Men’s Basketball Prepares For Wild ASUN Tournament

It’s March 2021, and that means that after last year’s disappointment, March Madness is (finally) just around the corner. After sealing two consecutive berths to the Big Dance in their first two years in the ASUN, the Flames are a conference tournament away from a third appearance running. 

They came a step closer to that landmark by beating Bellarmine Saturday, clinching the regular season title and the No. 1 seed for the upcoming tournament. With the No. 1 seed locked down, Liberty will start off the ASUN tournament March 4 against No. 8-seed Kennesaw State – assuming all goes to plan. 

Jacksonville University, one of the hosts of the tournament, is already out due to COVID-19 cases, and FGCU is on pause due to inconclusive tests. If FGCU has to pull out of the tournament, Liberty gets a bye to the next round. 

As regular-season champions, Liberty probably enters the tournament as favorites to progress, particularly due to the fact that Bellarmine’s recent promotion from DII means it is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament. 

However, even with a weaker showing than normal in conference play, Lipscomb University (9-6 in conference) always poses a threat when it comes to tournaments. The Bisons have lost two of their last five games, but last year the Bisons finished the regular season 9-7, then pulled off two tight playoff wins to make the championship game against Liberty. 

The tournament will take place March 4-7 in Jacksonville at Jacksonville’s and UNF’s arenas. The championship game will tip off at 2 p.m., Sunday, March 7. 

John Nekrasov is the Sports Editor. Follow him on Twitter at @john_nekrasov.