DALTON, Ga. — Dalton State is headed back to the national stage after being selected to compete in the 88th NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship. The Roadrunners will open the first round against Shawnee State (Ohio) in Marion, Ind. on Thursday, March 13. #2 national seed, Indiana Wesleyan is the site host.
 
The Roadrunners punched their ticket by winning the 2026 Southern States Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship, a title-clinching performance in Montgomery, Ala. that delivered the league's second automatic berth to the national tournament.
 
Dalton State began its NAIA tournament history in emphatic fashion. In 2015, the program's first year of postseason eligibility, the Roadrunners captured the NAIA Division I national championship, defeating Westmont (Calif.) 71–53 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. That title remains a defining milestone for the program and the Dalton community.
 
Since then, the Birds have continued to make national noise, with four more national tournament berths, which includes two trips to the final site in Kansas City. Dalton State assembled a 30–3 campaign in 2019–20 and earned a No. 1 seed to the national tournament before the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Most recently, the Roadrunners were a first & second round host site for the 2025 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship.
 
Winners from the campus-hosted first & second rounds will advance to the NAIA Final Site at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, one of college basketball's most storied venues and the longtime home of championship week. Final-site play runs March 19–24, culminating with the national title game on March 24.
 
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FIND NEWS AND FOLLOW THE BIRDS: News and updates from Dalton State's men's basketball team is posted on dsroadrunners.com and on X (@DStateBBall), Facebook (@DStateBasketball) and Instagram (dstatebball). Be sure to follow to keep pace with the Birds!
 
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