2026 Hope Credit Union HBCUAC champion Rust, finalist Talladega head to NAIA Opening Round
NEW ORLEANS - The 2026 Hope Credit Union Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) basketball champion Rust College and finalist Talladega College head to the 2026 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Women's Basketball National Championship Opening Round.
Rust was selected as the No. 16 seed in the Naismith Quadrant and will play the No. 1 seed and host Freed-Hardeman University at 3:30 p.m. Friday. The Lady Bearcats won their fourth HBCUAC title with dominating second round and quarterfinal victories. They overcame a 15-point deficit in the semifinals to defeat Oakwood University which was followed by a 67-60 championship victory over Talladega. Rust makes its fifth appearance. It is 2-3 in NAIA Championship games. The Lady Bearcats advanced to the second round in 2023. Live video and statistics are available. The winner will play the winner between No. 8 Langston and No. 9 Bethel (Ind.) at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Talladega was selected as the No. 16 seed in the Duer Quadrant and faces the No. 1 seed and host Bethel University (Tenn.) at 5:30 p.m. Friday. The Tornadoes reached the championship with their stingy defense. They dominated Philander Smith University in the quarterfinals and rallied to defeat West No. 1 seed Wiley University in the semifinals. This is their seventh appearance and first since 2022. Talladega is 2-6 in NAIA Championship games, it advanced to the second round in 2022. Live video and statistics are available. The winner will play the winner between No. 8 Oregon Tech and No. 9 Huntingdon (Ind.) at 4 p.m. Saturday.
About the HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Huston-Tillotson University (TX), Oakwood University (AL), Paul Quinn College (TX), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.