Virginia Commonwealth will open the NCAA tournament in San Diego against Stephen F. Austin, which has won 28 in a row.
The Lumberjacks (31-2) beat Sam Houston State 68-49 Saturday to win the Southland Conference tournament and earn their first NCAA tournament berth since 2009 and their second ever. The 12th-seeded Jacks’ only losses were a 72-62 setback at Texas and a 66-58 loss at ETSU.
VCU (26-8) lost 65-61 to Saint Joseph’s in the Atlantic 10 championship on Sunday. The Rams, a fifth seed, will be making their fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. They have won at least one game in each of their first three trips, including advancing to the Final Four in 2011.
The Rams played Sunday without Melvin Johnson, their best 3-point shooter, after he injured his left knee in Saturday’s semifinals victory against George Washington. Johnson is scheduled for an MRI on Monday, and it seems unlikely that he will be able to play against this season.
The game is part of the South Regional, where overall top seed Florida is the top seed.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.