6-10 Big South squad a win away from second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history

Better late than never for the Longwood Lancers.

They finished the regular season fifth in the Big South after going 6-10 in conference play but are a win away from their second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. On Saturday, they defeated High Point, which finished No. 1 in the conference during the regular season, 80-79, in overtime.

Longwood erased a seven-point halftime deficit, outscoring High Point 51-43 in the second half and overtime. In the regular season finale, the Lancers defeated the Panthers one week earlier on March 2, 74-72.

With the win, Longwood will play either Gardner-Webb (17-15, 11-5 in Big South) or UNC Asheville (21-11, 12-4 in Big South) in the conference tournament final on Sunday with a chance to move on to the NCAA Tournament.

Longwood (20-13, 6-10 in Big South) lost both meetings to Gardner-Webb during the regular season and split its series with UNC Asheville. 

Whichever team emerges from the Big South will be a massive underdog in the NCAA Tournament. Per KenPom, UNC Asheville ranks 156th in the country, Longwood is 167th and Gardner-Webb 198th. The conference winner will enter March Madness no higher than a 14-seed, where High Point (25-8, 13-3 in Big South) was expected to be seeded in Joe Lunardi's most recent Bracketology update on Mar. 8.

In 2022, Longwood reached the tournament as a 14 after winning its first Big South conference title. It lost to Tennessee, 88-56, in the Round of 64.