Men's Basketball 3/20/2026 2:30:00 PM

No. 13 Men's Basketball Begins NJCAA Division I Tournament Run Against No. 20 Mineral Area

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NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - The Monroe University men's basketball team begins its 2026 NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball tournament run on Saturday, March 21 at 5:30 p.m. CT against No. 20 Mineral Area. The Mustangs make their 12th appearance at the tournament and are looking for their first ever NJCAA Tournament title.

HISTORY

Monroe is facing Mineral Area for the first time in program history.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS

Mineral Area enters the tournament with a 21-11 overall record.
They are coming off a win in the Midwest District Championship game against Malcolm X College by a score of 83-58.
Leading their offense is Nazier Allen, who tallies 13.5 points per game and has a 51.5% field goal percentage.
As a team, they average 76.2 points per game and hold opponents to 74.6 points per game.

EAST DISTRICT CHAMPS

For the second straight year, the Mustangs became NJCAA East District champions following their 97-52 win against Harcum College.
It's the 10th all-time District Championship for the men's basketball program and all under the direction of head coach Jeff Brustad.

KIRKSEY AND WILLIAMS ON TOP

Naceiar Kirksey and Nick Williams sit among the top 60 NJCAA men's basketball players in the nation in points per game.
Kirksey sits at number 53 as he averages 16.9 points per game.
In the 30 games he played this season, Kirksey tallied 11 games in which he scored over 20 points per game.
He had only four games during the regular season in which he didn't score double-digit points.
Williams has been the Mustangs' second-top point scorer as he averages 12.5 points per game.
He's scored double-digit points in 17 of the 27 games he's played in this season. He's also recorded three double-doubles this season, two of which he scored over 20 points.

STRAIGHT UP WINNING

Heading into the NJCAA National Tournament, the Mustangs currently are on a 20-game win-streak.
The Mustangs this season haven't lost a game since December 12, 2025, when they fell to Daytona State College.

WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE

This is the 12th appearance for the Mustangs at the 2026 NJCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball tournament.
The Mustangs have reached the Final Four once in their program history, which came during the 2011 season.
Overall in the tournament, the Mustangs are 4-5.
In the 2025 season, which was the last time they made the tournament, they fell in the first round to Chipola.
The last win they had in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball tournament came in 2023 when they defeated South Georgia State.

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE UNIVERSITY

The athletic program at Monroe University encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as the Monroe University marching band, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.

For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeUMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (@MonroeMustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).

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