The Thunder men's basketball team closed out the 2025-26 season ranked #5 in the final postseason National Christian College Athletic Association Coaches Poll for DII Men's Basketball after going 1-1 at the NCCAA National Tournament. With a total of 37 points, the Thunder finish behind back-to-back national champion, North Central University, Crown College, Spurgeon College, and Bob Jones University. The Thunder are one of two teams from the Midwest Christian College Conference who are ranked, as Faith Baptist Bible College is ranked #6. The Thunder are also one of two teams ranked in the final postseason poll from the NCCAA Central Region. For the full top-10 rankings for DII Men's Basketball, click this link.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The #3 seed Thunder men's basketball team took the floor in the quarterfinal game at the NCCAA National Tournament on Thursday afternoon and would face-off with the #6 seed Crown College Polars. The Thunder and the Polars met last season in the third place game at the National Tournament, where the Polars would get the victory. On Thursday, the game would start with each team swapping baskets to start the first half. The Thunder would be down by four about halfway through the first half before a 7-0 would give them a three point lead. It was more back and forth play throughout most of the half until the Thunder to their largest lead of 10 with 2:03 remaining until the break. The Thunder would take a 36-28 lead into halftime. The Polars would tie the game at 45 roughly seven minutes into the second half, but the Thunder would push the lead back to seven with just under 10 minutes to play. From that point on, the Thunder would only score nine more points, have costly turnovers, and stumble to the Polars, 71-64. Sophomore, Tatum Pierce would have a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, while senior, Xavier Lucas would lead the Thunder with 16 points. Redshirt-junior, Jordan Carter would chip in with 15 points on 7-10 shooting from the field. The Thunder would shoot 38.7% from the field, 44.4% from the three-point line, and 42.1% from the free throw line.

The Thunder would have the opportunity to play one more game together in a consolation against the #2 seed Great Lakes Christian College Crusaders. The Thunder would fall behind 10-4 early, but would go on a 13-0 run to take a seven point lead. After that run, the Thunder would never trail again. They would lead by as much as 14 in the first half and would take a 42-34 lead into halftime. Throughout the second half, the Thunder would maintain their lead and would be up as much as 17 twice with 13:55 and 9:40 remaining, respectively. The Crusaders would cut the lead to seven with 5:01 left, but the Thunder would hold on and finish the season with the 85-75 win. Senior, Jaxon Hurla would need three three-pointers to break Ryan Kluttz's single-season three-pointers made record that has been in place since the 2006-07 season. Hurla would go on to hit four and finish this season with 101 made threes to set a new program record. He would finish with 12 points. Pierce would score 16 and grab nine rebounds, while Carter would have 11 points. Also, 11 of the 13 players who played scored. The Thunder would shoot 40.3% from the field, 23.7% from the three-point line, and 66.7% from the free throw line. They would also out-rebound the Crusaders 54-39 and had 23 assists on 31 made baskets.

The Thunder have finished their season with a 25-10 record, a 9-3 Midwest Christian College Conference record, and a 9-3 mark in the region. They would also be champions of the MCCC and the NCCAA Central Region.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The Thunder men's basketball team traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota earlier this week for the 2026 NCCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Tournament. Before the the tournament starts, awards such as, All-Americans and NCCAA Scholar-Athletes, are announced and the Thunder had one named to the All-American team and two earn Scholar-Athlete honors. Senior, guard, Xavier Lucas would be named a Second Team All-American after earning First Team All-Region and Second Team All-Conference. Junior, guard, James Braddy and redshirt-junior, guard, Jordan Carter would both earn Scholar-Athlete honors. To earn scholar-athlete honors you must be a junior, senior or graduate student, complete at least one term, and have maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.40 on a 4.00 scale at the nominating institution.

To stay up-to-date with the NCCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Tournament, visit thenccaa.org's tournament page.

The Thunder will open National Tournament play tomorrow at 4:00PM when they play the #6 seed, Crown College.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

After winning the NCCAA Central Region Tournament, the Thunder men's basketball team will head to the National Tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota as the #3 seed in the 10-team tournament. This is the first time since 2016 that the tournament field is at 10 teams for the men. The Thunder have clinched the #3 seed after winning the Central Region Tournament for the first time since 2020. In 2020, the Thunder were the #2 seed at the National Tournament before COVID-19 cancelled the tournament. The Thunder made it to the National Tournament last season as the #3 seed before falling in the Final Four. This will also be six out of the last seven seasons that the Thunder have earned a bid to the National Tournament. The Thunder will play the #6 seed Crown College in the quarterfinal on Thursday, March 12th at 4:00PM at North Central University. The Thunder and the Polars played last season in the third place game at the National Tournament. In total, the Thunder and Polars have met two times at the National Tournament and both have one win apiece. The winner of this game will play the winner the #2 versus the #7/#10 matchup to advance to the semifinal on Friday, March 13th at 8:00PM.

For more information on the NCCAA National Tournament, visit thenccaa.org.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The Thunder men's basketball team captured the 2026 NCCAA Central Region Tournament title last week, and some would leave with some individual honors as well. The Thunder had four players represented on the Central Region All-Region teams. Senior, guard, Xavier Lucas would earn a first-team nod for the Thunder after being named a second-team all-conference performer. Lucas played in all 12 regular season region games, while starting in nine. He would average 15.8 points per game on 55.9% shooting from the field and 43.8% from the three-point line, to go along with 8.3 rebounds per game, 2.3 assists per game, and 1.1 steals per game in 23.3 minutes per game. He would also convert on 75.9% of his free throws in region games only. Sophomore, guard, Tatum Pierce would also earn a first-team nod for the Thunder who was first-team all-conference as well. Pierce played in all 12 regular season region games, while starting in 11. He would average 15.6 points per game on 43.5% shooting from the field and 31.5% from the three-point line, to go along with 7.8 rebounds per game, 2.4 assists per game, 1.3 steals per game, and 1.5 blocks per game in 27.9 minutes per game. He would also convert on 72.0% of his free throws in region games only. Junior, forward, Hunter Hill would be named to the second-team much like he was in the conference. Hill played in all 12 regular season region games, while starting in three. He would average 13.3 points per game on 59.4% shooting from the field, to go along with 5.5 rebounds per game in 20.7 minutes per game in region games only. Senior, guard, Jaxon Hurla was a honorable mention selection in 2026, while being a second-teamer in 2025. Hurla played and started in all 12 regular season region games. He would average 13.3 points per game on 36.7% shooting from the three-point line, to go along with 2.3 rebounds per game, 2.3 assists per game, and 1.0 steals per game in 25.8 minutes per game. He would also convert on 90.5% of his free throws in region games only.

The Thunder are still waiting on their seeding for the NCCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament that will be hosted by North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. More information on the tournament will be released later this week.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The #5 ranked Thunder men's basketball team would compete in the NCCAA Central Region Tournament in the friendly confines of the Howie's Activity Center. The Thunder would be the two seed in this tournament and receive a bye into the semifinal round. The Thunder would play conference and region rival the Ozark Christian College Ambassadors, who were the three seed, on Thursday night. A 9-0 to start the game would give the Thunder momentum early. The Ambassadors would not go away tying the game at 19 with 8:54 left in the half. For the rest of the first half, both teams would trade buckets before the Thunder would take a two point lead into the break. The Thunder would get down as much as seven in the second half, and would trail by five with 2:29 remaining in the game. Back-to-back threes would give the Thunder the lead with 1:40 left, while stout defense and free throws would close out the game and give the Thunder a chance to play in the championship game on Friday. Senior, Xavier Lucas would lead the way for the Thunder with 29 points on 10-15 shooting from the field, to go along with six boards, while sophomore, Tatum Pierce would have a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. The Thunder would shoot 46.6% from the field, 40.0% from the three-point line, and 67.7% from the free throw line.

After a grind-it-out win on Thursday, Friday would be all you could ask for in a championship game. The Thunder would battle with the #1 ranked and one seed, the Spurgeon College Knights. In the regular season, the Knights would sweep the Thunder in the two games they played. The Knight would jump out to a 10-0 lead to start, but the Thunder would go on a 6-0 to cut into the lead. The Thunder would take their first lead of the game with 4:04 left in the half and after many more ties and lead changes, the game would be tied at 45 at halftime. The second half would be much of the same as their were tons of ties and lead changes. After 40 minutes of play, regulation would not decide a winner and the game would head into overtime tied at 99. The Thunder would go on a 6-0 to start overtime and would take their largest lead of the game at nine with 1:25 left in OT. The Knights could not overcome that deficit in that much time and the Thunder would knock off the #1 team in the country, 117-111. The Thunder would hit 41 free throws and out-rebound the Knights by nine, which would be key in helping them earn the win. Lucas would have another monster game with 35 points and 10 rebounds, while Pierce would do so again as well with 29 points on 9-11 shooting, to go along with seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Seniors, Jaxon Hurla and Fred Criqui would both have an impactful night on both ends of the floor. Hurla would net 23 points on six threes, grab four rebounds, and have three steals, while Criqui would have a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, to go along with five blocks. Redshirt-sophomore, Peyton Torres would provide a huge spark off the bench collecting 11 rebounds and dishing out four assists. The Thunder would shoot 44.2% from the field, 34.8% from the three-point line, and 73.2% from the free throw line. After winning the Central Region Tournament for the first time since 2020, the Thunder are now 24-9 headed into the NCCAA National Tournament.

The Thunder now await their seeding for the NCCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament that will be hosted by North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. More information on the tournament will be released in the coming weeks.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The Thunder men's basketball team moved up one spot and is ranked #5 in the final regular season National Christian College Athletic Association Coaches Poll for DII Men's Basketball after going 5-1 over the past two weeks. With a total of 28 points, the Thunder are behind Spurgeon College, North Central University, Great Lakes Christian College, and Crown College. The Thunder are one of two teams from the Midwest Christian College Conference who are ranked. The Thunder are also one of two teams ranked in the final regular season poll from the NCCAA Central Region. For the full top-10 rankings for DII Men's Basketball, click this link.

The Thunder will play again on Thursday, February 26th in the NCCAA Central Region Tournament. This game will be at the Howie's Activity Center on the campus of Manhattan Christian College at 6:00PM.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The Thunder men's basketball team captured the 2026 Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament title this past weekend, and some would leave with some individual honors as well. They have now won back-to-back conference tournament titles. The Thunder had four players represented on the MCCC All-Conference teams. Sophomore, guard, Tatum Pierce would earn a first-team nod for the Thunder. Pierce played and started in 11 regular season conference games. He would average 15.8 points per game on 46.7% shooting from the field and 35.6% from the three-point line, to go along with 7.6 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists per game, 1.3 steals per game, and 1.5 blocks per game in 28.0 minutes per game. He would also convert on 78.0% of his free throws in conference games only. Three Thunder players would be named to the second-team in senior, guard, Jaxon Hurla, junior, forward, Hunter Hill, and senior, guard, Xavier Lucas. Hurla was a honorable mention selection in 2025. Hurla played and started in all 12 regular season conference games. He would average 13.5 points per game on 42.7% shooting from the field and 39.5% from the three-point line, to go along with 2.3 rebounds per game, 2.3 assists per game, and 1.0 steals per game in 26.4 minutes per game. He would also convert on 95.7% of his free throws in conference games only. Hill would play in all 12 regular season conference games, while starting in five. He would average 12.3 points per game on 60.9% shooting from the field, to go along with 6.2 rebounds per game in 20.1 minutes per game. Lucas was a second-team selection last season as well. Lucas would play in all 12 regular season conference games, while starting in eight. He would average 13.6 points per game on 52.8% shooting from the field, to go along with 7.8 rebounds per game and 1.8 assists per game in 21.7 minutes per game in conference games only.

The Thunder will play in the NCCAA Central Region Tournament on Thursday, February 26th against the winner of the three seed Ozark Christian College Ambassadors and six seed Union Adventist University Warriors. This game will be at 6:00PM at the Howie's Activity Center in Manhattan, Kansas.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The #6 ranked Thunder men's basketball team also started postseason play at the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament, but they would play the first game of the tournament on Thursday afternoon. The Thunder would be the two seed and would play the seven seed Barclay College to open the tournament. The Thunder would jump all over the Bears taking a 24-5 lead just under seven minutes into the game. The Bear would use a 24-12 run to finish the half to cut the halftime deficit to seven after 20 minutes of play. The Thunder would use a quick 10-0 run to start the second half to push the lead back up to 17. The closest it would get was 11 and the Thunder would close out the Bears to earn the quarterfinal win, 83-58. Senior, Xavier Lucas would have a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. He would also add four assists. Fellow senior, Jaxon Hurla would have 14 points and hit four threes, while junior, Hunter Hill would chip in with 12 points and seven rebounds. Five other Thunder players would score at least five points as well. The Thunder would shoot 50.0% from the field, 36.0% from the three-point line, and 50.0% from the free throw line.

In the semifinal round, the Thunder would play the winner of the three seed Central Christian College of the Bible or the seed Emmaus University game. Central Christian College of the Bible would get the win and setup a rematch of just a game played just one week ago. The Thunder would win that game on Senior Night, 85-68. The Thunder would find themselves down 10-5 in the early going, but a 16-0 run would give the Thunder a 21-10 lead with 12:42 left in the half. The Thunder and Saints would swap baskets for the rest of the half as the Thunder would take a 10 point lead at the break. After two made free throws by the Saints to start the second half, the Thunder would never see the game get closer than 10 points as they would close out the game with a score of 108-83 and advance to the championship game. This would be the sixth season in a row that the Thunder would appear in the MCCC Tournament Final. Hill would record a double-double with 24 points on 11-14 shooting from the field and 11 rebounds, while Lucas would record his second double-double of the tournament with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Redshirt-junior, Jordan Carter would stuff the stat sheet with 13 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists, while sophomore, Tatum Pierce would also have 13 points. The Thunder would shoot 51.8% from the field, 41.7% from the three-point line, and 70.6% from the free throw line.

The championship game would be a battle of the two top seeds in the tournament. The Thunder dropped both regular season games to Faith Baptist Bible College and were looking to avenge those losses in the MCCC Tournament Final. The Thunder would be up 4-0 before the Eagles went on a 5-0 run. It would be a back and forth game for most of the first half as the Thunder would eventually take a six point lead into the break. The Thunder would extend their lead to 10 on their first two possession of the second half. The Eagles would then take the lead at 16:01 and lead by as many as six over a nearly two minute stretch. The lead would be taken back by the Thunder with 11:51 left in the half. Once the Thunder took that lead, they would not trail the rest of the game and would lead by as much as 17. The final score would be 104-91 and the Thunder would claim the 2026 MCCC Tournament Championship for a second straight season. Lucas would have his third double-double in as many days with a 36 point on 15-21 shooting from the field and 13 rebound performance, while Hill would have 24 points and nine rebounds. Carter was one rebound shy of a triple-double with 12 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists. The Thunder would shoot 53.1% from the field, 15.0% from the three-point line, and 55.6% from the free throw line. On the weekend, the Thunder would out-rebound their opponents 140-76 for a +64 rebounding margin. With the three wins, the Thunder's overall record now sits at 22-9.

The Thunder will now compete in the NCCAA Central Region Tournament on Thursday, February 26th as the two seed and they will play the winner of three seed Ozark Christian College and six seed Union Adventist University, who will play on Wednesday, February 25th. This tournament will be hosted at Manhattan Christian College. This semifinal game will tip at 6:00PM.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The #6 ranked Thunder men's basketball team has completed their regular season with 19 wins for the second straight season. The Thunder claimed their seventh straight regular season Midwest Christian College Conference title, but lost the tiebreaker to Faith Baptist Bible College and are the two seed in the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament. The MCCC Tournament seeds are as follows:

#1 Faith Baptist Bible

#2 Manhattan Christian

#3 Central Christian College of the Bible

#4 Ozark Christian

#5 Calvary

#6 Emmaus

#7 Barclay

Manhattan Christian College will head to Belton, Missouri for the MCCC Tournament, which is on the campus of Calvary University at Pyramid Athletic Center. The Thunder will play in the quarterfinal game against the seven seed Barclay on Thursday, February 19th at 12:00PM. Depending on the Thursday result, the Thunder will play against the three seed or the six seed on Friday, February 20th in the semifinal game at 4:00PM with a win or a consolation game at 12:00PM with a loss. The MCCC Tournament Championship game will be on Saturday, February 21st at 6:00PM.

The NCCAA Central Region Tournament will be hosted at the Howie's Activity Center on the campus of Manhattan Christian College in Manhattan, Kansas. The Central Region Tournament seeds are as follows:

#1 Spurgeon

#2 Manhattan Christian

#3 Ozark Christian

#4 Central Christian College of the Bible

#5 Calvary

#6 Union Adventist

The Thunder will be the two seed for the Central Region Tournament and will receive a bye into the semifinal where they will play the winner of Ozark Christian and Union Adventist. The quarterfinal and semifinal games will be on Wednesday, February 25th and Thursday, February 26th, respectively. The Thunder will play on Thursday at 6:00PM. The championship game will be on Friday, February 27th at 4:00PM.

Head coach Jordan Strom is thrilled for postseason play, "I am thrilled for the opportunity to compete in the postseason. Our guys have put in a lot of work to get to this point and they couldn't be more excited to play for one another."

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.