Three PBC Men's Basketball Teams Reach NCAA Tournament

Three Peach Belt Men’s Basketball Teams Reach NCAA Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS, IND – Three Peach Belt Conference men’s basketball teams learned that they will compete for the national championship as the NCAA released the 64-team field on Sunday night. USC Aiken, Augusta State and Clayton State will begin play in the South Atlantic Regional tournament on Saturday.

USC Aiken came out of nowhere in 2008 to win the PBC regular-season championship. The Pacers, 27-3 on the season, will be making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998, which was the year of their only other NCAA bid. The Pacers will be the top seed in the South Atlantic Regional and have to face eighth-seeded Clayton State, who beat USC Aiken 89-87 in triple overtime in Sunday’ PBC Tournament championship game.

Augusta State will host the regional for the second consecutive year. The Jaguars reached the semifinals of the regional in 2007 and are the #2 seed in 2008. Standing at 22-6 on the year, ASU will be making their third overall tournament appearance since joining the Peach Belt as a charter member in 1991. ASU will take on seventh-seeded Johnson C. Smith in the first round.

Clayton State is the surprise of the regional field. Seeded seventh in this week’s PBC Tournament, the Lakers beat Augusta State, GCSU and USC Aiken to win the tournament and take the league’s automatic bid. Now 17-14 on the year, the Lakers will be making their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament after reaching the championship for the first time in school history in 2007. Clayton State will be taking on top-seeded USC Aiken in the first round.

All games for the South Atlantic Regional will be played at the George A. Christenberry Fieldhouse on the campus of Augusta State University in Augusta, Ga., beginning on Saturday, March 15. Game times will be announced at a later date.