For a college basketball fan, nothing beats the excitement of early March.
Late-game heroics, surprising upsets, and winner-take-all pressure have become much more expectation than exception in recent years. For the Lipscomb women’s and men’s basketball teams, the mayhem that is March basketball starts with the ASUN Tournament.
The ASUN Tournament offers a trip to the NCAA National Tournament to its winner, a prize that few mid-major teams would achieve without the automatic bid.
While most conference tournaments take place at a single host site, the ASUN Tournament is one of four in which the higher seed in each individual game hosts the game. The ASUN Conference has 12 teams, all of which compete in the conference’s postseason tournament.
While neither of Lipscomb’s teams are in strong position to win the ASUN title this year, all it takes is four straight wins to qualify for March Madness–and again, surprising moments aren’t quite so surprising in March.
Both the men’s and women’s teams earned a 4-seed in the West Division with wins on the final day of the regular season last Saturday. As a result, both teams get to host one final game at Allen Arena this week in the ASUN Tournament’s first round.
Though first-round home games are in hand early this week, Lipscomb will set their sights on continuing to win and making the next two weeks last as long as possible. Here’s a look at how far each team can take their postseason and what their chances are of going all the way.
Men’s Tournament
Lipscomb enters the 2022 ASUN Tournament at a low point for the program. For the first time in a decade, Lipscomb finished the regular season with both a losing record in the ASUN Conference (6-10) and overall (13-18).
The men’s side will start and end first, with the first round of games taking place Tuesday. Lipscomb will host North Florida, the East Division 5-seed, 7 p.m. at Allen Arena. North Florida has an 11-19 record and a 7-9 conference mark, including four wins in their last five games.
The winner between the Bisons and the Ospreys will move on to the quarterfinal where they will face the Liberty Flames, the 1-seed in the East Division. With the top seed in the division, the Flames earned a first-round bye and home court advantage in the quarterfinal.
If the Bisons can take down the Flames, they’ll reach the semifinal, at which point the four teams remaining will be reseeded based on their record.
All that, of course, starts with beating North Florida Tuesday at home. The Ospreys are one of Lipscomb’s more long-standing rivals, as Tuesday will mark the 36th meeting between the two.
Lipscomb trails in the overall series 18-17 against the Ospreys and are 1-2 against their Jacksonville-based opponents in ASUN Tournament games. The Bisons have, however, won seven of their last nine against North Florida, so they will hope to bring the positive momentum of the most recent run of games to Tuesday’s matchup.
The most recent game between the two was a 77-74 win for Lipscomb away, and back home in Allen, Lumination predicts a similar result. Both teams will be fighting for their postseason lives, and the teams tend to match up well dating back to the mid-2000s.
PREDICTION: Lipscomb 72-67 North Florida; Bisons advance to ASUN Quarterfinal
In the Bisons’ second-round matchup, perhaps the fiercest ASUN rivalry in recent years will be rekindled. At least one of the two sides has reached the ASUN Final four four straight seasons, and two of those four came down to Lipscomb and Liberty to decide the conference champion.
This year, a title-deciding game will be impossible, but Lipscomb would love to spoil what Liberty will fully expect to be an ASUN championship run. The Flames enter with a 21-10 overall record and an East Division-winning 12-4 ASUN record, and nothing less than a third straight conference championship will do for the Lynchburg-based squad.
The good news for Lipscomb is that their track record against Liberty has been fairly successful; in 11 meetings, Lipscomb has won five and lost six. That also includes a respectable 2-3 record in Lynchburg, where the quarterfinal would take place.
Last time these two met was at Liberty Arena, and the Flames won 78-69. Liberty is the better of the two teams on paper this year, but with star center Ahsan Asadullah hitting his stride and the meteoric rise of freshman Trae Benham to the forefront on offense, Lipscomb might have an answer to Darius McGhee, the ASUN’s leading scorer this year.
It should be a barnburner and a great offensive display, and that might just suit a Bisons team that puts an emphasis on scoring.
PREDICTION: Lipscomb 80-78 Liberty; Bisons advance to ASUN Semifinal
From here, the Bisons could face a number of opponents depending on who else makes it to the semifinal and how they are seeded. It’s most likely, though, that the Bisons would be reseeded as the fourth of four and travel to the highest remaining seed, which figures to be top-ranked Jacksonville State.
The Bisons kept it close against the Gamecocks in both their meetings this year, but with fatigue playing a role, this is where the magic of March could run out for Lipscomb.
PREDICTION: Lipscomb 65-81 Jacksonville State; JSU advances to ASUN Final
Lipscomb certainly has a shot at a deep tournament run, but it would be naive to call it anything but a long shot.
Women’s Tournament
Lipscomb’s women’s program had its ups and downs, including an eight-game losing skid in the midst of the ASUN Conference slate, but enters the ASUN Tournament having accrued a 5-11 ASUN record and a 10-19 mark overall.
The path to the ASUN Final starts in Nashville and will then run through the toughest team in the league.
First, though, the women’s team will also take on North Florida at Allen Arena. The Ospreys have had the lion’s share of success in the all-time series, holding a 21-11 overall record against the Bisons.
In the last ten meetings, however, it’s a 5-5 split between the two. The Bisons will be hosting the Ospreys for the first time since January 2020, but in the last four games in Jacksonville, Lipscomb has come away with two wins.
The most recent matchup was a heartbreaking 83-75 loss in overtime for the Bisons, their only overtime result this year. Back home in Nashville and with survival at stake, the Bisons should have what it takes to win in regulation time.
PREDICTION: Lipscomb 64-49 North Florida; Lipscomb advances to ASUN Quarterfinal
Next up for the Bisons is a fearsome opponent–the high-flying Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast. FGCU claimed seven of the last eight ASUN Conference titles and holds a #23 ranking in the entire nation this season.
Their 26-2 record includes just one ASUN loss to Liberty in the 2021-22 campaign, and they won’t be looking to add another loss to their resume in the tournament.
In 32 meetings between the Bisons and the Eagles, FGCU has won every single game for a 32-0 series record. The two sides met in Nashville earlier this season, where Lipscomb posted one of their best performances all-time against the visitors from Fort Myers, Florida, losing by just 18 points.
While the Bisons will set their sights high and this would be the perfect occasion for a first-ever win against FGCU, this David vs. Goliath story may not have the ending Lipscomb would like.
PREDICTION: Lipscomb 51-78 FGCU; FGCU advances to ASUN Semifinal
Here’s a look at the full calendar for both teams over the next two weeks (all times Central):
Schedule
- 7 p.m. Tuesday, Lipscomb men v North Florida @ Allen Arena (First Round)
- 7 p.m. Wednesday, Lipscomb women v North Florida @ Allen Arena (First Round)
- 6 p.m. Thursday, Lipscomb or North Florida men @ Liberty (Quarterfinal)
- TBD Saturday, ASUN Men’s Semifinal
- 1 p.m. Sunday, Lipscomb or North Florida women @ FGCU (Quarterfinal)
- TBD March 8, ASUN Men’s Final
- TBD March 9, ASUN Women’s Semifinal
- TBD March 13, ASUN Women’s Final
The Bisons’ opening-round games Tuesday and Wednesday will be broadcast live on The Bison, Lipscomb’s on-campus radio station.
Bracket graphic made by ASUN Conference