WICHITA, Kan. – The Friends University Men's Basketball Falcons, in head coach Phil McClintock's second season, have received an at-large bid to the 2024-25 NAIA National Championship Tournament, announced tonight (Mar. 6) during the NAIA Selection Show.  It's the program's first national bid since the 2018-19 season.

The Falcons are the No. 8 seed in the Naismith Quadrant and will play No. 9 seed Florida Memorial University in the first round next Friday (Mar. 14) at 6 pm (5 pm MST) on the campus of College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho. College of Idaho is the top seed and will face No. 16 seed UC Merced (Calif.) in the other first round matchup.

"We are very excited to get to work preparing for Florida Memorial," said McClintock. "Once you make it to the National Tournament, every team is good and our pod is no different. It will be a great challenge for us, but we will take it one game at a time and start to prepare ASAP!"

Friends finished the year second in the KCAC with an 18-4 league record for the team's best conference showing since winning the league 11 years ago.  The Falcons have also posted a 23-7 overall record to reach the 20-win mark for the first time in the past six seasons.

KJ Spiller leads the Falcons in scoring (16.7 ppg) and is second on the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg). Cahlese Lee (12.6 ppg), Randy Woolf, Jr. (10.8 ppg) and Ring Deng (10.5 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures to give the Falcons a balanced offensive attack.

Woolf, Jr. is tops on the Falcons and tied for fourth in the KCAC with 3.9 assists per game, with Deng recording a team-leading 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.  Lee has given the Falcons a viable threat from beyond the arc, leading the team in three-point percentage (42.6).

Florida Memorial also recorded a 23-7 overall record and went 12-4 in the Sun Conference.

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