NCAA Women's DII Tournament Bracket NCAA Men's DII Tournament Bracket
CLEVELAND – It's that time of year, March Madness is in full effect and the Delta State University men's and women's basketball teams are headed to the NCAA Tournament starting this weekend. It's the first time both programs have made it into the tournament since the 2005-2006 season.
The Lady Statesmen (26-6) claimed the No. 1 seed in the South Region after defeating Arkansas-Monticello, 53-51 in overtime, on Sunday to take their fourth-consecutive Gulf South Conference title. DSU will host the four-day event starting on Friday and running through Monday's region championship game.
The Statesmen (21-8), who earned the No. 7 seed in the South Region, will travel to Lakeland, Fla., to face No. 2 seed Christian Brothers in the opening round. Florida Southern College, who clinched the No. 1 seed after winning the Sunshine State Conference title, will serve as host for the event. It's the first ever NCAA Tournament berth for coach Jason Conner, who is in his third season at the helm of DSU.
The Lady Statesmen, who advanced all the way to last season's NCAA Final Four, hosted the 2007-2008 South Region Tournament, and will once again welcome seven of the top teams in the nation to Walter Sillers Coliseum. Ticketing and complete tournament information will be available on www.GoStatesmen.com Monday.
In the first round of the women's South Region Tournament on Friday, March 13, Delta State's half of the bracket features No. 4 seed Rollins (25-5) versus No. 5 seed Arkansas-Monticello (20-8), while the Lady Statesmen will have a quick rematch with No. 8 seed Valdosta State (20-8).
DSU defeated VSU 55-53 in overtime in the semifinals of the GSC Tournament, and turned away a valiant effort by Arkansas-Monticello, 53-51, in overtime of Sunday's GSC Championship game.
On the other side, No. 2 seed Fort Valley State (26-4) will square off with No. 7 Ouachita Baptist (18-8), while the No. 3 seed Tampa (24-5) tangles with No. 6 Clark-Atlanta (23-4).
The winners of each first round bracket game will meet on Saturday, March 14, with the semifinals winners facing off in Monday's title game.
The Statesmen will travel to Lakeland, Fla., with the thoughts of a regional title on their minds. Should DSU get by CBU on Saturday, March 14, the Statesmen will play the winner of the No. 3 Claflin versus No. 6 Valdosta State game on Sunday, March 15.
The men's regional also features No. 1 seed Florida Southern facing No. 8 LeMoyne-Owen, while No. 4 Arkansas Tech, 2009 GSC Champions, tussle with No. 5 seed Benedict.
The men's regional title game will be played Tuesday, March 17 at 7 p.m.
