SEWARD, Neb. – A pair of Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference foes will host the Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball team as the 2026-27 season tips off later this week. Head Coach Ben Limback will take his team to the home courts of Kansas Wesleyan University and Bethel College for action this Thursday-Friday in the Sunflower State. The Bulldogs are scheduled to play five nonconference games before GPAC league play begins in mid-November.
This Week
Thursday, Oct. 29 at Kansas Wesleyan (0-1), 7 p.m.
--Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Mabee Arena (Salina, Kan.)
Friday, Oct. 30 at Bethel (0-0), 6 p.m.
--Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Thresher Gym (North Newton, Kan.)
By the numbers
• As Ben Limback enters year 14 as head coach, he says that his team is embracing lofty expectations. In the preseason polls, Concordia was pegged first in the GPAC and at No. 19 in the NAIA. Under Limback, the Bulldogs finished the 2021-22, 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with NAIA top 25 rankings. The ’24-25 squad reached as high as No. 9 in the official coaches’ poll. The ’21-22 advanced to the national quarterfinals.
• NAIA Hoops Report also tabbed the Bulldogs as the GPAC’s top team to begin the 2026-27 campaign. The organization honored two Concordia players individually, naming Brooks Kissinger the GPAC Preseason Player of the Year while choosing Kissinger and Dane Jacobsen as preseason all-conference selections. Kissinger is the GPAC’s leading returning scorer after he averaged 22.1 points per game last season. The roster includes two other double figure scorers: Jacobsen (13.3) and Jaxon Stueve (10.8).
• Concordia is motivated after narrowly missing out on the national tournament last season. The Bulldogs concluded the 2025-26 season at 19-12 overall (11-9 GPAC). They reached the GPAC tournament title game after winning at No. 21 Morningside, 92-87, in the conference semifinals. In program history, Concordia has made 14 national tournament appearances – five under Ben Limback and nine under Concordia Athletics Hall of Famer Grant Schmidt.
• For additional reading, check out our 2026-27 men’s basketball season preview linked HERE.
The opponents
Kansas Wesleyan finished the 2025-26 season at 14-14 overall (12-10 KCAC). In the KCAC’s preseason coaches’ poll, the Coyotes were placed in a tie for seventh among the conference’s 14 teams. Heading into his second season as head coach, Jordan Murdock has retooled the roster with a large number of transfers. The most experienced returning players are sophomore guards Braylin Goines and Alec Grill. KWU opened the ’26-27 campaign this past Saturday with a 77-67 loss in a home matchup with Northwestern. The Coyotes were national tournament qualifiers three consecutive years from 2022 through 2024. They hosted the Bulldogs at the 2024 national tournament.
Jayson Artaz has elevated the Bethel program over his first eight season as head coach. The 2025-26 team finished at 22-9 overall (16-6 KCAC) and reached the second round of the national tournament. The Threshers have qualified for the national tournament in five of the past six seasons. This year’s squad was pegged third in the KCAC preseason coaches’ poll. Bethel returned third team all-conference guard Trenton Patterson, who averaged 14.2 points per game last season. Concordia and Bethel saw each other twice during the 2024-25 season. At that season’s national tournament, the Bulldogs got past the Threshers, 79-76, on a game-winning shot in the waning moments in Baldwin City, Kan.
Next week
The Bulldogs will make their home debut at the 27th annual Cattle Classic scheduled for Nov. 6-7. The event, co-sponsored by Concordia and Cattle Bank & Trust, raises money and food for the Blue Valley Community Action's Food Pantry. Pac N Save of Seward will match all canned food donations. For additional details on the Cattle Classic, click HERE.