Devon Henry
Tonight, the Arizona Christian University Firestorm face the number one team in the NAIA nation to punch their ticket to the National Championship Game.
The Firestorm have been juggernauts as of late in NAIA Men’s Basketball, making the final 16 teams in each of the past four seasons at the tournament’s final venue in Kansas City, MO. Dubbed the “Fab Four,” Arizona Christian has the opportunity to make their first National Championship Game as they battle the top-ranked team in the nation, the College of Idaho, at 5:00 p.m. CT / 3:00 p.m. Arizona time. ACU last made the Fab Four in 2022 but fell to the number two team in the nation, Loyola University.
Much like the NCAA March Madness Tournament, the AIA Tournament is made up of 64 teams with four 16-team quadrants. ACU was once again ranked as the number-one seed in their Cramer Quadrant and hosted games in the first two rounds of the NAIA Tournament. It has been mostly smooth sailing for the Firestorm with victories against Westcliff (72-54), Oregon Tech (83-52), and Cumberlands (86-76).
But their quarterfinal matchup against Grace College took the Firestorm to the brim, holding off a comeback to maintain a slim 73-71 victory. The College of Idaho has faced nearly no pressure through their tournament run as the top seed in the Naismith Quadrant with wins of 12 to 30-point margins.
The Firestorm has been led this season by Ese Onakpoma who has averaged 14 points and four rebounds per game. Arizona products on the roster include two Ironwood Eagles, Trent Hudgens and Dominic Gonzalez, Anthony Garza from Shadow Ridge, and Emery Young from Centennial.
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Ahead of #NAIAMBB Fab Four Monday at Municipal. We look back to last night’s Cramer Quadrant winner @ACUFirestorm moving their name in the bracket.Head coach Rutter also took a 94-feet walk with @NAIAHoopsReport! pic.twitter.com/iugTnUeGpz
— NAIA (@NAIA) March 23, 2025
The Firestorm last played the College of Idaho on Nov. 4, 2022, where ACU defeated C of I 82-78. A victory tonight would mean history for the Glendale-based school. The victor of this game will play against either Freed-Hardeman or Oklahoma Wesleyan on Tuesday, March 25, at 7:00 p.m. CT / 5:00 p.m. MST.
The Fab Four game between ACU and C of I will be streamed on the NAIA Network today at 3:00 p.m. Arizona time with a subscription. The live game stats can be viewed here.
