UPDATE: A watch party has been planned in the Vines Center for Liberty fans wanting to watch the men’s basketball team take on North Carolina A&T in the opening game of the 2013 NCAA Tournament on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is free. Liberty Athletics will give away t-shirts and have contests during commercial breaks, similar to a men’s basketball home game during the regular season. Concessions will be available at regular game day prices.
The Liberty University men’s basketball team will face North Carolina A&T in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Tuesday at 6:40 p.m., in Dayton, Ohio. The Flames learned their position in the tournament during Sunday night’s Selection Show on CBS.
Liberty and NC A&T were both tabbed 16 seeds and will face off in the First Four with Tuesday’s winner earning the right to head to Lexington, Ky., on Thursday for a meeting with overall No. 1 seed Louisville. Game time at Rupp Arena is to be announced.
The matchup will be the first-ever between Liberty and the Aggies. It will be broadcast live from inside UD Arena on Tru TV, with Marv Albert serving as play-by-play announcer and former NBA player Steve Kerr handling color analysis.
Liberty (15-20) punched its ticket to the Big Dance last Sunday, defeating Charleston Southern, 87-76, to claim the 2013 Big South Championship. The Flames are only the second team in tournament history to earn a bid with 20 losses, a feat that has garnered national media attention from major outlets such as the New York Times.