Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket is Set; Union Earns No. 1 Seed

Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket is Set; Union Earns No. 1 Seed
February 24, 2024

WALESKA, Ga. - The regular season ended in a flurry, and when the dust settled, Union captured the 2024 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Men's Basketball regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed for the upcoming tournament.

The Bulldogs finished 21-3 in league play to capture the regular-season title. As the regular-season champion, Union receives an automatic berth to the NAIA National Championship Tournament.

The top 10 teams advanced to the tournament, and the opening round will be played on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The entire tournament is being played at the MeadowView Marriott Convention Center & Conference Resort in Kingsport, Tenn.

The tournament champion will receive an automatic berth to the national tournament. Should Union win the tournament, the regular-season runner-up will receive the second bid.

All games will be live-streamed on the AAC Digital Network for free. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students each day. To purchase tickets, click here.

Here are the seeds for the tournament:

  1. Union (22-6 overall, 21-3 AAC)
  2. Pikeville (22-6, 20-4 AAC)
  3. Columbia International (18-10 overall, 17-7 AAC)
  4. Milligan (14-12 overall, 14-10 AAC)*
  5. Johnson (15-12 overall, 14-10 AAC)*
  6. Bryan (15-12 overall, 13-11 AAC)
  7. Reinhardt (12-15 overall, 11-13 AAC)**
  8. Tennessee Wesleyan (11-14 overall, 11-13 AAC)**
  9. Montreat (14-14 overall, 11-13 AAC)**
  10. Truett McConnell (11-17 overall, 9-15 AAC)

*-Milligan and Johnson split the season series, but Milligan has a win over Union to earn the No. 4 seed.
**-Reinhardt, Tennessee Wesleyan, and Montreat each went 1-1 against one another. Reinhardt and Tennessee Wesleyan each have a win over Pikeville, which puts Montreat as the No. 9 seed. Reinhardt has a win over Milligan while Tennessee Wesleyan does not, giving Reinhardt the No. 7 seed and Tennessee Wesleyan the No. 8 seed.

Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, Feb. 28
 Game 1 - No. 8 Tennessee Wesleyan (11-14) vs. No. 9 Montreat (14-14), 11 a.m.
Game 2 - No. 7 Reinhardt (12-15) vs. No. 10 Truett McConnell (11-17), 12:45 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 29
 Game 3 - No. 4 Milligan (14-12) vs. No. 5 Johnson (15-12), 8:30 a.m.
Game 4 - No. 1 Union (22-6) vs. Game 1 winner, 10:15 a.m.
Game 5 - No. 2 Pikeville (22-6) vs. Game 2 winner, 3:30 p.m.
Game 6 - No. 3 Columbia International (18-10) vs. No. 6 Bryan (15-12), 5:15 p.m.

Friday, March 1
 Game 7 - Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 2 p.m.
Game 8 - Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 4 p.m.

Saturday, March 2
Game 9 - Championship Game - Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 1 p.m.