Ingles Markets and The Southern Conference Basketball Tournament 

Asheville, NC (March 5^th – 9^th, 2026)---- The Ingles Southern Conference (SoCon) Basketball Tournament arrives in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. Ingles and SoCon work with Eblen Charities and select area hotels to collect food for the Hoops Against Hunger program. In 2025 Eblen collected over 9000 pounds of food distributed to the Buncombe County Family Resource Center to help feed area children during school breaks. For more information and a list of participating hotels please go to  https://www.eblencharities.org/hoops-against-hunger . 

Other events associated with the tournament are Downtown Dribble, Education Days and the Mascot Challenge.  

The Ingles Mascot Challenge is another way Ingles likes to get involved in our communities. The Ingles Mascot Challenge is an annual event where fans can vote for their favorite mascot hype video, if their school chooses to participate. (Please note that UTC chose not participate in this year’s Mascot Challenge due to an existing sponsor conflict but was not precluded from participating by Ingles Markets.) The challenge is made to provide a little friendly competition off the court. The winning mascot receives a $1,000 scholarship to the winning school’s athletic department and Ingles Markets will donate another $1,000 to Hoops Against Hunger on behalf of the winning school. Voting for your favorite mascot is open to everyone and you can vote until 11:59 PM on Sunday, March 8^th, 2026. You can vote once per day, per device. To view and vote for your favorite mascot challenge video go to  https://www.ingles-markets.com/mascotchallenge .  

The Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Tournament features Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship’s and is an affordable family outing. For more information on tickets and events visit -  https://www.soconinasheville.com   

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About Ingles Markets, Incorporated 

Ingles Markets, Incorporated  is a leading grocer with operations in six southeastern states. Headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, the Company operates 197 supermarkets. At December 27, 2025, three of the four stores temporarily closed due to damage sustained in Hurricane Helene remained closed, but are expected to reopen during 2026 and 2027. In conjunction with its supermarket operations, the Company operates neighborhood shopping centers, most of which contain an Ingles supermarket. The Company also owns a fluid dairy facility that supplies Ingles supermarkets and unaffiliated customers. To learn more about Ingles Markets visit  ingles-markets.com  

About The Southern Conference 

The Southern Conference The Southern Conference is headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina, consisting of 10 full-member schools across six states in 20 sponsored sports. Nine other institutions serve as affiliate members in the SoCon-sponsored sports of wrestling and rifle. The SoCon is celebrating its 105th anniversary in 2026. The fifth-oldest NCAA Division I college athletic association, the SoCon contested the first-ever collegiate conference basketball tournament in 1921, tackled freshman eligibility in 1922, became the first conference to adopt the 3-point field goal in basketball in 1980 and developed women’s championships in 1984. 

About Eblen Charities 

Eblen Charities is based in Asheville, North Carolina, Eblen Charities has been dedicated to serving the community for over 35 years. Focused on assisting individuals and families facing financial, medical, or emergency hardships, Eblen Charities provides vital support through various programs and community partnerships. For more information, visit [website] or follow our efforts to support the community visit  www.eblencharities.org