MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The 2026 men's basketball season saw the Loyola Wolf Pack once again rise near the top of the Southern States Athletic Conference. The Wolf Pack finished the season tied for the second-best record in the SSAC, and they'll begin the SSAC Men's Basketball Championship this week as the West Division's No. 3 seed in the tournament.
Loyola's first game of the tournament is the last game of a packed slate on Thursday, currently scheduled for 9:45 p.m. against the East's second seed, Life University. A win in Thursday's game would place Loyola in Friday's semifinals, set for 7 p.m. against either top-seeded William Carey or the winner of No. 8 seed Brewton-Parker and No. 9 seed Mobile. All games will be broadcast live on the Urban Edge Network.
The Wolf Pack went 22-6 overall this season, 14-4 in conference play. The Running Eagles went 19-9 this year, 12-6 in SSAC play, but they are the defending champions in the tournament, and they eventually reached the Round of 16 in the national tournament last year in Kansas City. The previous meeting between Loyola and Life this season, on January 31, went to the Wolf Pack. Though Loyola trailed at halftime in that contest, hot three-point shooting kept the Pack in the game, and they outscored the Running Eagles 46-38 in the second half to win 84-79.
Kameron Johnson has been the offensive engine for the Wolf Pack this season, leading the team with 18.2 points and 6.6 assists per game. His scoring average, over double what it was from last season, ranks third in the SSAC, while his 179 assists are the second-most in the entire NAIA and lead the conference by a wide margin. Johnson also has 52 steals this season, a team high, and has hit 48 threes while shooting over 40 percent from deep.
Zachary Lee is second on Loyola in points (14.3) and rebounds (6.2) per contest, and his 25 steals are the second-most on the team as well. Behind him in points per game are Leonard Jackson (13.3), whose 78 three-pointers rank second in the conference, and Kosta Bjelicic (11.9), who leads the team in rebounding with 6.9 boards per game. Loyola has also gotten solid scoring contributions from Cameron Williams (7.0), who is the only player on the team to start every game this season and averages 5.2 rebounds per game, Reece Seicshnaydre (6.8), who has made 41 triples, and Jaylen Peters (5.6), who leads the team with 33 blocks.
Loyola is seeking the men's basketball program's fifth conference tournament championship. The team first won in 2019 before three consecutive titles in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
2026 SSAC Men's Basketball Championship Schedule
WATCH | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Game 1 | West #4 Mobile vs. East #5 Thomas | 10:45 a.m.
Game 2 | East #4 Point vs. West #5 UT Southern | 2:15 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 26
Game 3 | West #2 Faulkner vs. East #3 Brewton-Parker | 10:45 a.m.
Game 4 | East #1 Dalton State vs. Game 1 Winner | 2:15 p.m.
Game 5 | West #1 William Carey vs. Game 2 Winner | 6:15 p.m.
Game 6 | East #2 Life vs. West #3 Loyola | 9:45 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 27
Game 7 | Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner | 3:00 p.m.
Game 8 | Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner | 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 28
Championship | Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner | 6:30 p.m.
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