The 2023 ASUN men's basketball tournament was the conference postseason tournament for the ASUN Conference. The tournament was the 44th year the league has conducted a postseason tournament. The tournament was held February 27–March 5 at campus sites of the higher seeds. The winner, Kennesaw State, received the conference's automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
| 2023 ASUN men's basketball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Division I |
| Season | 2022–23 |
| Teams | 10 |
| Site | Campus sites |
| Champions | Kennesaw State (1st title) |
| Winning coach | Amir Abdur-Rahim (1st title) |
| MVP | Terrell Burden (Kennesaw State) |
| Attendance | 22,217 |
| Television | ESPN+, ESPN2 |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kennesaw State † | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 26 | – | 9 | .743 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Liberty | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 27 | – | 9 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Kentucky | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 23 | – | 14 | .622 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stetson | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 17 | – | 14 | .548 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lipscomb | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 20 | – | 13 | .606 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Alabama | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 18 | – | 15 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Florida | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 14 | – | 17 | .452 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bellarmine* | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 15 | – | 18 | .455 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Queens* | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 18 | – | 15 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida Gulf Coast | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 17 | – | 15 | .531 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 13 | – | 16 | .448 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville State | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 13 | – | 18 | .419 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Arkansas | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 9 | – | 22 | .290 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Austin Peay | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 9 | – | 22 | .290 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Ineligible for the 2023 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2023 ASUN tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Seeds
editTen teams contested the bracket. The tournament had a new format in 2023, as all rounds were reseeded instead of a traditional set bracket. To that end, the 9 and 10 seeds played each other in round 1, and the 7 and 8 seed did as well, rather than the traditional 7/10 and 8/9 matchup.[1]
The two tiebreakers used by the ASUN were 1) head-to-head record of teams with identical records and 2) NCAA NET rankings available on day following the conclusion of ASUN regular-season play.
If a team that is not eligible for the NCAA tournament wins the ASUN tournament, the conference's automatic bid goes to the regular-season champion. In the case of a tie for first place, the automatic bid goes to the tied team that advances furthest in the conference tournament. If all tied teams are eliminated in the same round of the tournament, the automatic bid goes to the highest seeded team in accordance with the conference's tiebreaking procedures.[2]
| Seed | School | Conference | Head-to-Head | NET ranking[3] (February 25, 2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kennesaw State | 15–3 | 1–0 vs. Liberty | 121 |
| 2 | Liberty | 15–3 | 0–1 vs. KSU | 42 |
| 3 | Eastern Kentucky | 12–6 | 1–0 vs. Stetson | 181 |
| 4 | Stetson | 12–6 | 0–1 vs. EKU | 152 |
| 5 | Lipscomb | 11–7 | 161 | |
| 6 | North Alabama | 10–8 | 229 | |
| 7 | North Florida | 9–9 | 1–0 vs. Bell. | 226 |
| 8 | Bellarmine | 9–9 | 0–1 vs. UNF | 266 |
| 9 | Queens | 7–11 | 1–0 vs. FGCU | 210 |
| 10 | Florida Gulf Coast | 7–11 | 0–1 vs. Queens | 174 |
| DNQ | Jacksonville | 6–12 | 2–0 vs. Jvl. St. | 237 |
| DNQ | Jacksonville State | 6–12 | 0–2 vs. Jax. | 239 |
| DNQ | Central Arkansas | 4–14 | 335 | |
| DNQ | Austin Peay | 3–15 | 328 |
Schedule
edit| Game | Time [4] | Matchup[5] | Score | Television |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round – Monday, February 27 – KSU Convocation Center & Liberty Arena | ||||
| 1 | 6:00 pm | No. 10 Florida Gulf Coast vs. No. 9 Queens | 55–61 | ESPN+ |
| 2 | 6:00 pm | No. 8 Bellarmine vs. No. 7 North Florida | 76–74 | |
| Quarterfinals – Tuesday, February 28 – Campus Sites | ||||
| 3 | 6:00 pm | No. 9 Queens at No. 1 Kennesaw State | 66–67 | ESPN+ |
| 4 | 6:00 pm | No. 5 Lipscomb at No. 4 Stetson | 83–70 | |
| 5 | 6:00 pm | No. 8 Bellarmine at No. 2 Liberty | 56–76 | |
| 6 | 6:00 pm | No. 6 North Alabama at No. 3 Eastern Kentucky | 48–73 | |
| Semifinals – Thursday, March 2 – Campus Sites | ||||
| 7 | 6:00 pm | No. 5 Lipscomb at No. 1 Kennesaw State | 71–80 | ESPN+ |
| 8 | 6:00 pm | No. 3 Eastern Kentucky at No. 2 Liberty | 73–79 | |
| Championship – Sunday, March 5 – Campus Site | ||||
| 9 | 2:00 pm | No. 2 Liberty at No. 1 Kennesaw State | 66–67 | ESPN2 |
| Game times in CT. Rankings denote tournament seed | ||||
Bracket
edit| First round Monday, February 27 | Quarterfinals Tuesday, February 28 | Semifinals Thursday, March 2 | Championship Sunday, March 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kennesaw State | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Queens | 61 | 9 | Queens | 66 | ||||||||||||||
| 10 | Florida Gulf Coast | 55 | 1 | Kennesaw State | 80 | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Lipscomb | 71 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Stetson | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Lipscomb | 83 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kennesaw State | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Liberty | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Liberty | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | North Florida | 74 | 8 | Bellarmine | 56 | ||||||||||||||
| 8 | Bellarmine | 76 | 2 | Liberty | 79 | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | Eastern Kentucky | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Eastern Kentucky | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | North Alabama | 48 | |||||||||||||||||
Game summaries
editFirst round
editFebruary 27
6:00 p.m. |
| No. 10 Florida Gulf Coast 55, No. 9 Queens 61 | ||
| Scoring by half: 33–35, 22–26 | ||
| Pts: C. Johnston (24) Rebs: Z. Anderson (6) Asts: C. Catto (6) |
Pts: Tied (12) Rebs: J. Turner (18) Asts: Tied (3) | |
ESPN+
|
February 27
6:00 p.m. |
| No. 8 Bellarmine 76, No. 7 North Florida 74 | ||
| Scoring by half: 37–38, 39–36 | ||
| Pts: B. Johnson (26) Rebs: L. Hatton (8) Asts: P. Suder (5) |
Pts: J. Hicklen (25) Rebs: C. Lanier (5) Asts: J. Placer (7) | |
Quarterfinals
editESPN+
|
February 28
6:00 p.m. |
| No. 9 Queens 66, No. 1 Kennesaw State 67 | ||
| Scoring by half: 29–26, 37–41 | ||
| Pts: Tied (13) Rebs: J. Turner (9) Asts: Tied (3) |
Pts: D. Robinson (22) Rebs: C. Youngblood (7) Asts: S. Rodgers (5) | |
KSU Convocation Center
Kennesaw, GA Attendance: 2,322 |
ESPN+
|
February 28
6:00 p.m. |
| No. 5 Lipscomb 83, No. 4 Stetson 70 | ||
| Scoring by half: 35–33, 48–37 | ||
| Pts: J. Ognacevic (22) Rebs: Tied (7) Asts: Q. Clark (9) |
Pts: J. Blackmon (33) Rebs: J. Smith (10) Asts: S. Swenson (4) | |
ESPN+
|
February 28
6:00 p.m. |
| No. 8 Bellarmine 56, No. 2 Liberty 76 | ||
| Scoring by half: 31–48, 25–28 | ||
| Pts: A. Pfriem (13) Rebs: J. Betz (6) Asts: P. Suder (3) |
Pts: D. McGhee (29) Rebs: Z. Cleveland (8) Asts: D. McGhee (6) | |
Liberty Arena
Lynchburg, VA Attendance: 3,407 |
ESPN+
|
February 28
6:00 p.m. |
| No. 6 North Alabama 48, No. 3 Eastern Kentucky 73 | ||
| Scoring by half: 19–37, 29–36 | ||
| Pts: D. Ortiz (22) Rebs: D. Ortiz (5) Asts: J. Lane (2) |
Pts: D. Blanton (15) Rebs: J. Ukomadu (9) Asts: L. Walker (7) | |
Semifinals
editESPN+
|
March 2
6:00 p.m. |
| No. 5 Lipscomb 71, No. 1 Kennesaw State 80 | ||
| Scoring by half: 28–38, 43–42 | ||
| Pts: J. Ognacevic (26) Rebs: W. Pruitt (9) Asts: Q. Clark (4) |
Pts: T. Burden (20) Rebs: B. Stroud (9) Asts: T Burden (7) | |
KSU Convocation Center
Kennesaw, GA Attendance: 3,137 |
ESPN+
|
March 2
6:00 p.m. |
| No. 3 Eastern Kentucky 73, No. 2 Liberty 79 | ||
| Scoring by half: 36–34, 37–45 | ||
| Pts: D. Blanton (23) Rebs: D. Blanton (9) Asts: T. Comer (4) |
Pts: D. McGhee (29) Rebs: J. Venzant (7) Asts: D. McGhee (4) | |
Liberty Arena
Lynchburg, VA Attendance: 4,043 |
Final
editReferences
edit- ^ https://asunsports.org/sports/mbkb/championship/2022-23/MBB_Bracket_-_2023.pdf
- ^ "2023 ASUN Tournament". Hoops HD. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ "NCAA Men's Basketball NET Rankings Through Games Feb. 24 2023". National Collegiate Athletic Association. February 25, 2023. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Championship".
- ^ "ASUN Conference" (PDF). ASUN Conference. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
