KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The NAIA officially released the 32-team field for the 19th Annual Division II Men's Basketball National Championship today, but unfortunately for Mount Mercy, the Mustangs will not be going to Branson next week.

Third-seeded Mount Mercy lost to sixth-seeded William Penn, 88-85, in the quarterfinals of the Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament last week, meaning the Mustangs had to hope for an at-large bid to the national tournament.

But despite finishing the season with the second-most wins in school history, the Mustangs (22-9) will not make the second national tournament appearance in school history. Mount Mercy was 27th in the final Division II Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 of the season, and the final at-large bid to nationals went to 25th-ranked Evergreen State (Wash.).

There are 21 automatic berths to the national tournament, including one for the host school, College of the Ozarks (Mo.), who finished the season at 20-11 and ranked 23rd in the nation. Once the automatic berths are determined, the 11 at-large bids go to the highest-ranked teams in the final coaches' rating.

The NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship runs March 10-16 at the Keeter Center in Point Lookout, Mo. Pairings for the event will be announced this afternoon.