Panthers Waiting For Tournament Invitation
By Space Coast Daily // March 10, 2013
Florida Tech Looks For Second Straight Bid
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Florida Tech will learn of a possible NCAA Division II Championship berth through a selection show scheduled to air at NCAA.com at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, March 10.
If the Panthers receive the call, they will make their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance and the program’s fourth in its history.
In the last South Region poll unveiled this past Wednesday, FIT ranked No. 8 in the region. Florida Southern was the top-ranked team followed by Alabama-Huntsville, Eckerd, Saint Leo, Benedict, Rollins and North Alabama.
Rounding out the top 10 were Christian Brothers and Morehouse.
The winners of the Sunshine State Conference and Gulf South Conference Tournaments along with Benedict, the winner of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship, will receive an automatic bid leaving five spots up for grabs.
Both the SSC and GSC Championships conclude Sunday.
A national committee will select a total of 64 teams from eight regions in the United States. Among the factors the committee will consider are win-loss record and strength of schedule.
Tournament play will begin with the regional round March 16-19.
The Elite Eight is March 28 and 30 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ken. The championship will be decided April 7 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga.
The Panthers overcame a 7-10 start to the season to win nine of their last 10 games and close out their schedule at 16-11.
They went into the SSC Championship on a nine-game win streak after running the table in the second half of SSC action.
Rollins put an end to the Panthers’ consecutive wins mark with a 57-42 victory in the quarterfinal round of the championship on Friday.
FIT posted wins over four of the region’s top teams during the streak.
It beat top-ranked Florida Southern 83-78 on the road in Lakeland, 70-69 against Eckerd in St. Petersburg, 76-50 over Saint Leo in Melbourne and 83-73 at Rollins.
