a physical one that saw both teams perform below their season standards from an offensive perspective. Concordia survived and advanced and how has the honor of hosting Morningside in Tuesday’s GPAC Championship Game.
This Week
GPAC Championship – Tuesday, March 4 vs. Morningside (23-7, 14-6 GPAC), 6 p.m.
--104.9 Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Neb.)
--Admission: $10 for adults; $3 for students (K-College); GPAC students with ID are admitted free; season passed are not allowed (NAIA issued passes are allowed).
NAIA Selection Show – Thursday, March 6, 7 p.m.
--Watch Live
By the numbers
· Limback’s crew will attempt to add to the program’s four all-time GPAC tournament championships. Those titles occurred in 2003, 2005, 2020 and 2022. During the era of the Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference, Concordia also won conference tournaments in 1995, 1997 and 1998. Under Limback, the Bulldogs celebrated the 2020 GPAC tournament title when they edged Dakota Wesleyan, 68-66, in the Corn Palace. Two years later, Concordia had the privilege of hosting the championship game and knocked off Jamestown, 77-70. In both 2023 and 2024, the Bulldogs earned quarterfinal wins before bowing out in the semifinals. Tuesday’s contest versus Morningside will mark the fourth time that Concordia has hosted the GPAC Championship Game (each of the program’s previous conference finals are listed below). The Bulldogs have won the GPAC tournament title game each time they have appeared in it.
o 2022 – Won vs. Jamestown, 77-70.
o 2020 – Won at Dakota Wesleyan, 68-66.
o 2005 – Won vs. Sioux Falls, 62-58.
o 2003 – Won vs. Dordt, 90-82.
· Concordia was put to the test physically by Northwestern and passed it. Though the Bulldogs shot only 42.6 percent and turned it over 17 times, they overcame those issues by limiting the Red Raiders to 32.8 percent shooting and by outrebounding them, 45-32. Concordia never could quite run away from Northwestern, but it stretched the lead to nine (65-56) in the final couple of minutes while locking down the opposition from Orange City. The Red Raiders were able to fluster Tristan Smith into committing eight turnovers, but the star Bulldog still put up 20 points, 16 rebounds and two blocked shots. Other double figure scorers were Hayden Frank (17) and Noah Schutte (16). Off the bench, Brooks Kissinger chipped in with eight points and seven rebounds. A key was Concordia’s work on Jesse Van Kalsbeek, who went 4-for-18 from the floor. Northwestern (25-5) has fallen in eight-straight trips to Friedrich Arena.
· This past week, the NAIA announced 12 of the 16 first/second round host sites for the 2025 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship tournament. The Bulldogs did not receive one of those 12 host bids, but they hope to earn one of the final four host bids that will be announced on Thursday as part of the NAIA selection show. The host sites are typically awarded to highly ranked squads that submit bids to the NAIA. In the official NAIA RPI released on Feb. 24, Concordia landed at No. 16 with a strength of schedule ranking of 46th. The three victories the Bulldogs own over NCAA Division III foes are not factored into the RPI. As an institution, Concordia has experienced hosting national tournament games. Head Coach Drew Olson’s women’s program earned a host bid in 2024.
· Limback’s crew has reached 25 wins while persevering through injuries that have popped up throughout the season. The following players have missed at least one game due to injury: Lukas Helms (13), Hayden Frank (five), Noah Schutte (two) and Elijah Gaeth (one). Frank returned to the starting lineup versus Northwestern and contributed in a big way while making 4-of-8 shots from 3-point range. The Bulldogs expect to have each of the aforementioned players available moving forward, with the exception of Helms (out for the season).
· The victory at Mount Marty to close the regular season marked GPAC win No. 16 on the season, which broke the program record for most league victories in a single season. The previous standard of 15 conference wins had been attained by both the 2021-22 and 2023-24 squads that earned shares of the GPAC regular season title. The closest the Bulldogs have come to an undefeated conference regular season occurred in 1994-95 when then Head Coach Grant Schmidt’s squad went 11-1 in Nebraska-Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action. The league schedule expanded when the GPAC era began in 2000-01.
· The GPAC annually announces all-conference basketball awards the day after the GPAC tournament championship game is played. Schutte and Smith are virtual locks to be named to the league’s first team. The Elizabeth, Colo., native Smith appears to also be the frontrunner to be tabbed GPAC Player of the Year. Among conference players, Smith ranks first in field goal percentage (.706), second in blocks (1.6), third in assists (4.1), third in rebounding (8.3), fourth in scoring average (21.0) and eighth in steals (1.6). Smith is vying to become the program’s first conference player of the year since Rick Dietze in 2003-04. Named an NAIA Third Team All-American last season, Schutte is likely to be honored as a First Team All-GPAC selection for the third time in his career.
· Concordia posted a 13-1 home record during the regular season. As a program, the Bulldogs have triumphed in 58 of their last 63 home games (dating back to the 2021-22 season). In this season’s 16 home games, Concordia has outscored its opponents, on average, 88.8 to 70.8, and has outshot them, 52.7 to 42.9 percent. Senior Brad Bennett has especially enjoyed Friedrich Arena, where he is shooting 44.0 percent (40-for-91) from 3-point range.
· Bennett enters the championship game having tallied 967 career points while draining 198 treys during a stellar Concordia career. Currently, there are 36 players in the program’s 1,000-point club, which is led by Schutte with 2,269 points. Schutte’s 921 career rebounds rank only behind Matt List (928) in school history. In his school record 48-point performance versus Midland, Smith hit a career milestone of 1,500 career points.
Concordia Projected Starting Five
G – Brad Bennett, 6-1 (9.9)
G – Hayden Frank, 6-2 (7.3)
G – Jaxon Stueve, 6-4 (8.2)
F – Noah Schutte, 6-4 (15.8)
F – Tristan Smith, 6-5 (21.0)
GPAC championship opponent
Due to a quirk in the schedule, Morningside and Concordia have not played each other since Dec. 4. The Mustangs won the two regular-season meetings: 95-88 in Seward and 82-69 in Sioux City. Morningside is the only GPAC team the Bulldogs haven’t defeated at least once this season. The postseason route for Head Coach Trent Miller’s squad has featured a 91-74 home win over Dakota Wesleyan in the quarterfinals and a wild 109-106 overtime heart stopper at sixth-ranked Dordt in the semifinals. The Mustangs bounced the Defenders thanks to Justin Sitti’s game-winning trey just before the overtime buzzer. Just like the GPAC’s other top teams, Morningside can light up the scoreboard behind the GPAC’s second-leading scorer Joey Skoff (22.4 points per game). The Mustangs average 88.7 points per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the field. Morningside is no stranger to postseason success having reached both the GPAC tournament championship and the NAIA national quarterfinals in 2024. This will be the first time Concordia and Morningside have played each other in the GPAC Championship Game. According to Massey Ratings, the Bulldogs and Mustangs are both top 10 teams in the NAIA.
Morningside Projected Starting Five
G – Justin Sitti, 6-3 (11.0)
G – Joey Skoff, 6-3 (22.4)
G – Aidan Vanderloo, 6-1 (12.8)
F – Daniel Brocaille, 6-5 (12.2)
F – Brendan Buckley, 6-4 (11.3)
Head Coach: Trent Miller (4th season)
2025 GPAC Men’s Basketball Tournament
Quarterfinals – Wednesday, Feb. 26
(1) Dordt def. (8) Mount Marty, 76-59
(4) Morningside def. (5) Dakota Wesleyan, 91-74
(3) Northwestern def. (6) Briar Cliff, 83-65
(2) Concordia def. (7) Midland, 101-81
Semifinals – Saturday, March 1
(4) Morningside def. (1) Dordt, 109-106 (OT)
(2) Concordia def. (3) Northwestern, 67-61
Championship – Tuesday, March 4
(4) Morningside at (2) Concordia, 6 p.m.