The Dance begins: UNF, JU men's teams, JU women open the post-season in ASUN tournaments
It’s college basketball tournament time. Everyone who has qualified for conference tournaments is 0-0. Anything that happened earlier this season, said University of North Florida coach Matthew Driscoll, bears no relation to what will happen this week as seven First Coast college teams enter the postseason.
“The focus is looking ahead ... what lies ahead,” Driscoll said after the Ospreys beat Stetson 78-59 on Friday at UNF Arena to wrap up their regular season. “You can’t win a championship unless you win the first game.”
The ASUN men's and women's tournament winners will advance to the NCAA Tournament.
For the fifth-seeded Ospreys (16-14), the first game will be 8 p.m. on March 5 at No. 4 Austin Peay (17-14) at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville, Tenn., the third consecutive game for UNF against the Governors on the road.
Jacksonville University (14-16), is the 10th seed in the tournament and will play No. 9 Kennesaw State (15-15) on Monday at 7 p.m. at Alumni Coliseum in Richmond, Ky. The Dolphins lost their last two regular-season games after beating UNF 62-50 on Feb. 23 and qualified for the tournament on a head-to-head tiebreaker against Central Arkansas.
ASUN men: Eastern Kentucky is the top seed
The Dolphins' reward if they break a three-game losing streak against the Owls, is a game 24 hours later against No. 1 seeded Eastern Kentucky (17-13), on the Colonels' home floor. JU lost to EKU 75-59 during the regular season.
If UNF beats Austin Peay and EKU tops the JU-Kennesaw winner, the Ospreys would then play a semifinal game against the Colonels on March 7.
The other first-round game on March 4 will be No. 7 Florida Gulf Coast (14-17) vs. No. 8 Queens (13-18), at 7 p.m. at the Edmunds Center in DeLand. The winner will play No. 2 Stetson (19-12) on March 5 at 7 p.m.
The other quarterfinal game will be on March 5 at 8 p.m. when No. 6 North Alabama (14-16) plays at No. 3 Lipscomb (20-11) at the Allen Arena in Nashville.
What’s the record for UNF and JU against their first-round foes?
The Ospreys are 3-4 overall against the Governors (1-2 since Austin Peay joined the ASUN), and every game has been a battle.
Austin Peay won 95-91 at home in double overtime during the regular season. The Governors edged the Ospreys 73-71 last season in Clarksville, and UNF won in overtime 90-85 at UNF Arena.
The two teams played four times before the Governors joined the ASUN, with the teams splitting 2-2, both winning at home. The average margin of victory of a UNF-Austin Peay game is 5.7 points and only one game, an 80-70 victory for the Ospreys in 2015, was by double digits.
Jacksonville is 25-13 overall against Kennesaw but since a seven-game winning streak ended in 2022, the Owls have won four of five and swept the Dolphins in the regular season.
The two teams have played once in the ASUN tournament, with JU winning 87-68 on Feb. 26, 2018, at Swisher Gym.
Can UNF face JU in the ASUN tournament?
A lot would have to happen since the higher-seeded teams will host in all cases, and would face the lowest seeds.
If JU beat Kennesaw and then upset Eastern Kentucky, and UNF tops Austin Peay, the semifinal brackets would be reshuffled and the Dolphins would likely have to play at Stetson or Lipscomb in that case.
The only clear path to a third UNF-JU game would in the conference championship game March 10 at 2 p.m.
JU has a 22-21 margin over UNF overall. The two teams have played four times in the ASUN tournament, with UNF winning the last three. The Ospreys won 91-88 at home on March 3, 2020, in the last postseason meeting between the two Duval universities.
The Dolphins’ only victory over UNF in the ASUN tournament was the first time they met in the postseason, a 76-69 victory on Mach 3, 2010, in Macon, Ga.
Tournament schedule
March 4, first round
No. 7 Florida Gulf Coast (14-17) vs. No. 8 Queens (13-18), at Edmunds Center, DeLand, 7 p.m.
No. 9 Kennesaw (15-15) vs. No. 10 Jacksonville (14-16), at Alumni Coliseum, Richmond, Ky., 7 p.m.
March 5, quarterfinals
JU-Kennesaw winner at No. 1. Eastern Kentucky (17-13), Alumni Coliseum, Richmond, Ky., 7 p.m.
FGCU-Queens winner at No. 2 Stetson (19-12), Edmunds Center, DeLand, 7 p.m.
No. 5 North Florida (16-15) at No. 4 Austin Peay (17-14), F&M Bank Arena, Clarksville, Tenn., 8 p.m.
No. 6 North Alabama (14-16) at No. 3 Lipscomb (20-11), Allen Arena, Nashville, 8 p.m.
March 7, semifinals
Games at highest-seeded teams, times to be announced.
March 10, championship
Game at the highest-seeded team, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
ASUN women: Can anyone stop Florida Gulf Coast?
Jacksonville University lost its final regular-season game 80-55 at Florida Gulf Coast. And the Dolphins may see the conference front-runners again very soon.
The Dolphins (10-19) are the ASUN's ninth seed and will face No. 10 Bellarmine (10-18) on March 8 at the Alico Arena in Fort Myers. The winner then plays the following day against top-seeded Gulf Coat (26-4), which has won the last six ASUN tournament championships.
The last team other than FGCU to win the ASUN title was JU in 2016 when the Dolphins beat the Eagles 56-54.
JU junior guard Edyn Battle, the ASUN's leading scorer (19.8 points per game) led with 20 points against Gulf Coast.
FGCU has won 12 of the last 13 regular-season ASUN titles, with Stetson breaking up that string in 2017, then losing to the Eagles in the tournament championship game. This is the seventh unbeaten regular season for FGCU in conference play in the last 14 years and the Eagles are 201-7 since the 2011-2012 season, for a .966 winning percentage.
The Eagles aren't dependent on one star, such as Kierstan Bell or Tishare Morehouse. They have more balance this season, with six players averaging 8.0 points or more per game, led by junior guard Emani Jefferson (16.2).
JU beat Bellarmine 87-69 on Jan. 27 at Swisher Gym in their only regular-season meeting. The Dolphins are 3-1 overall against the Knights.
Tournament schedule (times to be announced)
March 8, first round
No. 9 Jacksonville (10-19) vs. No. 10 Bellarmine (10-18), Alico Arena, Fort Myers, 6 p.m.
No. 7 Austin Peay (11-18) vs. No. 8 Kennesaw (11-18), Edmunds Center, DeLand, 6 p.m.
March 9, quarterfinals
JU-Bellarmine winner at No. 1 Florida Gulf Coast (26-4), Alico Arena, Fort Myers, 6 p.m.
Austin Peay-Kennesaw winner at No. 2 Stetson, Edmunds Center, DeLand, 6 p.m.
No. 5 Eastern Kentucky (21-10) at No. 4 Lipscomb (17-12), Allen Arena, Nashville, 4 p.m.
No. 6 North Alabama (12-17) at No. 6 Central Arkansas (19-10), Farris Center, Conway, Ark., 8 p.m.
March 12, semifinals
Games at highest-seed teams, times to be announced.
March 16, championship
Game at the highest-seeded team, time to be announced.
Peach Belt: Flagler men are fourth seed
The Flagler College men’s team (18-10) is the fourth seed in the Peach Belt Tournament and will play No. 5 Augusta (17-11) on Wednesday at the USC-Aiken Convocation Center at a time to be determined Sunday night. USC-Aiken (23-5) earned the right to host the tournament by winning the PBC regular-season title.
The Saints split with Augusta during the regular season, each team winning at home. Augusta has won five of the last seven meetings. The winner will play USC-Aiken.
Flagler won its final regular-season game at home on Saturday, 69-62 over Georgia Southwestern. Junior guard Destin Clark came off the bench for 17 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Flagler’s women (11-17), the eighth seed in the PBC, lost their final regular-season game at home on Saturday to top-seeded Georgia Southwestern, 80-64, and will have to travel to Americus, Ga., on Thursday to play the Hurricanes (23-3) again on March 7, at the Storm Dome. GSW has a seven-game winning streak over the Saints.
Game times for the PBC Tournament will be released on Sunday night. The tournament schedule also won't be completed until then because there are games scheduled for Sunday that don't affect Flagler's seeding or that of their opponents.
Tournament schedule
Men, at USC-Aiken Convocation Center, Aiken, S.C.
March 6, first round
No. 2 North Georgia (20-6) vs. No. 7 Georgia Southwestern (16-12), Noon.
No. 3 Lander (20-8) vs. No. 6 Columbus State (17-12), 2:30 p.m.
No. 1 USC-Aiken (23-5) vs. No. 8 Georgia College (14-14), 5 p.m.
No. 4 Flagler (18-10) vs. No. 5 Augusta (17-11), 7:30 p.m.
March 7, semifinals
5 and 7:30 p.m.
March 9, championship
1 p.m.
Women, at Storm Dome, Americus, Ga.
March 7
No. 2 Augusta (21-7) vs. No. 7 Georgia College (12-16), Noon.
No. 3 Columbus State (17-9) vs. No. 6 Clayton State (9-18), 2:30 p.m.
No. 1 Georgia Southwestern (23-3) vs. No. 8 Flagler (11-17), 5 p.m.
No. 4 Lander (18-10) vs. No. 5 North Georgia (17-11), 7:30 p.m.
March 8, semifinals
5 and 7:30 p.m.
March 10, championship
1 p.m.
SIAC: Edward Waters teams head for Savannah
The Edward Waters University men’s and women’s teams will play in the SIAC tournament at Savannah State University’s Tiger Arena. Both teams will face Central State University of Wilburforce, Ohio in their opening-round games.
The EWU men (10-17) are the No. 6 seed in the SIAC East and will play Central (3-24), the No. 7 seed in the West, on Monday at 7:30 p.m. The two teams played once this season, with the Tigers winning 81-76 at home on Nov. 25.
The EWU women (9-17) are fourth-seeded in the SIAC East and will face Central (12-14), the No. 5 seed in the West, on Tuesday at 5 p.m. The Tigers beat CSU 69-68 at home on Nov. 25.
SIAC Tournament schedule
All games at Savannah State University Tigers Arena
March 3
Game 1, men: Lane (10-15) vs. Albany State (9-18), 4 p.m.
March 4
Game 2, women: LeMoyne-Owen (13-13) vs. Benedict (3-23), Noon
Game 3, men: LeMoyne-Owen (8-18) vs. Fort Valley State (7-20), 2:30 p.m.
Game 4, women: Albany State (5-22) vs. Spring Hill (6-17, 5 p.m.
Game 5, men: Edward Waters (10-17) vs. Central State (3-24), 7:30 p.m.
March 5
Game 6, women: Tuskegee (14-9) vs. Allen (12-14), Noon.
Game 7, men: Kentucky State (12-13) vs. Savannah State (12-13), 2:30 p.m.
Game 8, women: Edward Waters (9-17) vs. Central State (12-14), 5 p.m.
Game 9, men: Allen (14-14) vs. game 1 winner, 7:30 p.m.
March 6
Game 10, women: Clark Atlanta (14-11) vs. game 2 winner, Noon.
Game 11, men: Benedict (21-6) vs. game 3 winner (Edward Waters vs. Central), 2:30 p.m.
Game 12, women: Lane (13-13) vs. game 4 winner, 5 p.m.
Game 13, men, Spring Hill (14-12) vs. game 5 winner, 7:30 p.m.
March 7, quarterfinals
Game 14, women: Savannah State (19-5) vs. game 6 winner, Noon.
Game 15, men: Clark Atlanta (22-5) vs. game 7 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Game 16, women: Kentucky State (19-6) vs game 8 winner (Edward Waters vs. Central), 5 p.m.
Game 17, men: Miles (21-5) vs. game 9 winner, 7:30 p.m.
March 8, quarterfinals
Game 18, women: Miles (20-6) vs game 10 winner, Noon.
Game 19, women, Fort Valley State (14-10) vs. game 12 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Game 20, men: Tuskegee (13-14) vs. game 11 winner, 5 p.m.
Game 21, men: Morehouse (19-9) vs. Game 13 winner, 7:30 p.m.
March 9, semifinals
Women, 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; men, 3 and 5:30 p.m.
March 10, championship
Women, Noon; men, 3 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Seven First Coast college basketball teams begin their postseason dances
