The champions from the Gulf South Conference and Sunshine State Conference will meet in the opening round of the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament, as the Statesmen (19-11, No. 7 seed) of Delta State University face the Mocs (24-7, No. 2 seed) of Florida Southern College in the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 16 at Rick Case Arena in Fort Lauderdale, Fla..
Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. EST and the game will be broadcast on the Statesmen Sports Network (WMJW 107.5 FM).
Matt Jones will have the call. Links to the broadcast and live stats are available online at GoStatesmen.com.
Delta State is making its 17th appearance and third under head coach Jim Boone in the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament.
The Statesmen are 16-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including a 3-2 mark under coach Boone. The South Region field is one of the deepest in the nation and features the top-seed and tournament host Nova Southeastern. The No. 3 nationally-ranked Sharks are 26-3 on the year and will face Miles College (21-8/No. 8) in the quarterfinals. Valosta State (24-6/No. 4), which is currently No. 18 in the NABC Top 25, squares off against GSC rival West Alabama (22-7/No. 5). Lynn University (23-6/No. 3) faces Alabama Huntsville (24-7/No. 6) to round out the pairings for the opening round.
Delta State played all but Nova Southeastern and Lynn during the regular season. The Statesmen are a combined 102-83 all-time against the South Region field, including a 4-6 mark this year.
The Statesmen marched to their seventh Gulf South Conference championship last week after defeating Christian Brothers (61-58), Valdosta State (70-69) and Alabama Huntsville (64-60). Delta State enters the NCAA South Region Tournament ranked No. 17 in NCAA DII in scoring defense, allowing 66.0 points per game.
The Statesmen held three of the GSC's top offenses in check en route to winning their seventh league championship, including Alabama Huntsville's lowest point total since November - 60 points.
