ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - For the second straight year, the Eckerd men's basketball team heads to Huntsville, Alabama, to take part in the NCAA South Regional Tournament. The Tritons open the tournament in tonight's final game at the site, taking on Barry University at 9:00 PM EST.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Both Barry and Eckerd earned at-large bids into the regional tournament after finishing tied atop the Sunshine State Conference. Both teams were, however, eliminated in the conference tournament semifinals. Eckerd is making its 11th all-time appearance in the NCAA National Tournament while Barry makes its seventh. The Bucs won the regional crown last season as the No. 3 seed.
REGULAR SEASON SERIES: The Buccaneers won both games in the regular season, giving Barry the tiebreaker to claim the conference's regular season title. Barry eked out a 97-95 double-overtime win over Eckerd in St. Petersburg on January 7 before tallying an 84-72 win in Miami Shores on January 28. In both games, the Bucs used the 3-pointer as a means to victory. The team made 19-of-40 in the first game and 12-of-26 in the second contest.
SURVIVE AND ADVANCE: Eckerd is looking for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2012 when the Tritons defeated West Georgia in the first round in Huntsville. Eckerd has twice advanced to the region final in its 10 trips to the championships.
