LAKELAND, Fla. -- Southeastern is headed back to the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship after earning an at-large berth in the 2026 tournament field. Southeastern will begin its postseason run in the NAIA First & Second Rounds hosted by Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana, on March 13–14.
Placed in the Duer Quadrant, SEU enters the bracket as the No. 9 seed and will open tournament play against No. 8 seed Madonna (Mich.) on Friday, March 13 at 7 p.m. ET. The matchup will serve as the second game of the day, following host Grace College and Johnson (Tenn.) at 5 p.m. ET. The winners will advance to the Second Round on March 14, with the site champion securing a berth in the Round of 16 at historic Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri, beginning March 19.
Fans unable to attend the games in Winona Lake will still have multiple ways to follow the action. All games from the site will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network, which is available through the Urban Edge Network app on Smart TVs and mobile devices as well as online at UrbanEdgeNetwork.net.
Live statistics will also be available throughout the tournament at SEUFire.com, allowing fans to track scoring updates, team statistics, and game progress in real time as the Fire begin their postseason run.
The Fire program has developed a steady presence in the NAIA National Tournament over the past decade. Southeastern first broke through on the national stage in 2014, reaching the national semifinal round in the program's debut appearance.
Since then, the Fire have returned to the tournament multiple times, including Round of 32 appearances in 2018 and 2019 and a Round of 16 run in 2023. Southeastern also qualified in 2022 and was set to compete in 2020 before the national tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
SEU enters the tournament with a 24–6 overall record and a 12–4 mark in Sun Conference play, good for a .800 winning percentage on the season. The Fire have been particularly strong away from home, compiling an 11–3 road record while also posting an 11–2 mark at home and a 2–1 record at neutral sites.
Offensively, Southeastern ranks among the most productive teams in the NAIA, averaging 86.1 points per game while shooting 50.1 percent from the field. The Fire also connect on 35.0 percent of their three-point attempts and convert 74.5 percent from the free throw line.
The team's efficiency extends beyond scoring, as Southeastern averages 38.4 rebounds and 15.2 assists per game while generating consistent offensive pressure. Within the Sun Conference, the Fire rank second in scoring and second in field goal percentage.
Defensively, Southeastern has relied on physical interior play and strong rebounding to limit opponents' opportunities. The Fire allow 75.2 points per game while holding opponents to 45.0 percent shooting from the field and 32.4 percent from three-point range.
SEU also maintains a strong presence on the glass, owning a rebounding margin of +7.9 per game while averaging 3.6 blocks and 6.5 steals. Those efforts have helped the Fire rank among the top teams in the conference in scoring defense and rebounding margin.
Mylo Santos leads the Fire offense and ranks among the top scorers in the Sun Conference. Santos averages 17.6 points per game while shooting 51.7 percent from the field and adding 76 assists on the season. Beyond scoring, Santos is averaging 3.8 rebounds per contest while also recording 51 steals and 21 blocks.
Forward
Daivion Traylor provides one of the most efficient scoring presences in the conference, averaging 14.5 points per game while shooting an impressive 74.0 percent from the field to lead the NAIA. He also averages 6.8 rebounds per game, ranking tied for fifth in the Sun Conference, and has recorded six double-doubles on the season.
Anthony Kangah provides a perimeter scoring threat for the Fire, averaging 12.8 points per game while shooting 39.3 percent from beyond the arc and connecting on 57 three-point field goals this season. Kangah has scored 20 or more points six times this year, including in each of the past three games. In addition to his scoring ability, he contributes as a secondary playmaker and defender with 37 assists and 30 steals, using his outside shooting to stretch defenses and create driving lanes within Southeastern's offense.
Nathan Mikkelson anchors the Fire inside and leads the team on the boards. The senior forward averages 11.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, ranking among the Sun Conference leaders in rebounding. His presence in the paint extends to defense as well, where he has recorded 42 blocks on the season while controlling the defensive glass.
Jayson Nixon averages 11.7 points per game and leads the team with 107 assists while shooting over 40 percent from three-point range.
Jarin Edwards contributes 5.3 points and nearly four rebounds per game off the bench.
Madonna enters the national tournament with a 24–7 overall record after posting an 18–4 mark in conference play. The Crusaders feature one of the top offenses in the NAIA, averaging 88.5 points per game while shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from three-point range. Madonna also controls the glass with 39.6 rebounds per game and distributes the ball effectively with 18.5 assists per contest.
The Crusaders are led by a balanced scoring attack, highlighted by Ahmoni Weston (18.5 ppg) and Joey Liedel (18.1 ppg), who have combined for more than 1,100 points this season. DeAntwan Randall adds 14.8 points and a team-leading 8.8 rebounds per game, while Makyle Doss contributes 11.5 points per contest and shoots nearly 47 percent from three-point range.
Southeastern has limited history against the other teams in the Winona Lake bracket. The Fire will face Madonna for the first time in program history in Friday's opening-round matchup. Southeastern has previously met host Grace College once, earning a narrow 78–76 home victory on Dec. 14, 2021. The Fire have had the most success against Johnson, holding a 3–0 all-time record in the series with wins in 2006, 2015, and most recently an 80–71 victory in Lakeland during the 2024 season.
