In its second-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Jacksonville State has the tall task of taking on second-seeded and Alabama in-state foe Auburn (27-5).
The Gamecocks were the Atlantic Sun regular-season champions and advanced to the NCAA Tournament when new conference member, Bellarmine, won this year’s ASUN Tournament. Bellarmine made the move from Division II to Division I and is not eligible for the NCAA or NIT tournaments until the 2024-25 season.
JSU, which is fifth in the nation in 3-point shooting at 38.8 percent per game, could make things interesting if it gets hot but will need some help from its bench, which pitcheds in about 20 points per game.
Of note, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl and Jacksonville State coach Ray Harper faced off many times earlier in their careers with Harper coming away with a 13-4 record, according to the Evansville Courier & Press.
Mascot: Gamecocks
Record: 21-10
Colors: Red and White
Conference: Atlantic Sun
Best finish in NCAA Tournament: The Gamecocks lost to Louisville as a No. 15 seed in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, its only other invitation.
Coach: Ray Harper was selected the Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Gamecocks to a 13-3 league record. Harper, who is a seven-time national coach of the year in Division II, was named the head coach of the Gamecocks in 2016 after leading Western Kentucky since 2011.
Best player: Darian Adams, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, was a unanimous All-ASUN selection after averaging 15.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this season.
Watch out for this guy: Jalen Gibbs. The 6-foot-3 senior guard is streaky and can really get hot. He dropped in 40 points against Elon and led the Gamecocks in scoring in nine games this season.
Down the stretch: The Gamecocks’ five-game winning streak came to an end when they lost to Jacksonville in the semifinals of the Atlantic Sun Tournament.
Best win this season: A Quad-2 victory against Liberty was the Gamecocks’ best on their resume. Liberty had won four consecutive conference championships.
Worst loss this season: JSU lost to conference opponent Central Arkansas, 72-62, midway through the season. The Bears finished with an 11-20 record.
Prediction: Jacksonville State could cause problems early for Auburn, but the Tigers have too much talent and depth for the Gamecocks to advance in Greenville.
