Langston University is back in the national spotlight.
The Lions punched their ticket to the Fab Four of the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship for the first time since their runner-up finish in 2024, grinding out a 60-55 victory over Rocky Mountain College in Saturday night’s quarterfinal inside Municipal Auditorium.
For a program that has steadily built itself into a national contender, the return to the semifinals marks another milestone. Langston, now 28-7, is making its fourth straight trip to the tournament’s final site—and this time, they’re back among the final four teams in the country.
Langston has shown consistency on the national stage under head coach Chris Wright.
In a defensive battle between two of the nation’s top scoring defenses, Langston controlled the tempo early, taking a 25-22 lead into halftime. The Lions stretched that advantage to 33-22 early in the second half and maintained composure throughout several Rocky Mountain pushes.
The Lions opened their national tournament run with a 73-65 win over Bethel University behind 22 points from Orlando Thomas and 15 from Trey Clarke, then followed with a dominant 86-59 victory against Eastern Oregon University as Thomas again led the way with 23 points to send the Lions to Kansas City for the Round of 16.
Langston delivered one of its most impressive performances of the season by rallying from a 14-point second-half deficit to stun No. 1 seed Oklahoma Wesleyan University 56-55, with Thomas finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds in the comeback win.
With the win, Langston advances to the Fab Four for just the second time in program history—a testament to the program’s rise and consistency on the national stage.
The Lions will face Ave Maria University, which is making its first-ever Fab Four appearance, on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.
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