Liberty will face Northern Alabama on Sunday in the Atlantic Sun Tournament Championship game, but it has already earned a spot in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, even before stepping on the court.
The Flames beat Stetson 77-64 in the semifinals in Jacksonville, Florida on Friday, and since Northern Alabama – a school moving to Division I athletics – is not eligible for the NCAA Tournament, Liberty’s league’s automatic berth allowed.
Can we redeem our ticket well in advance? 🔥
Since UNA defeated FGCU, we won the ASUN Motor Bid for the NCAA Tournament! pic.twitter.com/KoKRtUKnmv
– Liberty Mans Basketball (@LibertyMBB_) 6 March 2021
Northern Alabama joined the Atlantic Sun and began its move from Division II to Division I in the 2018-19 season. Under NCAA rules, a Division II program that makes the leap to Division I cannot participate in the NCAA Tournament until the four-year transition requirement has been completed.
The potential scenario that played out for Liberty was expected to enter the tournament, but most assumed that the regular season conference would eventually have to go through another team that would not be eligible – Bellarmine, not North- Alabama, which has been 1-7 in its last eight games. of the regular season before hosting the Conference Tournament title game, including a victory over Florida Gulf Coast in the semifinals.
Bellarmine, who started the season with the transition from Division II to Division I, finished second to Liberty in the regular season title race of the conference before losing in the first round to Stetson.
In rugby games last month against Northern Alabama, Liberty won 74-54 in both games.