Getty Ray Harper looks to lead Jacksonville State a step closer to an NCAA tournament appearance.
In a battle of top-two seeds, No. 1 Jacksonville State (21-9) and No. 2 Jacksonville (20-9) will meet on Saturday, March 5, for a spot in the Atlantic Sun Conference title game.
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The game (2:30 p.m. ET start time) isn’t on TV, but anyone in the US can watch VMI vs Wofford live on ESPN+:
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Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch VMI vs Wofford live on the ESPN app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, Oculus Go, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via ESPN.com.
Jacksonville vs Jacksonville State Preview
Rivals from two different cities named Jacksonville will meet a for a shot a playing for an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament.
Jacksonville, based in Jacksonville, Florida, won its Atlantic Sun Conference tournament opener 79-69 over the Central Arkansas Bears on Thursday, March 3. Junior forward Bryce Workman led the Dolphins off the bench with 21 points. Dolphins junior guard Kevion Nolan grabbed 10 rebounds in the winning effort. The Dolphins also finished a perfect 12-0 at home and get a chance to reach the program’s first conference title game since 2008, Garry Smits of the Florida Times-Union noted.
“Twenty [victories] means a lot, not just myself but to these guys,” Dolphins head coach Jordan Mincy said according Smits. “We stayed connected and stayed together and we did things the right way.”
Last night was fun…time to turn the page to what is next
⏰ under 24 hours until the @ASUN_MBB Semis
Jacksonville State, from Jacksonville, Alabama, downed the Kennesaw State Owls 78-67 on Thursday, March 3, to open tournament play. Senior guard Darian Adams led Gamecocks with 17 points and five assists. Gamecocks junior center Maros Zeliznak grabbed nine rebounds.
GAMECOCKS WIN!!
Jax State advances to the ASUN Semifinals on Saturday where they will host Jacksonville at 6 PM from The Pete!! #ASUNMadness
JSU seeks its first trip back to the NCAA tournament since 2017. The Gamecocks made it as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference that year. JSU, which will host the semifinal game, joined the Atlantic Sun this season. The Gamecocks won the conference title in their first season.
“Any time you win a championship, it’s big,” JSU head coach Ray Harper said according to Joe Medley of The Anniston Star. “These kids worked hard, and we talked about it back in June that this was our goal. Anything less was a big disappointment.”
The Gamecocks and Dolphins met once during the regular season. Adams led the Gamecocks with 22 points in a 65-58 win over the Dolphins on Feb. 5. Nolan posted 19 points in the Dolphins’ loss.
The Dolphins struggled from the field with 36.7% shooting in the loss. The Gamecocks shot 41.7% but really took care of business at the free-line at an 84.2% clip.
Adams, the Gamecocks’ leading scorer with 15.8 points per night, shoots 83% at the free-throw line. He also averages 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest.
Gamecocks senior guard Jalen Gibbs averages 10.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists per game. Junior guard Demaree King posts 10.8 points, 2.1 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per contest.
For the Dolphins, Nolan leads the offense with 14 points and four assists per game. He also averages 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per night.
Workman averages 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. Sophomore forward Mike Marsh averages 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.