Nova Southeastern and Embry-Riddle Earn NCAA South Region Bids
Undefeated Nova Southeastern will host, and the first game will be played on March 11
Phil Wood | Sunshine State Conference
TAMPA. Fla. - [Bracket / Tournament Page] - Two teams will represent the Sunshine State Conference in the 2023 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament. The Nova Southeastern Sharks, the Sunshine State Conference regular-season and tournament champions, will host the event. The SSC claimed one at-large bid with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University earning the No. 6 seed.The NCAA announced the bracket on Sunday, March 5.
Nova Southeastern (30-0, 10-0) earns the No. 1 seed after winning their second consecutive Sunshine State Conference Tournament. The Sharks are the only undefeated team in either Division I or Division II this season. This is the second consecutive year that the Sharks will host the South Regional. Last season, they won the event, before being upset in the Elite Eight by No. 8 Black Hill State.
The Sharks are led by SSC Player of the Year RJ Sunahara and fellow All-SSC First team selection Will Yoakum. Yoakum was also named the SSC Newcomer of the Year. The Sharks first game will be played against No. 8 Miles (23-6) on Saturday, March 11 at 5:00 PM.
Embry-Riddle (19-11, 10-10) earns the No. 6 seed after finishing as the runner-up in the SSC Tournament. They made it to the final by upsetting No. 3 Florida Southern, then defeating No. 7 Rollins College. They are led by All-SSC Second Team selection Chris Murray. The Eagles draw the No. 3 seed Alabama Huntsville (25-7) in the first round. The game will be played at 12:00 PM.
The South Region tournament begins on Saturday, March 11. Semifinal games will be played on Sunday, March 12, and the championship game will be played on Tuesday, March 14. All games will be played at the Rick Case Arena at Nova Southeastern University. The winner of the South Region tournament will advance to the Elite Eight later this month. The national championship game will be played on Saturday, March 25 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.