LORMAN, Miss. – The Alcorn State men’s basketball season is not over yet. The Braves have earned a bid to participate in the 2022 National Invitational Tournament (NIT) and will travel to College Station, Texas, to face Texas A&M University. The game is set for Tuesday, March 15, at 8 p.m. CT.
The men’s basketball program completed the 2021-22 regular season, 15-15 overall, and 14-4 in conference play to claim the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season title. In his second year at the helm of the Braves team, head coach Landon Bussie was named the 2022 SWAC Coach of the Year, and Alcorn standout Justin Thomas received All-Conference post-season and All-Tournament honors.
Texas A&M will be a #1 seed in the NIT tournament. They will play Alcorn State in the first round. pic.twitter.com/Ehkn5NA7Mm
— Ryan Baker (@rbaker2030) March 14, 2022
Last week the Braves entered the SWAC Championship Tournament as the No. 1 seed and a six-game winning streak. Alcorn defeated Prairie View (64-63, OT) and Alabama A&M (69-64) in the close quarterfinal and semifinal rounds to earn its spot in the title game. The Braves faced a tough number two seeded Texas Southern in the big game. Alcorn narrowly missed out on the conference tournament crown, falling 87-62.
Also read: Texas Southern continues its SWAC dominance with another NCAA appearance
Although the Braves may have missed out on competing in the NCAA tournament, their season is not over yet. As regular-season champs, Alcorn received the invite to the NIT on Sunday, March 13, during an 8 p.m. CT airing of its selection show.
Texas A&M is 23-12, competing in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship Tournament as the No. 8 seed. The Aggies delivered an upset to Auburn in the quarterfinal round, eventually advancing to the big game on Sunday. Texas A&M ended a seven-game winning streak, falling 65-50 to the No. 9 seeded Tennessee Vols in the title game.
The two programs have faced off three times, with the Aggies holding a 3-0 advantage. The last time the Braves faced Texas A&M was November 30, 2011. Alcorn fell 56-44.
The contest will be broadcast on ESPN.com, with live stats available on each team’s schedule page.
Courtesy: Alcorn State Athletics
