The Birmingham Times
For the first time since 2011, the Alabama State University Hornets are in the Men’s NCAA Tournament. The Hornets are the No. 16 seed in March Madness. They will play in the first four against Saint Francis in Dayton.
The Hornets would advance to the Round of 68 against No. 1 overall seed Auburn in the South Region if they can win.
The Hornets (19-15) finished fifth in the SWAC before going on a magical conference tournament run that ended with a 60-56 win over Jackson State, and former ASU head coach Mo Williams, on Saturday night. It is the first NCAA tournament appearance for third-year coach Tony Madlock, who won just eight games in his first season.
It is the fifth tournament appearance since 2001 for the Hornets, but they are still looking for their first win. They have been a 16-seed each time, falling in the first round in 2009 and 2011 and to one-seeds Michigan State and Duke in 2001 and 2004, respectively.
Following a thrilling victory over Jackson State in the 2025 SWAC Tournament title game, ASU won the automatic bid.
To reach the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the Hornets beat Texas Southern. Grambling State, and Jackson State over a three-day period in Atlanta to clinch the SWAC’s lone entry into the NCAA Tournament.
In the SWAC Tournament final, CJ Hines scored a team-high 20 points including going 4-for-6 from 3-point range.
Alabama State will look to become the fourth team in the last five seasons to give the SWAC a victory in the NCAA Tournament.
