Emmanuel, UNC Pembroke Qualify for NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball National Tournament
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Conference Carolinas qualified two teams for the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball National Tournament for the third straight season as 2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball tournament champions, Emmanuel, and regular season champion, UNC Pembroke, each earned a trip to the tournament.
UNC Pembroke is 26-3 this season and received the No. 2 seed in the Southeast Region where they will square off against seventh-seeded North Georgia (20-7) on Saturday, March 11 at noon. The winner will advance to the second round on Sunday, March 12 at 5 p.m. They will face the winner of No. 3 Lincoln Memorial (27-4) and No. 6 Lander (22-9).
Emmanuel is 23-7 this season and is the No. 8 seed in the region where they will square off against the top seed and host, Augusta (26-5) on March 11 at 5 p.m. The winner will face the winner of No. 4 USC Aiken (24-8) and No. 5 Catawba (23-7) in the second round on March 12 at 7:30 p.m. The regional championship game is scheduled for Tuesday, March 14.
The Braves are making their ninth appearance at the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball tournament in the last 13 years and are led by back-to-back Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year, Drew Richards and 2023 All-Conference first team selection, Bradlee Haskell. The Braves are 14-10 all-time against the Nighthawks, and will ride a three-game series win streak into Saturday's matchup. UNCP has taken 12 of the last 14 meetings with North Georgia, but this weekend will mark the first time that the squads have squared off at a neutral site.
The Lions are making their third regional appearance and are led by 2023 Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, KJ Jones II, and Freshman of the Year, Tavarus Webb. Emmanuel is 1-4 all-time against Augusta with the lone win coming on Dec. 5, 2019, a 74-71 victory in Augusta, Georgia.
Twenty-three conferences have been awarded automatic qualification. The remaining 41 teams were selected at large by the committee.
Seven of the eight regional tournaments, consisting of eight teams each, will be conducted March 11, 12 and 14 while one regional tournament also consisting of eight teams will be conducted March 10, 11 and 13. The eight regional champions will advance to the quarterfinals in conjunction with the 2023 NCAA Division II Men’s Elite Eight. The quarterfinal, semifinal and championship games will be conducted at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, March 21, 23 and 25.
Fans can watch the full selection show video here. The interactive tournament bracket is available
here. Fans can read the UNC Pembroke release
here and the Emmanuel release
here.