Owls To Host South Atlantic Regional

After sweeping the Peach Belt Conference regular−season and tournament titles and earning a No. 1 ranking in the South Atlantic Region‚ the Kennesaw State University men's basketball team will host the 2004 NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional Championships this weekend at the Spec Landrum Centre.

Georgia (Mar 9, 2004) — After sweeping the Peach Belt Conference regular−season and tournament titles and earning a No. 1 ranking in the South Atlantic Region‚ the Kennesaw State University men's basketball team will host the 2004 NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional Championships this weekend at the Spec Landrum Centre.

The Owls‚ ranked No. 6 nationally‚ clinched their first−ever Peach Belt tournament crown Sunday with a 72−70 win over rival Columbus State. Terrence Hill‚ two−time Peach Belt Player of the Year‚ hit a 12−foot jumper with less than a second remaining to give the Owls (29−4) the automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.

Kennesaw State will be making just its second appearance in the national tournament and will host the regional round for the first time. The Owls traveled to Columbus‚ Ga. last year where they went 1−1 in the tournament‚ defeating Virginia Union in the first round before losing to Bowie State in the second.

Bowie State and Virginia Union‚ both hailing from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference‚ are back in the big dance in 2004. Also sending two teams to Kennesaw is the South Atlantic Conference‚ which will be represented by regular season co−champion Lenoir−Rhyne (one of just four teams to beat KSU this season) and Cinderella tournament winner Catawba.

Joining host Kennesaw State from the Peach Belt Conference will be Columbus State‚ Armstrong Atlantic and No. 5−ranked Francis Marion. The Peach Belt is the only conference in the country to feature two teams ranked in the top six nationally.

The tournament tips off Saturday at noon with second−seeded Francis Marion battling No. 7 Armstrong Atlantic. Next up will be last year's region champion‚ No. 3 seed Bowie State‚ taking on No. 6 Lenoir−Rhyne.

The second session begins at 6 p.m. with top−seeded KSU facing off against No. 8 Catawba. The first day of action closes out with No.5 seed Columbus State playing No. 4 Virginia Union at 8:30 p.m.

The semifinals will take place Sunday beginning at 5 p.m. The championship game will follow Tuesday‚ March 16 at 7 p.m.

The South Atlantic champion joins seven other regional winners at the NCAA Division II Elite Eight beginning March 24 in Bakersfield‚ Calif. The national championship game will be played Saturday‚ March 27‚ also in Bakersfield.

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its approximately 38,000 students. With 13 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the third-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 92 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status, and one of the 50 largest public institutions in the country. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.