2017 Men's Basketball Championship Seedings and Pairings Announced
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – The seedings and pairings for next week’s Big South Conference Men’s Basketball Championship have been determined following the conclusion of the conference’s regular-season schedule this evening.
Winthrop and UNC Asheville tied for the regular-season championship at 15-3, and the Eagles are the No. 1 seed with the Bulldogs receiving the No. 2 seed. As the teams split the season series, the next tie break was record against teams next in the standings. Both teams swept third-place Liberty, leaving fourth-place Gardner-Webb as the determining factor. Winthrop went 2-0 over GWU, while Asheville went 1-1 against the Runnin’ Bulldogs.
As the No. 1 seed, Winthrop will host the quarterfinals and semifinals, March 2-3, while the highest remaining seed will host the Championship game on Sunday, March 5 at 1:00pm on ESPN. In addition, the Eagles have secured the Big South’s automatic bid to the NIT should they not win the Conference Tournament.
Printable Bracket
Winthrop is the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2007, and have captured back-to-back Big South regular-season titles -- an achievement the Eagles last accomplished from 2006-08. Asheville clinched its first regular-season crown since 2011-12. It is the conference’s fourth time with co-champions in the past five seasons.
Liberty is the No. 3 seed with its 14-4 conference record, and it is the Flames’ highest seeding since 2011. Gardner-Webb locked in the No. 4 seed with its 11-7 league finish, followed by High Point at No. 5 (9-9) and Radford at No. 6 (8-10). The top six teams earned byes into the quarterfinals.
Campbell and Charleston Southern tied for seventh in the standings at 7-11, and the Camels received the No. 7 seed with the Buccaneers landing the No. 8 seed. As the teams split the season series, the next tie break was record against teams at the top of the standings on down. Both teams went winless against the top three teams, leaving fourth-place Gardner-Webb as the determining factor. Campbell went 1-1 over GWU, while CSU was 0-2. Longwood (3-15) is the No. 9 seed and Presbyterian College (1-17) is the No. 10 seed.
First round action begins Tuesday night, Feb. 28 at 7:00pm with No. 7 Campbell hosting No. 10 Presbyterian College, while No. 8 Charleston Southern will host No. 9 Longwood. The winners of both contests advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals round, which begins at 1:00pm at the Winthrop Coliseum with No. 2 UNC Asheville facing the winner of Campbell/Presbyterian, followed by No. 3 Liberty vs. No. 6 Radford at 3:00pm. The 7:00pm game will feature No. 1 Winthrop vs. the winner of Charleston Southern/Longwood, with No. 4 Gardner-Webb playing No. 5 High Point at 9:00pm.
The two first round games on Feb. 28 will be broadcast live on the Big South Network and Roku. The 2017 Big South Men’s Basketball Championship will continue with the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 2 and semifinals on Friday, March 3 with both days being carried live on ESPN3 and WatchESPN. The Championship game will be contested Sunday, March 5 live on ESPN at 1:00pm. The Big South’s Tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Conference Championship schedule is as follows:
First Round – Tuesday, Feb. 28 – Big South Network/Roku
Game 1: #10 Presbyterian College at #7 Campbell, 7:00pm
Game 2: #9 Longwood at #8 Charleston Southern, 7:00pm
Quarterfinals – Thursday, March 2 – ESPN3
Game 3: #2 UNC Asheville vs. #7/10 winner, 1:00pm
Game 4: #3 Liberty vs. #6 Radford, 3:00pm
Game 5: #1 Winthrop vs. #8/9 winner, 7:00pm
Game 6: #4 Gardner-Webb vs. #5 High Point, 9:00pm
Semifinals - Friday, March 3 – ESPN3
Game 7: Semifinals – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6:00pm
Game 8: Semifinals – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 8:00pm
Championship - Sunday, March 5 – ESPN
Game 9: Championship – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 1:00pm