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Appalachian Begins Quest for Southern Conference Title Saturday in Asheville; Will Take on Samford or Furman

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March 7, 2013. Appalachian State University men’s basketball begins its quest for a Southern Conference Tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament when it plays its first game in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament in Asheville on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

Appalachian State men's basketball enters the 2013 SoCon Tournament as the No. 4 seed after finishing second in the North Division. Photo by Tyler Buckwell and courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information
Appalachian State men’s basketball enters the 2013 SoCon Tournament as the No. 4 seed after finishing second in the North Division. Photo by Tyler Buckwell and courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

The Mountaineers, who earned a first-round bye as the No. 4 seed in the field of 12 teams, will take on the winner of No. 5 Samford and No. 12 Furman.

Davidson, which won the SoCon regular-season title, enters play as the No. 1 overall seed and will take on the winner of No. 8 Wofford and No. 9 Georgia Southern while North Division champion Elon, which earned the No. 2 seed, will face either No. 7 Chattanooga or No. 10 UNCG.

College of Charleston, which grabbed the No. 3 seed via a runner-up finish to Davidson in the SoCon South, is slated to take on No. 6 Western Carolina or No. 11 The Citadel. A printable version of the complete bracket can be downloaded here.

All of the contests will be played at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville with the SoCon Championship game slated for a 7 p.m. start on Monday night. The winner will earn an automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

In addition to the games themselves, the Yosef Club will be kicking off its 2013 Spring Tour with an event at Pack’s Tavern in downtown Asheville on Thursday night. Information and registration can be found by clicking here.

Great seating is still available for this year’s tournament and tickets can be purchased here. Additionally, for fans not able to attend the games, the Southern Conference will provide free live statistics and all games can be seen on ESPN3, with the title game televised live on ESPN2.

Fans looking for accommodations for their stay in Asheville during the tournament can find hotel, restaurant and other information here.

TRAVEL NOTICE

One lane of Interstate 40 will be closed in northern Haywood County Friday and a lane of Interstate 26 will be closed in southern Henderson County for two weeks starting Sunday.

One lane of westbound I-40 will be closed 8 a.m.-6 p.m. at Exit 7 in Harmon Den in the Pigeon River Gorge, weather permitting. Workers will be removing loose rocks from a slope above the road.

The I-26 closure is to begin Sunday night. One lane of eastbound I-26 will be closed at Exit 54 to allow repairs to the bridge over the Green River.

Trucks will not be allowed on eastbound I-26 in that area while work is going on. Trucks will instead be detoured onto U.S. 25 and S.C. 11.

Eastbound I-26 carries vehicles moving toward South Carolina in this area.