OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University heads to Bartlesville for the NAIA Opening Rounds and will play Montana Tech at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 13.
 
OCU's first trip to the NAIA Tournament since 2019 sees them as the ninth seed in the Liston Quadrant and they take on the No. 8 seeded Orediggers. It will be the first meeting between the Stars and Montana Tech since November 2021 when the Orediggers scored an 88-69 win in Butte, Mont.
 
Oklahoma Wesleyan is the top seed in the quadrant and plays Southern-New Orleans at 6 p.m. on that day.
 
"We're excited for the opportunity to compete at the highest level for a national championship," said first-year OCU Head Coach Sam Kohnke.
 
The Stars are the champions of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament and come into the opening rounds with a 21-10 record.
 
The 2019 Stars went 1-1 in the NAIA Tournament, beating Stillman before losing to Carroll. This will be the 26^th appearance for the Stars, who are 49-18 in the tournament with six national titles.
 
Montana Tech (22-8) will appear in the national tournament for the fifth-consecutive season. It will be the Orediggers' seventh time in the tournament in program history. Tech is 5-6 all-time in national-tournament play.