SPARTANBURG, SC -- The Georgia Southern Eagles claimed the No. 1 seed in the 2006 Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament, which begins with three first round games on Thursday, March 2 at the North Charleston Coliseum. Four quarterfinal games are slated for Friday, Mar. 3, with the semifinals set for Saturday, March 4. The 86th SoCon championship game will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Mar. 5.
This year marks the first time that the Eagles have garnered the top overall seed since joining the league for the 1992-93 season. Two other times -- 2002 and 2004 -- GSU earned the No. 1 seed in the South Division. Georgia Southern completed the regular season with a 20-8 overall record and an 11-4 slate in league play. It’s the team’s first outright divisional crown and the program’s third overall South title.
Elon (14-13, 10-4), the North Division champion, earned the No. 2 seed, while the No. 3 seed goes to Davidson (17-10, 10-5). The College of Charleston (17-10, 9-6) is the No. 4 seed, while defending champion Chattanooga (17-12, 8-6) is the No. 5 seed.
The semifinals will be televised on Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast, while ESPN2 will air the league’s 86th championship game. The SoCon Tournament is the longest running Division I men’s basketball championship.
Tickets for the tournament are available at the North Charleston Coliseum box office for $60 for a tournament book or on an individual game-by-game basis for $12. Tickets are also available by contacting Ticketmaster at 843-554-6060, online at www.Ticketmaster.com or by calling a SoCon ticket office.
Thursday, March 2 - First Round, North Charleston Coliseum
Game 1 - No. 9 Wofford (11-17, 6-9) vs. No. 8 Appalachian State (12-15, 6-8), 3:30 p.m.
Game 2 - No. 10 UNC Greensboro (11-18, 4-10) vs. No. 7 Western Carolina (13-16, 7-7), 30 min. after Game 1
Game 3 - No. 11 The Citadel (9-20, 1-14) vs. No. 6 Furman (15-12, 8-7), 30 min. after Game 2
Friday, March 3 - Quarterfinals, North Charleston Coliseum
Game 4 - Winner Game 1 vs. No. 1 Georgia Southern (20-8, 11-4), Noon
Game 5 - No. 5 Chattanooga (17-12, 8-6) vs. No. 4 College of Charleston (17-10, 9-6), 30 min. after Game 4
Game 6 - Winner Game 2 vs. No. 2 Elon (14-13, 10-4), 6 p.m.
Game 7 - Winner Game 3 vs. No. 3 Davidson (17-10, 10-5), 30 min. after Game 6
Saturday, March 4- Semifinals, North Charleston Coliseum
(Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast)
Game 8 - Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, Noon
Game 9 - Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 5 - Championship game, North Charleston Coliseum
(ESPN2)
Game 10 - Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9, 2 p.m.