KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Hours after learning they finished the season at No. 16 in the NAIA, the Benedictine men’s basketball team learned their first-round opponent for the 2015 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Div. I Men’s Basketball Championship on Wednesday night.

Benedictine, who enters the tournament with an overall record of 24-8 will take on Montana Western in the first round of the Naismith Bracket of the NAIA Tournament.

Montana Western enters the tournament at 22-9 and was ranked No. 19 in the final NAIA Div. I Men’s Basketball Top 25 Coaches’ Poll on Wednesday afternoon.

They play in the Frontier Conference, and like Benedictine finished in second place in their conference. They finished their conference schedule with a 9-5 record. They lost out in their conference tournament as they fell to Lewis & Clark State College in the Frontier Conference Tournament Championship game.

Benedictine, after going 12-6 in the Heart, earned the conference’s host berth to the NAIA Tournament after Missouri Valley College took the Heart Tournament Championship berth.

The Ravens are one of three teams from the Heart to qualify for the tournament as Evangel University joins Benedictine and Missouri Valley in the 32-team field.

Benedictine is one of 18 repeat qualifiers from the 2014 tournament.

Montana Western plays in the same conference as Benedictine’s 2014 first-round opponent, Westminister (Utah) College.

Tickets for the tournament are available at www.NAIAhoops.com. Reserved seating is $15, general admission is $12, student tickets (ages 6 through 21) are $5 and children five and under are free.

— BC Sports Information —