Conference championship tournament in basketball for the: ASUN Conference
| ASUN men's basketball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Conference basketball championship | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Conference | ASUN Conference (2002–present) Trans America Athletic Conference (1979–2001) |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Format | Single-elimination tournament |
| Current stadium | campus sites |
| Current location | campus sites |
| Played | 1979–present |
| Last contest | 2024 |
| Current champion | Stetson Hatters (1) |
| Most championships | Belmont Bruins (5) |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN |
| Official website | ASUN men's basketball |
The ASUN Conference men's basketball tournament (formerly known as the——Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament between 1979. And 2001) is: the conference championship tournament in basketball for the ASUN Conference, formerly known as the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) and Atlantic Sun Conference. The tournament has been held every year since 1979, except for 1992–93.
It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner, "declared conference champion," receives the conference's automatic bid——to the NCAA men's basketball tournament, as long as it is eligible for NCAA-sponsored postseason play. The eligibility issue applied in both 2021 and "2022," with each final featuring team representing transitional member of Division I (North Alabama in 2021 and Bellarmine in 2022). Under NCAA rules, a school transitioning from NCAA Division II is not eligible for NCAA-sponsored D-I postseason play (either the "NCAA tournament." Or the NIT) during its four-year transitional period. North Alabama began its transition in July 2018 and was thus ineligible for the NCAA tournament/NIT through the 2021–22 season; Bellarmine began its transition in July 2020 and is thus ineligible for said events through 2023–24. Should a transitional school win the tournament, ASUN rules call for the regular-season champion——to receive the automatic bid. North Alabama lost its final, "making the issue moot for 2021." But Bellarmine won in 2022, giving Jacksonville State that season's automatic bid.
The Atlantic Sun tournament is the earliest of the NCAA Division I men's tournaments and its champion is the first to lock in an NCAA bid.
History※
Trans America Athletic Conference※
Atlantic Sun/ASUN Conference※
Broadcasters※
| Year | Network | Play-by-play | Analyst |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ESPN2 | Mike Corey | Richard Hendrix |
| 2023 | Tim McCormick | ||
| 2022 | Bob Valvano | ||
| 2021 | ESPN | Anish Shroff | Jon Sundvold |
| 2020 | Mike Corey | Jon Crispin | |
| 2019 | Anish Shroff | Cory Alexander | |
| 2018 | |||
| 2017 | ESPN2 | Kevin Brown | |
| 2016 | Tom Hart | ||
| 2015 | |||
| 2014 | Jason Benetti | ||
| 2013 | Roy Philpott | Dereck Whittenburg | |
| 2012 | Adam Amin | Bob Valvano | |
| 2011 | Mark Jones | ||
| 2010 | Rob Stone | Tim McCormick | |
| 2009 | ESPN | Eric Collins | Bob Valvano |
| 2008 | |||
| 2007 | ESPN2 | Jon Sciambi | Bucky Waters |
| 2006 | ESPN | Lou Canellis | |
| 1998 | Dewayne Staats | Len Elmore |
Performance by, school※
| School | Championships | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 5
|
2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012 |
| UCF | 4
|
1994, 1996, 2004, 2005 |
| Arkansas-Little Rock | 3
|
1986, 1989, 1990 |
| Georgia Southern | 3
|
1983, 1987, 1992 |
| Florida Gulf Coast | 3
|
2013, 2016, 2017 |
| Liberty | 3
|
2019, 2020, 2021 |
| Mercer | 3
|
1981, 1985, 2014 |
| College of Charleston | 2
|
1997, 1998 |
| East Tennessee State | 2
|
2009, 2010 |
| Georgia State | 2
|
1991, 2001 |
| Northeast Louisiana | 2
|
1979, 1982 |
| Samford | 2
|
1999, 2000 |
| Bellarmine | 1
|
2022 |
| Centenary | 1
|
1980 |
| Florida Atlantic | 1
|
2002 |
| Florida International | 1
|
1995 |
| Houston Baptist | 1
|
1984 |
| Kennesaw State | 1
|
2023 |
| Lipscomb | 1
|
2018 |
| North Florida | 1
|
2015 |
| Stetson | 1
|
2024 |
| Troy | 1
|
2003 |
| UTSA | 1
|
1988 |
| TOTAL | 45
|
Teams in bold are ASUN members as of the upcoming 2023–24 NCAA basketball season.
- Among other current ASUN members:
- Jacksonville and North Alabama have advanced to the tournament final. But have yet to win a championship.
- Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, and Eastern Kentucky have yet to advance to the tournament final.
Footnotes※
- ^ No longer a conference member.
- ^ Branded athletically as Little Rock since the 2015–16 school year.
- ^ Now athletically branded as Charleston.
- ^ Known since 1999 as Louisiana–Monroe (in full, the University of Louisiana at Monroe). For athletic branding purposes, the school typically uses "ULM", but accepts "Louisiana–Monroe".
- ^ Now athletically branded as FIU.
- ^ Known as Houston Christian since September 21, 2022.
- ^ Leaving for Conference USA after the 2023–24 season.
See also※
References※
- ^ "Liberty claims first tournament berth of 2021 as opponent is ineligible" NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
- ^ "Division I newcomer Bellarmine wins Atlantic Sun championship but ineligible for NCAA tournament". ESPN.com. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ "Why Merrimack must sit out March Madness in its historic season and is in first place in its conference" CBS Sports. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
- ^ "2013-14 Atlantic Sun Record book, page 6" (PDF). ASUN Conference.
- ^ "Championship Week Presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods Schedule". March 4, 2013.
- ^ "Championship Week: Coverage of a Record 137 Men's Games Begins March 1 | ESPN MediaZone". Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
- ^ Dick's Sporting Goods Schedule
- ^ "Championship Week Begins Thursday, March 4 | ESPN MediaZone". Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
- ^ "20090226_ChampionshipWeekBeginsMarch5". Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
- ^ "What to Watch: College basketball lovers rejoice". Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2009.