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2026 Atlantic Sun Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics
Format
Traditional bracket
Site
Jacksonville will host the entirety of the ASUN tournament at three different venues. Three first-round games are set for UNF Arena, including JU’s contest against Bellarmine. UNF’s first-round game against West Georgia is the only one scheduled for JU’s Swisher Gym. From the quarterfinals on, the venue shifts to Veterans Memorial Arena downtown.
Participants
All 12 ASUN members will participate with Queens eligible for the NCAA Tournament and NIT for the first time, as its reclassification period is over thanks to the NCAAs accelerated timeline. West Georgia will participate but is ineligible for the automatic bid as the Wolves aren’t scheduled to become full D1 members until 2027-28.
However, West Georgia will also be one of five current ASUN members who will move to the United Athletic Conference after this academic year. The ASUN and WAC formed a strategic alliance that will see the latter conference’s remaining Texas-based members (including non-football UT Arlington) form a rebranded UAC with the ASUN’s five scholarship FCS members, and non-football Little Rock (from the OVC). So next season, we will have:
- ASUN (7 members): Bellarmine, FGCU, Jacksonville, Lipscomb, North Florida, Queens, Stetson
- UAC (9 members): Abilene Christian (WAC), Austin Peay (ASUN), Central Arkansas (ASUN), Eastern Kentucky (ASUN), Little Rock (OVC, non-football), North Alabama (ASUN), Tarleton (WAC), UT Arlington (WAC, non-football), West Georgia (ASUN)
If you remember correctly, both UT Arlington and Little Rock were forced out of the Sun Belt after the 2021-22 season because they did not sponsor football.
Schedule
Downloadable PDF Bracket
ESPN+ ($) will stream all games before the championship.
First Round (Wed. 3/4)
Gm. 1: (9) Jacksonville (12-19, 7-11) vs. (8) Bellarmine (12-18, 7-11), 12 (at UNF Arena)
The Knights won 77-70 (away) on 1/22.
Gm. 2: (12) North Alabama (9-20, 4-14) vs. (5) FGCU (14-17, 8-10), 2:30* (at UNF Arena)
The Eagles swept: 72-55 (away) on 1/3 and 72-64 (home) on 1/29.
Gm. 3: (10) Stetson (11-20, 7-11) vs. (7) Eastern Kentucky (11-20, 7-11), 5* (at UNF Arena)
The Colonels won 100-88 (home) on 2/7.
Gm. 4: (11) North Florida (7-24, 5-13) vs. (6) West Georgia (14-16, 8-10), 7:30 (at Swisher Gymnasium)
Road split: Wolves 85-73 on 1/8 and Ospreys 81-73 on 2/5.
Quarterfinals (Fri. 3/6)
Gm. 5: Gm. 1 winner vs. (1) Central Arkansas (20-11, 15-3), 12
Gm. 6: Gm. 2 winner vs. (4) Lipscomb (19-12, 12-6), 2:30*
Gm. 7: Gm. 3 winner vs. (2) Austin Peay (21-8, 15-3), 5*
Gm. 8: Gm. 4 winner vs. (3) Queens (18-13, 13-5), 7:30*
Semifinals (Sat. 3/7)
Gm. 9: Gm. 5 winner vs. Gm. 6 winner, 5
Gm. 10: Gm. 7 winner vs. Gm. 8 winner, 7:30*
Championship (Sun. 3/8)
Gm. 11: Semifinal winners, 2 (ESPN2)
Mayhem Potential
Data originally posted by Bob Vetrone Jr. on Twitterin 2020 with my own additions for the seasons beyond.
The top two seeds had dominated this event, thanks to the higher seeds being rewarded with home-court advantage up until this year. The No. 1 seed has won eight titles since the NCAA field expanded to 68 in 2011 with the No. 2 claiming a half-dozen in that span—though that includes the 2022 Bellarmine squad that finished second in its division. No. 3 seeds have been shut out, while FGCU won as a 4 in 2016. The Eagles ended up in Dayton for their trouble, following 2015 champ UNF. That Osprey squad was a rare double conference champion assigned to the First Four.
Who knows how things will play out an ASUN Tournament set for what are ostensibly neutral sites.
- 1 seed (8): 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2025
- 2 seed (6): 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2022 (West Division), 2024
- 4 seed (1): 2016
NCAA Seeding Record In The 68-Team Era
Years with an NCAA win are in bold.
- 12 seed (1): 2019
- 13 seed (2); 2011, 2021
- 14 seed (5): 2012, 2014, 2017, 2023, 2025
- 15 seed (3):2013, 2018, 2022
- 16 seed (3): 2015 (First Four), 2016 (First Four), 2024
The highest seed and last NCAA win both belong to Liberty, which is currently a member of Conference USA, as is 2022 regular-season champ and NCAA qualifier Jax State.
The top three ASUN seeds could end up as a 14 in the NCAA bracket, but everyone else is likely to be a 15 or 16, depending on what happens elsewhere.
Last NCAA Tournament Appearances
Lipscomb: 2025 (14 seed, 1st Round)
Stetson: 2024 (16 seed, 1st Round)
FGCU: 2017 (14 seed, 1st Round)
Austin Peay: 2016 (16 seed, 1st Round, OVC member)
North Florida: 2015 (16 seed, First Four)
Eastern Kentucky: 2014 (14 seed, 1st Round, OVC member)
Jacksonville: 1986 (8 seed, 1st Round, Sun Belt member).
Stetson’s trip in 2024 was the Hatters’ first. Central Arkansas and North Alabama have never qualified, though the Bears will have a decent shot as the No. 1 seed and the Lions are in only their fourth season of eligibility.
Bellarmine, the 2022 Tournament champion, was NCAA-eligible for the first time last season. Queens is eligible for the first time in 2026, while West Georgia may have to wait until 2028.