- DMACC will face Lansing Community College in their first game
- Bears take a 31-1 record and a 25-game winning streak into the tournament
- DMACC is making its third consecutive appearance in the tournament
Lansing Community College (LCC) will provide the opposition when the DMACC men's basketball team begins play in the 2026 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Men's Basketball Championship March 22 at 11 a.m.
The Bears, who were ranked second in the NJCAA Division II poll most of the season, are making their third consecutive appearance in the tournament and their six appearance in the past seven seasons. They come in as the tournament's top seed with a 31-1 record and a 25-game winning streak.
LCC, 24-7, is seeded 17th.
"They are a very talented teams who have won a lot of games," DMACC men's basketball coach Blake Sandquist said. "They are very fast so regardless of who we play it could be a very fun, up-and-down game. They have had a lot of success recently. LCC will be a tough matchup this time of year."
LCC has won its last eight games and qualified for the national tournament after beating Henry Ford College (HFC), 94-87, in the Great Lakes District championship game.
LCC averages 95.3 points a game and allows an average of 82.9 points a game. Zander Woodruff leads the Stars in scoring at 23.1 points a game and DeAndre Berry averages 12.9 points a game.
Sandquist said he has no preference as to which team the Bears will play.
"We'll play the hand we are dealt," Sandquist said.
DMACC is averaging 90.5 points a game and allowing an average of 69.2 points a game. The Bears are shooting 48 percent from the field and holding opponents to 39 percent shooting.
Freshman Guard Brent Taylor of Flossmoor, Ill., leads the Bears with a 12.3 average and sophomore guard Kaden Tate of Pearland, Texas, averages 10.3 points and 8.9 rebounds a game. Both were named to the All-Region First Team and Tate was named to the All-Region Defensive Team and was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
Three other DMACC players, freshman guard Kiki Deng of Des Moines, sophomore guard Rylan Smith of Lincoln, Neb., and freshman forward Hunter Gawron of Skokie, Ill., are averaging just more than nine points a game.
DMACC's depth will factor into the Bears' play. Eight of the 14 players on the roster average 16 or more minutes a game and three other players are averaging 11 to 14 minutes a game.
"The nice thing with our group is we have so many different guys who can score each and every night so if one or two guys have an off night we have other guys who will step up and fill that void," Sandquist said. "We've had some really good bench scoring this year which has separated us from other teams that may not be as deep."
Sandquist said LCC can go deep with its lineup.
DMACC will be seeking its second national championship. The Bears won the title in 2021, finished third in 2022 and fifth in 2024. DMACC has played in the national tournament 10 times dating back to 2002. The Bears were fourth in 2002 and 2015 and placed eighth in 2007.
The 2026 NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship continues through March 21 at Danville, Ill. The championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on March 21.