COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College men's basketball team will host a first-round game in the 2026 SIAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championship presented by Toyota.
 
The Tigers received the official news from the SIAC after the league vacated some wins from Fort Valley State and adjusted the conference standings. Benedict then finished tied for fourth place in the SIAC East Division with Edward Waters. Benedict and Edward Waters split their two regular-season matchups, forcing the league to go to a tiebreaker formula. Benedict earned the higher seed by virtue of a 1-0 record against Savannah State, while Edward Waters went 1-1 against Savannah State.
 
As the fourth seed from the East, Benedict will host Lane College, the fifth seed from the West Division at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at C.A. Johnson High School, due to a scheduling conflict in the HRC Arena. Tickets are available at www.benedicttickets.com.
 
It has been a strong turnaround for the Tigers under first-year coach Dannton Jackson. With a nearly all-new roster, the Tigers had a five-game improvement in wins (6 in 2024-25 to 11 this season). They have established themselves as one of the most dominant defensive teams not only in the SIAC, but in all of Division II.
 
Benedict ranks first in the SIAC and second in Division II in field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 38 percent from the floor. Benedict also leads the SIAC and is fourth nationally in scoring defense, holding opponents to an average of 62.3 points per game.
 
Benedict went 2-0 during the season against Lane, but both games went down to the wire. The Tigers took a 75-69 victory in Columbia in early December, and then had a narrow 66-64 victory in Tennessee on Feb. 10.
 
The winner of Saturday's game advances to the quarterfinals to face Tuskegee, the No. 1 seed from the West, at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4 at the Clayton County Convocation Center in Morrow, Ga.