MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team has been selected to play in The Basketball Classic. The Jaguars will be making their first postseason tournament appearance since the 2012-13 season when they participated in the CollegeInsider Postseason Tournament.
 
The tournament will begin on Monday, March 14 with the semifinals scheduled for Tuesday, March 29th and the championship game on Thursday, March 31st. Each game of the Basketball Classic will be held on campus sites of the participating
schools.
 
South Alabama will host the first-round game on Wednesday, March 16 (opponent and tipoff time TBA) at the Mitchell Center and could host future games later in the tournament. Seedings and matchup information will be determined this Sunday when The Basketball Classic announces the complete field.
 
The Jaguars finished the regular season 19-11, including a 13-2 mark at home. The 19 wins are the second-most since the 2008-09 season, when Richie Riley's 2019-20 team finished with 20 victories.
 
In four seasons as head coach, Riley has won at least 17 games each season and with a win on Tuesday, can achieve 20 wins for the second time at USA.
 
The Jaguars were led by three all-Sun Belt performers this season. Charles Manning Jr. and Jay Jay Chandler were both named second team and Javon Franklin was third team. Manning Jr. finished fourth in the Sun Belt in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game in the regular season.
 
All games will be broadcast on the ESPN+ platforms throughout the tournament.
 
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richie Riley
- On making the postseason:
"I'm excited for our guys to have an opportunity to compete in the postseason. For our seniors to have another opportunity to play in the Mitch in front of our fans and for our young guys to gain postseason experience. With the adversity this team has went through this season, these guys deserve this opportunity."
 
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give
 
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