2014 SSC Men’s Basketball Championship Schedule Announced

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Men's Basketball) - The pairings have been solidified for the 2014 Sunshine State Conference Men's Basketball Championship. The tournament will begin on Wednesday, March 5 and conclude on Sunday, March 9 with the championship game.

Florida Southern (24-4, 12-4 SSC) won the regular-season conference title and earned the No. 1 seed. The Moccasins will play their first game on Saturday, March 8 at 12 p.m. in the semifinal round.

The rest of the seeds are as follows: No. 2 Saint Leo (22-7, 10-6 SSC), No. 3 Tampa (18-8, 10-6 SSC), No. 4 Barry (19-7, 9-7 SSC), No. 5 Rollins (14-12, 8-8 SSC), No. 6 Nova Southeastern (12-16, 8-8 SSC), No. 7 Eckerd (15-13, 7-9 SSC), No. 8 Florida Tech (16-12, 5-11 SSC), No. 9 Lynn (9-17, 3-13 SSC).

Saint Leo and Tampa both finished the season at 10-6 in conference play and split their season series. Both teams split their season series with top-seeded Florida Southern, but Saint Leo swept fourth-seeded Barry during the regular season and Tampa went 1-1 against the Buccaneers to give the Lions the No. 2 seed and the Spartans the No. 3 seed.

Rollins and Nova Southeastern both finished at 8-8 in conference action and split their season series. Rollins split with top-seeded Florida Southern, while Nova Southeastern lost both games to the Moccasins during the regular season. The Tars earn the No. 5 seed and the Sharks sit at No. 6.

The men's championship will begin with No. 4 Barry facing No. 7 Eckerd at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5. No. 5 Rollins and No. 6 Nova Southeastern will tip-off at 5 p.m. on Wednesday to conclude the first day of the men's tournament. The winners will advance to play each other on Friday, March 7 at 5 p.m. for a chance to face the No. 1 seeded Florida Southern Moccasins on Saturday in the semifinal round.

On Thursday, March 6, No. 2 Saint Leo and No. 9 Lynn will square off at 12 p.m. No. 3 Tampa and No. 8 Florida Tech will tip off at 5 p.m. The winners of each game will meet in the other semifinal round game on Saturday at 5 p.m.

The championship game will tip-off at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 9

All 16 games, including the women's bracket, of the 2014 SSC Basketball Championship will be streamed live on sunshinestateconference.com. Live stats for each contest will also be available. Live video, live stats, results and an updated bracket will be available for the duration of the championship at the 2014 SSC Basketball Championship Central page.

Those wishing to attend the games at Silver Spurs Arena can purchase tickets at the box office window. General admission tickets are available for $10 each day. New this year, court level premium seating will be available at a limited quantity for $20. One ticket will give one person admittance to an entire day, but there is a no re-entry policy in place. If spectators leave arena, they must purchase another ticket.