MELBOURNE, Fla. - [PDF Bracket | MBB Tournament Page] - The opening round of the Sunshine State Conference Men's Basketball Championship presented by S3 Design will tip-off on Tuesday, March 16th. All games throughout the tournament will be hosted on campus sites and broadcasted by member institutions on the SSC Digital Network.
Seeds for the 2021 season were drawn at random. Palm Beach Atlantic University receives the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the postseason tournament. Saint Leo University (No. 2), Florida Tech (No. 3), and Florida Southern College (No. 4) will host a quarterfinal game in the 2021 championship. Rollins College (No. 5), the University of Tampa (No. 6), and Barry University (No. 7) round out this year's tournament field.
No fans are permitted to attend any games in the 2021 Sunshine State Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships. All games will be live-streamed at no cost on the Sunshine State Conference Digital Network. You can access the Sunshine State Conference Digital Network by visiting sunshinestateconference.tv or via Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku by searching "SSC Digital Network." Fans can find more information about the SSC Digital Network here.
QUARTERFINALS AT A GLANCE...
#2 Saint Leo vs. #7 Barry - 5:00 PM [Watch Live | Live Stats]
2020-21: Saint Leo hosted and defeated Barry, 93-73, on March 3rd. SLU's Frank Webb led all scorers with 25 points, followed by Barry's Jake Kakar with 24 points. Cantia Rahming provided the Lions with a 19-point/15-rebound double-double in the victory.
Tournament History:
Saint Leo: 14-33 record - 2x runner up
Barry: 21-28 record - 7x runner up
Tournament Series: 2-1 in favor of Barry
Last Meeting: #2 BU 71, #7 LU 57 in the 2015 quarterfinals.
NOTES: Saint Leo last made it to the tournament final in 2012, breaking a then 25-year drought. Barry has reached the title game seven times in tournament history, including three of the last six years, with no victories.
#3 Florida Tech vs. #6 Tampa - 5:00 PM [Watch Live | Live Stats]
2020-21: Tampa defeated Florida Tech, 74-69, on February 27th in Tampa. UT's Jonathan Bryant poured in 20 points, including 10 from the line, to lead all scorers. FT's Sesan Russell scored 18 while tallying eight rebounds and six assists. The Panthers returned the favor on March 13th with a 86-77 win in Melbourne against the Spartans. Russell recorded triple-double and led all players in points, assists, and rebounds (25pts/11asts/10rebs).
Tournament History:
Florida Tech: 10-31 record - 3x runner up
Tampa: 33-28 record - 5x champion - 8x runner up
Tournament Series: 7-1 in favor of Tampa
Last Meeting: #3 UT 64, #8 FT 58 in the 2014 quarterfinals.
NOTES: FT looks to correct a seven-game losing streak in the SSC postseason tournament. The Panther's last win came in the 2012 quarterfinals. Tampa last raised the SSC trophy in 2002. However, they last reached the finals in 2008.
#4 FSC vs. #5 Rollins - 6:00 PM [Watch Live | Live Stats]
2020-21: Florida Southern and Rollins did not play in the 2020-21 regular season.
Tournament History:
Florida Southern: 77-17 record - 25x champion - 4x runner up
Rollins: 36-34 record - 5x champion - 7x runner up
Tournament Series: 13-0 in favor Florida Southern
Last Meeting: #2 FSC 72, #5 RC 66 in the 2013 finals.
NOTES: Florida Southern has won 25 of the 43 SSC Men's Basketball Championships to date (58%). The Moccasins are 77-17 in tournament games (82%) and 25-4 in the title game (86%). The Moccasins have only one title when seeded above #3 (2012 as #5). Rollins last hoisted the SSC trophy in 2017 in the middle of a terrific run that led them to the NCAA Elite Eight.
[COMPLETE TOURNAMENT HISTORY]
Following Tuesday's quarterfinal round, the tournament semifinals will be held on Thursday, March 16th, and the championship final will be played Sunday, March 21st. However, the men's contests are subject to change. If an institution hosts two semifinal games, both men's semifinals will be played on Friday, March 19th. The men's final will be played Monday, March 22nd. The women's dates will be unchanged. If an institution hosts both finals, the men's final will be played on Monday, March 22nd. The women's date will remain on Sunday, March 21st.