The first automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament has been awarded, yet it did not come at the conclusion of a conference tournament.
Liberty is officially the first team in the Big Dance after North Alabama upset Florida Gulf Coast in Atlantic Sun Tournament Semifinals. The Flames will be representing the ASUN in the NCAA Tournament, even if they do not defeat North Alabama in tomorrow’s ASUN Tournament Title. That’s because the Lions are not eligible to compete in the Big Dance. Like Bellarmine, North Alabama is still in the transition period after moving from D-II to D-I in 2018-19, prohibiting them from qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.