CARMEL, Ind. – The 2026 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Men’s Basketball Championship is set to be held Saturday, Feb. 21 through Saturday, Feb. 28.
2026 HCAC Men’s Basketball Championship Page
Transylvania will be the No. 1 seed after completing a 14-4 HCAC (17-8 overall) regular season and earning a share of the 2025-26 HCAC Men’s Basketball Regular Season Championship. The Pioneers will share the regular season title with No. 2 seed Anderson, which also went 14-4 (16-9 overall) in HCAC play. It is the fourth consecutive season the Ravens have claimed at least a share of the regular season crown.
With the two teams tied in the conference standings, the league’s tiebreaking procedure was used to determine seeding. The two teams split their regular season meetings meaning the tie was broken using the latest NCAA Power Index (NPI) rankings. For games through Feb. 18, Transylvania was ranked 124 compared to Anderson’s 148, granting the Pios the higher seed.
Transylvania and Anderson will be two of the quarterfinal hosts on Saturday, Feb. 21. Joining them are Rose-Hulman (13-5 HCAC, 16-9 overall) and Mount St. Joseph (12-6 HCAC, 14-11 overall).
The first round matchups in the eight-team tournament bracket feature Transylvania hosting No. 8 seed Berea (5-13 HCAC, 9-16 overall) and Anderson hosting No. 7 seed Bluffton (7-11 HCAC, 9-16 overall). Meanwhile, Rose-Hulman will entertain No. 6 seed Hanover (9-9 HCAC, 13-12 overall), while MSJ welcomes No. 5 seed Franklin (11-7 HCAC, 15-10 overall).
The winners of Saturday’s quarterfinal round will advance to the semifinals. The semifinal and final rounds of the men’s championship will be played on the campus of the highest remaining seed after the quarterfinals.
The semifinals are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 27 with the championship game taking place on Saturday, Feb. 28.
Admission to all HCAC Championships is $10. Children aged 11 and under and students/faculty and staff with an HCAC institution ID will be admitted for free.
2026 HCAC Men’s Basketball Championship Schedule
Quarterfinals - Saturday, Feb. 21
No. 8 Berea at No. 1 Transylvania, 3 p.m.
No. 7 Bluffton at No. 2 Anderson, 3 p.m.
No. 6 Hanover at No. 3 Rose-Hulman, 2 p.m.
No. 5 Franklin at No. 4 Mount St. Joseph, 2 p.m.
Semifinals - Friday, Feb. 27
(Hosted by highest remaining seed)
No. 1/8 winner vs. No. 4/5 winner, TBD
No. 2/7 winner vs. No. 3/6 winner, TBD
Final - Saturday, Feb. 28
(Hosted by highest remaining seed)
Semifinal winners, 5 p.m.
For more information on HCAC Basketball, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the HCAC's home on the internet at www.heartlandconf.org. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference news by following @HCACDIII on Twitter and by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.