With the Atlantic Sun conference tournament being played at campus host sites, Lipscomb, North Alabama, Jacksonville and Florida Gulf Coast will play host to the four quarterfinal games. The 9-10 game will be played in Nashville at Lipscomb and the 7-8 game in Florence at North Alabama.
Beginning March 2 with the first round, the ASUN tournament will be the first conference tournament (men’s or women’s) to kick off March Madness tournament action.
Lipscomb and North Alabama have staked their claims as the top teams in the conference and will be the two favorites heading into the quarterfinals. Only the top 10 teams in the 12-team conference qualify for the tournament.
Below is a one sentence previewing each team ahead of the tournament:
1. Lipscomb (14-4 ASUN, 22-9 Overall)
The Bisons have put together a spectacular season and are already postseason eligible due to the NIT’s metrics, but Jacob Ognacevic (20.9 points per game) and the league’s best defense (67.2 points allowed per game) want another bid to the Big Dance.
2. North Alabama (14-4 ASUN, 22-9 Overall)
Just barely losing the tiebreaker to the one-seeded Bisons, Tony Pujol’s team — led by Jacari Lane (16.9 points per game) — looks to make its first-ever NCAA Tournament with a conference title.
3. Florida Gulf Coast (13-5 ASUN, 18-13 Overall)
Led by Dallian Johnson (15.1 points per game), the Eagles look to make their first NCAA Tourney since 2017, and with the second-best scoring defense in the ASUN, Dunk City will look to its defense to come out on top.
4. Jacksonville (12-6 ASUN, 18-12 Overall)
After starting off conference play hot, the Dolphins cooled off just a bit, finishing the season 2-3 in their final five games, so Robert McCray V (16.2 points per game) will look to lead this team beyond last season’s semifinal appearance.
5. Eastern Kentucky (12-6 ASUN, 18-13 Conference)
The Colonels out of Richmond find themselves just under the threshold to host, so a road trip to Jacksonville, Fla., will force the ASUN’s second-leading scorer, George Kimble III (18.0 points per game), to temper the crowds and prevent yet another first-round exit this year.
6. Queens (11-7 ASUN, 18-13 Overall)
Without the ability to make the tournament due to the DII to DI transition rules, the Royals come into the tournament fighting for bragging rights under Grant Leonard in his third season coaching DI basketball.
7. Austin Peay (8-10 ASUN, 13-18 Overall)
Drawing North Alabama as a hosting site after all of the drama between both teams was bad enough, but they also have to face the Lions in the quarterfinal if they can beat North Florida first — not an ideal situation for a team that has played under expectations this season.
8. North Florida (8-10 ASUN, 15-16 Overall)
After starting out the season with wins over South Carolina and Georgia Tech, the Ospreys have frozen up considerably, but with the most prolific freshman in the conference in Josh Harris (13.4 points, seven rebounds per game) and Jasai Miles (15.4 points, 6.8 rebounds) as a solid duo, they have the ability to make a deep run.
9. Stetson (6-12 ASUN, 8-23 Overall)
Making their first March Madness in 2024, the Hatters have taken a considerable drop this season, but they have the chance to stun if they can get junior Mehki Ellison (14.8 points per game) hot from behind the arc.
10. Central Arkansas (4-14 ASUN, 8-23 Overall)
The Bears are just happy to be here after missing the tournament for the past two seasons, and with all of the injuries plaguing coach John Shulman’s team, Elias Cato and Brayden Fagbemi will look to lead this team to a first-round win in Nashville.
