Union University’s men’s basketball team is sitting at 16-10 and approaching the conclusion of its best season since 2015-16, when the team won 21 games and made it to the second round of the national tournament.
Despite the hype this team has gotten and how crucial every game is for their postseason hopes, head coach David Niven has reiterated throughout the season that his team doesn’t keep up with the standings and instead focuses on how they can be the best version of themselves. That being said, Union is in an interesting position regarding postseason play and we thought it would be helpful to provide fans with a guide on all the scenarios that could get Union into the national tournament (players and coaches, stop reading here).
Win the GSC Tournament
The Gulf South Conference Tournament winner gets an automatic bid for the national tournament, so this is obviously Union’s most straightforward path to the field of 64.
Union will almost certainly have to visit Christian Brothers or Alabama Huntsville in the conference tournament’s first round before a possible rematch with West Alabama later on. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they’re 1-6 against the top five teams in the conference, with the one win coming in a blowout at home to Alabama Huntsville.
Beat Lee & CBU, make Conference Finals
After a heart-wrenching loss to West Alabama Saturday, a conference tournament victory is the only scenario Bulldog fans can be totally comfortable with. The top eight teams in the South Region make it to the national tournament, and Union was left off of Tuesday’s official top 10 rankings, likely falling at either 11 or 12 with Delta State.
Union will have to do some leapfrogging to claw their way into the field as an at-large, and beating Christian Brothers (who are eighth in the South Region) next Thursday at home would be just what they needed. The fact the CBU has a history of choking in big moments doesn’t hurt, as it could result in an easier win and they could be sent home early in the GSC Tournament. If CBU gets knocked out in the first round of the conference tournament and Union makes it to the Championship game, a compelling case could be made for the Bulldogs to get in over their rivals from Memphis.
Beat CBU twice, make Conference Semis, get help
This Saturday, CBU plays UAH in Huntsville in a game that could determine Union’s fate for the postseason. If Christian Brothers loses that game along with the one at Union next week, Union could travel to Memphis for a win-and-in type of game in the first round of the conference tournament.
Such a matchup would be a rubber match between the two teams with identical overall and conference records, so the loser would certainly be out and the winner would have to rely on bubble teams in other conferences to lose if they didn’t make it to the conference finals.
Union will host CBU in their final regular season game next Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Fred before the GSC Tournament begins on March 5.
