The offseason officially began on March 5 when Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball learned it had not been selected as one of 64 teams in the NAIA National Championship tournament field. In the moment, the Bulldogs likely had visions of the close calls and the unexpected defeats that placed them on the wrong side of the bubble. The GPAC tournament runner up, Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad finished the 2025-26 campaign at 19-12 overall.
Having appeared at the national tournament in four straight years and in five of the previous six, Head Coach Ben Limback’s program has proven it has staying power. At its best, the ’25-26 team showed it could beat the top opponents on its schedule.
“Most teams, coaches and players, once the season ends, it’s pretty rare that you’re satisfied (about how it ended),” Limback said. “Usually there are the shoulda, coulda, wouldas. I wish we could have won one more and done this. Certainly, that was the year that we had. We had a great run in the conference tournament … There were some bright moments.”
Behind a breakout season of superstardom delivered by slashing guard Brooks Kissinger, Concordia defeated national tournament qualifying teams in Governors State (Ill.), Morningside, Northwestern (twice), Oklahoma City and St. Francis (Ill.). The Bulldogs jetted out to a 5-0 conference record and cracked the NAIA coaches’ poll at No. 24 in late November. From that point forward, Concordia rode the rollercoaster. The Bulldogs beat every single team in the league at least one time, but they also suffered costly losses to GPAC foes situated at the bottom of the standings.
Inconsistencies aside, Concordia provided fans and observers with a fun brand of basketball that unleashed the talents of Ashland-Greenwood High School teammates in Kissinger and blossoming point guard Dane Jacobsen. Down the stretch, Limback turned to a lineup that was essentially five guards, featuring Jacobsen and Kissinger along with veterans Zac Kulus and Jaxon Stueve and freshman Jacob Duitsman out of Lincoln Lutheran. As a team, the Bulldogs averaged 84.0 points per game while shooting better than 50 percent from the field.
The GPAC tournament alone displayed Concordia’s ability to win in different ways. In the quarterfinals, the Bulldogs grinded through a defensive slugfest, rallied back from 13 points down in the second half and defeated Dordt, 66-60, in the season’s final home game. Three days later, Concordia experienced its biggest thrill of the season when it knocked off No. 21 Morningside in a shootout, 92-87, in Sioux City, Iowa. Kissinger scored 33, Jacobsen poured in 23 and Kulus added 19 while paving the way for a trip to the GPAC Championship Game.
Said Limback, “We had some lulls towards the end of the year. We really had a shift (late in the season). There were some discussions and I felt like the hunger was back. We went to Hastings and it was a close game (82-79 win). It was a game we needed to get. Then you get a home playoff game. We had one of our best games of the season at Morningside. We had three games against them and all three were very similar in how they went. I was really pleased with that (semifinal win). The goal is always to be playing for championships and be at the highest level you can be.”
A buzzsaw came in the form of 20th-ranked Northwestern, which dealt the Bulldogs a 102-72 defeat in the GPAC Championship Game. A win in Orange City would have locked up an automatic berth to the national tournament. Instead, Concordia’s fate was then left up to the national tournament selection committee. Considering the Bulldogs’ wealth of quality wins, there was an argument to be made for their inclusion. However, the bad losses (to teams outside the RPI top 100) were likely what did them in.
Limback and his staff want to ensure they leave no doubt when March 2027 rolls around. Said Limback, “For the national tournament, you’re on the bubble and you play the waiting game. It’s fun to be in that mix. You always want the chance to be at nationals. There are always teams that don’t even get near that point. It was great to have your name being talked about. We just didn’t have the consistency we needed to have this year to deserve to be at the national tournament. Now we have to do the things we need to do in the offseason to become more consistent and to position ourselves a little better at the end.”
So let’s talk about Brooks Kissinger. With All-Americans Noah Schutte and Tristan Smith having exhausted their eligibility (at least at the NAIA level), Concordia was left with plenty of production to replace heading into 2025-26. During the preseason, Kissinger broke his left hand, sidelining him for the season opener. However, Kissinger returned faster than expected and proceeded to score at least 20 points in 21 of his 30 games. His season scoring average of 22.1 points placed him amongst the elites. He also filled the stat sheet with averages of 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steal per game. His 663 total points ranks as the fourth most in a single season in program history.
So good was Kissinger as a junior that NAIA Hoops Report stated that he was “as good as they come around the NAIA.” As the 11th highest scorer nationally, Kissinger is deserving of All-America consideration.
“He was a guy we told we needed to step into a new role,” Limback said. “He did that and then some. His attention to detail – he loves the game. He has the desire to sacrifice for things on and off the court. He prepares his body and has a daily routine. He’s a guy that understands the process. The consistency he had was at an All-American level. He’s a marked man every night. He had a lot of that pressure, and he came through. What a season he had and is very deserving of the accolades he’s already getting.”
It felt like their high school days as Kissinger and Jacobsen teamed up as backcourt running mates. Jacobsen averaged 13.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 46.4 percent from 3-point range in his first season as a starter. The team’s other double-figure scorers, on average, were senior Zac Kulus (10.9) and junior Jaxon Stueve (10.8). The rotation extended to include Tate Odvody (8.8), Logan Wilson (6.1), Hayden Frank (5.8), Duitsman (5.4) and Garret Johnson (3.8).
All-GPAC honors went to Kissinger (first team), Jacobsen (second team), Kulus (honorable mention) and Stueve (honorable mention). As a senior, Kulus enjoyed his best season. He shot 44.3 percent from 3-point range and posted point totals of 19 in the GPAC semifinals and 20 in the GPAC Championship Game. Kulus was one of four seniors honored on senior day. The others were MJ Coffey, Tyler Harre and Wilson.
The play of Kulus stood out as a reason why the Bulldogs reached the conference finals. Said Limback, “At Morningside, he gets us off to a great start and had a great game. Of all the guys who played at Northwestern in the championship game, he had a great game and did everything he could. I told him after the championship game that if we didn’t get into the national tournament, he should have no regrets because he laid it all out there in that tournament. That’s what you want. You want everyone to give their absolute best. Without a doubt, he did that. I do think our team did that throughout the conference tournament.”
When the 3s were falling, Concordia could beat just about anybody. The ’25-26 team managed to break a program record for a single game when it drained 23 triples in a 107-68 win over Clarke (Iowa). Moments like those provide a hint at what is possible in 2026-27. The Bulldogs will return a strong roster headlined by the likes of veterans in Jacobsen, Kissinger and Stueve.
In supplying his final thoughts, Limback stated, “It wasn’t a great season, and we told our team that, but it was a good season. I’ve got an amazing coaching staff. Ryan Tegtmeier is unbelievable. Joel Baker, in his second year as a graduate assistant, is unbelievable. He’s a Bulldog through and through. Those two guys deserve a lot of credit for all the stuff that we do. We appreciate the impact Zac Kulus and our seniors had and are thankful for all they’ve done. There is a lot that goes into these years. Praise God for all the blessings we had this year and for the highs and the lows. I’m already excited for next year, but we had a lot of fun this year too.”