ATLANTA - After a thrilling first-round win on Saturday night over Valdosta State (Ga.), the Triton men's basketball team will face a familiar foe in the regional semifinals in Forbes Arena on Sunday.
The game will be a rematch of the Sunshine State Conference semifinals as Eckerd takes on eighth-seeded Florida Southern, which overcame a 21-point deficit to upend top-seeded Morehouse (Ga.) in overtime. The two teams tip off for the fourth time this season tonight at 7:30 PM.
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As the two teams meet for the fourth time this season, here are five things to know about tonight's contest
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1. Their three previous games this season were determined by a combined total of 10 points.
The series between the two schools this season has been competitive to say the least. Â Eckerd won the first meeting in St. Petersburg on November 29, 71-67, after holding off a Moccasin comeback that saw them erase an 18-point deficit with 8:00 left.
In the rematch in Lakeland, it was Eckerd's turn to stage a comeback. Â The Tritons made up eight points in the last 10 seconds to force overtime but FSC managed a 100-96 win.
Playing shorthanded in the conference semifinals in Lakeland earlier this month, Eckerd got fantastic performances from
Marco Behori and
Myron Hagins on the way to a 74-72 victory.
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2. Eckerd is looking to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007.
The Tritons last made it to the Sweet 16 in 2006 when the team won a program-record 27 games. Â Eckerd lost a heartbreaker that year to host University of Montevallo, 64-61, to come up just short of its second Elite Eight trip.
Florida Southern last appeared in the postseason in 2015 when the Mocs went all the way to claim the National Championship. Â The program's last loss in the regional semifinals came in 2011 at the hands of Stillman (Ala.).
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3. The two teams have only met once in NCAA Tournament play.
Eckerd won the only matchup between the two schools in the region tournament, taking down FSC 70-62 in Valdosta, Georgia. Â Current Triton assistant coach Marcus "Chief" Bryant played in that game.
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4. Florida Southern stormed back from a 21-point deficit last night to defeat host Morehouse in front of a large crowd.
Things seemed bleak for the Moccasins yesterday in their first-round matchup with top-seeded Morehouse. Â The Maroon Fighting Tigers were on fire from 3-point range, knocking down 13 in total on the way to a 21-point lead with 14:33 left. Â However, Florida Southern slowly chipped away and completed the comeback behind 29 points from Jonathan Lawton for its first NCAA tournament win since 2015.
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5. The Tritons won last night despite not making a 3-pointer in the second half.
Eckerd started last night's game against Valdosta State on fire from the perimeter, knocking down four early 3-pointers. Â However, after
Kristiyan Stavrev's triple with 2:10 left in the first half, the Tritons didn't connect on another shot from behind the arc. Â Instead, Eckerd attacked the basket and got key defensive stops late in the game to secure the win.
