Illinois State: 2025 College Basketball Invitational Champions

 

The Illinois State Redbirds secured the 2025 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) championship by defeating the Cleveland State Vikings 79-68 on March 26, 2025, at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Forward Caden Boser led the Redbirds with a season-high 20 points, shooting a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, including 4-for-4 from three-point range. Guard Johnny Kinziger and center Chase Walker each contributed 13 points, while guards Dalton Banks and Ty Pence added 11 points apiece.

For the Vikings, guard Tevin Smith topped the scoring with 16 points. Guards Chase Robinson and Je'Shawn Stevenson added 11 points each.

This victory marked Illinois State's first 20-win season since 2016-17, finishing with a 22-14 record.

Despite the loss, Cleveland State concluded a strong season with a 23-13 record and reached the CBI championship game for the first time in program history.

Nova Southeastern: 2024-25 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Champions

 

EVANSVILLE, IN. - Redemption. One year after falling at the buzzer in the NCAA Division II National Championship game, the second-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks Men's Basketball team has reached the top of the NCAA Division II men's basketball world, as the Sharks won the program's second national championship, defeating Cal. State Dominguez Hills 74-73 on Saturday evening in the Ford Center. 

MJ Iraldi led NSU in the effort, scoring a team-high 27 points and earned tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. 

Head Coach Jim Crutchfield has guided NSU to the program's second NCAA Division II National Championship, the 15th national title for the Nova Southeastern Athletics Department. The Sharks tied the program record for wins in a season (36), have the most wins in NCAA Men's Basketball, and closed the season on a 23-game winning streak.

First Half - Ryker Cisarik netted the first four points of the game for the Sharks, as NSU was able to take a quick lead over the Toros. A 9-0 run, which featured points from Dallas Graziani and MJ Iraldi, gave the Sharks a 13-5 lead less than five minutes into the game. Midway through the half, CSUDH was able to eliminate the NSU advantage, tying the game at 20-20. The Toros continued to hold on to an advantage for the remainder of the half, sending the Sharks into the break trailing 42-38. 

Despite shooting just 16% from beyond the arc in the first half, the Sharks trailed the Toros by only four points. Tyler Eberhart led all NSU scorers in the opening 20 minutes, totaling 11 points while shooting 5-8 from the field. 

Second Half - Eberhart knocked down a three-pointer, following a steal from Graziani, giving NSU some early momentum in the second half. The Sharks and Toros continued to match each other bucket for bucket, before Cisarik finished an and-one opportunity to tie the game 50-50 with 15:29 left in the game. The Sharks seized a bit of momentum, following the Cisarik and-one, rallying for a 10-2 run and taking a 60-52 lead. CSUDH All-American Jeremy Dent-Smith scored six consecutive points for the Toros, tying the game once again at 62-62. Both All-Americans - MJ Iraldi for NSU - in the title game matched each other down the stretch, but the Toros led 71-68 with less than two minutes remaining. Dent-Smith fouled out, sending Cisarik to the free throw line and the forward knocked down both to bring NSU within one. CSUDH missed a go-ahead three-pointer, as Ryan Davis came down with the defensive rebound, before Graziani hit a pair of clutch free throws to give NSU a 72-71 lead with less than 40 seconds left in the game. The Toros reclaimed the lead moments later, but after drawing a foul, Iraldi knocked down a pair of clutch free throws to give NSU a 74-73 lead. 

With the opposing team possessing the ball in the final moments once again, the Sharks defense clamped down and forced a pair of missed opportunities; the final horn sounded and for the second time in three seasons, and second time in program history, head coach Jim Crutchfield's Nova Southeastern Sharks won the NCAA Division II national championship. 

No. 2 Nova Southeastern has finished their season as NCAA Division II National Champions for the second time in program history. NSU Athletics thanks you for your support throughout the season. 

MJ Iraldi: 27 points, 8-16 FG, 10-12 FT, nine rebounds

Tyler Eberhart: 14 points, 6-11 FG, six rebounds

Dallas Graziani: 13 points, nine assists

Ryker Cisarik: nine points

Records: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 36-1 | No. 14 CSUDH 30-6

Score: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 74 | No. 14 CSUDH 73

Location: Ford Center | Evansville, IN. 

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Trinity (CT): 2024-25 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball National Champions

 

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The fourth-ranked Trinity College Men's Basketball team claimed the program's first ever NCAA Division III National Championship with a 64-60 victory over top-ranked New York University, in the Title Game Saturday afternoon at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

 

Trailing 60-59 with ten seconds to play, Will Dorion missed a three-point attempt, but Trevor McDonald battled for the offensive rebound and was off on the putback, but Drew Lazarre grabbed another offensive board and found Henry Vetter at the top of the key, who buried a game-winning three-pointer to help send the Bantams to the 64-60 victory.

 

Trinity had four scorers in double figures, led by Jarrel Okorougo with a game-high 20 points and nine rebounds. Vetter netted 14 points with five rebounds, while Dorion and Drew Lazarre added 10 points apiece. Lazarre grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds for his team-leading sixth double-double of the season.

 

NYU was paced by Hampton Sanders with a team-high 15 points and six rebounds off the bench. Zay Freeney tallied 14 points and Tristan How recorded a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

 

The Bantams grabbed an early 7-4 lead behind five points from Dorion, but the Violets used an 8-4 featuring five points from Sanders to put NYU ahead 12-11 with 10:39 on the clock. The Violets pushed their lead to 25-18, but a pair of buckets from Okorougo and Lazarre trimmed the game to 25-22 at the 3:44 mark. The Violets took a 30-27 lead into halftime.

 

The Bantams came out of the break rolling, using a 10-3 run, paced by four-point efforts from Okorougo and Lazarre, to harness a 37-33 lead at the 15:19 mark of the second half. Knotted at 48-48 with 6:39 to play, the Violets rattled off a 7-2 run over the next three minutes to regain a 55-50 advantage. A quick triple from Vetter and a pair of free throws from Dorion closed the gap to 57-55 with 2:49 on the clock.

 

The Bantams edged the Violets on the glass, 40-32, and controlled the paint, 32-26, while the NYU bench outscored the Trinity reserves, 21-8. The Bantams connected on 25-of-66 (37.9%) from the field, 5-of-26 (19.2%) from three-point, and 9-of-13 (69.2%) from the foul line. The Violets shot 22-of-52 (42.3%) from the floor, including 7-of-21 (33.3%) from three-point, and 9-of-16 (56.3%) from the foul line.

 

With the win, the Bantams matched the program record for wins in a season (30), tying the mark set last season during the Bantams run to the Final Four. Trinity held NYU to their lowest point total of the season (60). Henry Vetter was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, while Jarrel Okorougo and Drew Lazarre earned All-Tournament Team honors.

College of Idaho: 2024-25 NAIA Men's Basketball National Champions

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Samaje Morgan poured in a game-high 28 points for College of Idaho and Dougie Peoples added 21, as the Yotes claimed the 2025 NAIA Men’s Basketball Red Banner, leading for more than 38 minutes and never trailing, topping Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 93-65, at Municipal Auditorium in Downtown Kansas City.

Morgan and Peoples were two of the four who reached double figures for the Yotes, who also had 12 points from Johnny Radford, and 10 from Tyler Robinett. Oklahoma Wesleyan ended its season at 28-8, getting a pair of 15-point outings out of Jaden Lietzke and Nick Bene.

College of Idaho (35-2) built an early 11-4 lead when Radford tripled at the 16:56 mark in the first half, but OKWU was able to edge at the lead and get back within one, 18-17, on an Ethan Williams basket in the lane at 13:07.

Over the next seven plus, it was all Yotes, who used an 18-3 run to break the game open and go in front 36-22, on a 3-pointer by Robinett with 7:27 in the opening 20.

Back-to-back OKWU baskets, by Lietzke and Isaac Stanek, got the Eagles back within 11, but C of I scored on its next two possessions, going up 41-25, on the way to a 49-29 lead at intermission.

Morgan had nine of his 28 in the first half, and the Yotes shot 56.5 percent, including 64.3 percent from outside the arc on nine made 3-pointers.

C of I didn’t slow down to begin the second half, up 58-35 at the under-15 timeout, and OKWU didn’t get closer than 16 the rest of the way, as C of I ended the game shooting 55.7 percent, holding Oklahoma Wesleyan to 37.1 percent from the floor.

After the game, the 2025 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship All-Tournament Team and individual awards were announced.

Charles S. Stevenson Hustle Award: Yashi McKenzie, Oklahoma Wesleyan

Chuck Taylor Memorial MVP Award: Samaje Morgan, College of Idaho

Charles A. Krigel Sportsmanship Award: Arizona Christian

All Tournament Team:

Peyton Law, Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)

Jordan Stephens, Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)

Ese Onakpoma, Arizona Christian

Jalik Dunkley, Arizona Christian

Derek Talton, Jr., Oklahoma Wesleyan

Jaden Litezke, Oklahoma Wesleyan

Johnny Radford, College of Idaho

Samaje Morgan, College of Idaho

Tyler Robinett, College of Idaho

Drew Wyman, College of Idaho