The Bulldogs ended the regular season undefeated at home, making it the first in Tougaloo's history.  The Bulldogs go into the tournament with a record of 22-8, qualifying in the tournament by being the conference runner-ups, finishing with a 12-6 conference record.  The Bulldogs were defeated in the conference tournament in the semifinals at home by Belhaven University 73-67, who also qualified for the tournament.  Southern Nazarene comes into the tournament with a 25-7 record.  They qualified as an at-large berth in the tournament.  Representing the Sooner Athletic Conference, SNU finished the regular season ranked #6 in the NAIA Top 25 Poll. 

Leading the Bulldogs this season is Mario Luckett, averaging 13.1 points a game.  Sylvester Collins is averaging 11.4 points and 10 rebounds.  Jejuan Jacks is averaging 11.1 points and Keith Fisher is averaging 10.6 points.  Luckett and Collins were selected All-Conference for their performances this season.  Luckett has received GCAC Player of Week honors twice during the season.

Thirty-one games will be played out in Kansas City. The first 30 games will be video-streamed by NeuLion, the parent company of JumpTV. Three different subscription plans for basketball (Men's and Women's Division I; Men's and Women's Division II) will be available for tournament coverage. Users can purchase the All-Tournament pass, which includes every event offered on College Sports Direct from all four basketball tournaments for $39.95. Each of the four basketball tournaments can be purchased separately for $24.95 and any single day can be purchased for $9.95. The Championship final on March 23 will be televised live nationally on CBS College Sports Television with tip-off at 7 p.m. CST.