Beginning with Thursday’s four quarterfinal round games, Augusta University’s Christenberry Fieldhouse will be the host site for the 2023 Peach Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament.
No. 1 seed USC Aiken (21-7) will tip off at noon against No. 8 Georgia Southwestern (14-13). No. 2 Augusta (23-5) will face No. 7 Flagler (13-16) at 5:00 p.m. in the third game of the day. The single elimination tournament will be held Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
The tournament champion will secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. According to the most recent regional rankings the Peach Belt Conference could send as many as five teams to the “big dance.”
USC Aiken and Augusta finished the regular season as co-champions with identical 14-4 conference records. The Pacers earned the tournament’s top seed via tiebreaker after sweeping Augusta in their two head-to-head games. But a scheduling conflict at the USC Aiken Convocation center sent the tournament to Augusta.
MORE: Georgia star Jalen Carter charged with racing in fatal wreck
Both USC Aiken and Augusta split a pair of games against their quarterfinal round opponents. Flagler defeated Augusta 89-75 at Christenberry Fieldhouse on January 21. Augusta returned the favor with a 93-71 win in St. Augustine on February 18.
USC Aiken defeated Georgia Southwestern 67-54 in Americus on December 12. Then the Hurricanes traveled to Aiken on January 14 and upset the Pacers 62-58.
Individual honors
Augusta’s Tyshaun Crawford and Miguel Arnold and USC Aiken’s Tehree Horn were named First Team All-Conference Tuesday. Jalen McCoy (USC Aiken) earned Second Team honors, and Tyree Myers (Augusta) and Tyler Johnson (USC Aiken) made the Third Team.
USC Aiken’s Mark Vanderslice won Coach of the Year. North Georgia’s Frank Champion was named Player of the Year, and his teammate AJ White won Freshman of the Year.
Follow Chad Cook’s coverage of local sports on Facebook and Instagram at @AugustaPressSports, and on Twitter at @AugPressSports.
