FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The road to Evansville, In., and the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, will once again run through the Rick Case Arena as the No. 1 Nova Southeastern Sharks Men's Basketball will host the NCAA South Region tournament for the third consecutive season. NSU first opponent in the NCAA Tournament will be the eighth-seeded Benedict Tigers (23-7) out of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

No. 1 Nova Southeastern Sharks (27-2, 18-2 SSC) | Sunshine State Conference
The Sharks continue to be one of the most dominant teams in NCAA Division II under Head Coach Jim Crutchfield, winning both the Sunshine State Conference regular season and tournament titles for the third consecutive season. Shane Hunter received All-Sunshine State Conference and D2CCA All-South Region First-Team recognition, leading NSU in several categories throughout the 2023-24 campaign. The senior was the only Shark to start all 29 games during the 2023-24 campaign and led the team in field goals (194), field goal percentage (58%), points (466), points-per-game (16.1), rebounds (192), and blocks (56).

Entering the NCAA Tournament, Nova Southeastern ranks second in Division II in points-per-game, averaging 102.5 a contest. During the Sunshine State Conference tournament, NSU averaged 101 points, 5.67 blocks, 20.33 assists, and 15 steals.

The Sharks have won nine consecutive NCAA South Region Tournament games, advancing to the Elite Eight in each of the last two seasons. Nova Southeastern has also won 61 straight contests at the Rick Case Arena, dating back to February 2020.

Benedict (23-7) | Southern Intercollegiate Athletics Conference
The eighth-seeded Tigers return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nine seasons. Head Coach Artis Maddox guided Benedict to a 13-0 start to the season and the Tigers were ranked as high as eighth in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) rankings in January.
Benedict, the highest scoring team in the SIAC, has averaged 84.8 points-per-game during the 2023-24 season. Two Tigers earned All-SIAC honors, as Tim Moore (first team) and Asanti Price (second team) were honored by the league. Moore averaged 15.5 points-per-game during the season, while adding 6.2 rebounds-per-game and shot at a 58.6% clip. Price added 14.2 points-per-game and knocked down 3.0 three-points a game.

Tip-off for Nova Southeastern versus Benedict is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Rick Case Arena. Tickets to the NCAA South Region Tournament game be purchased here. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Men's Basketball throughout their tournament run, be sure to follow on Instagram and X at NSU_MBasketball.

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