Bracket Announced for Men's Basketball National Championship Tournament

Eastern Florida State College’s men’s basketball team plays its first game in the NJCAA Division I Men’s National Championship Tournament at 3 p.m. EDT on Monday, March 16 in Hutchinson, Kansas.

The Titans, 29-4, three-time defending champions of the Florida College System Activities Association Southern Conference and runner-up in the NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA Tournament, face Holmes Community College of Goodman, Mississippi.

Eastern Florida is seeded 13th in the tournament. Holmes, 23-6, is seeded 20th out of 24 teams.

The winner plays No. 4 seed Indian Hills Community College of Iowa at 7 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. The loser goes home.

Connors State of Oklahoma (31-1) is the tournament’s top seed.

Northwest Florida State, which defeated Eastern Florida 76-69 in the state tournament final, is the fourth seed.

Holmes qualified by winning the NJCAA Region 23 Championship. It beat Pearl River Community College, 92-87, in overtime.

“It’s a very exciting day for our guys and for Eastern Florida, and now that the brackets have been released, we are ready to get to work,” said Eastern Florida head coach Jeremy Shulman. “We have a first-round matchup against an outstanding Holmes team, led by one of the nation’s best guards in Daryl Macon.

“We have a tough draw, facing Holmes, and then perennial power Indian Hills, but we have also played one of the nation’s toughest schedules, so our guys should be well prepared. I know they are excited about the opportunity in front of them.”

This marks Eastern Florida's first appearance in the national tournament since 2000.

The full tournament bracket can be viewed online.

All tournament games will be streamed live at www.njcaatv.com