Big South champ Longwood gets Houston in first-round NCAA Tournament game

Longwood will match up against top-seed Houston in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday.

Hundreds of Longwood faithful arrived on Sunday night in the Joan Perry Brock Center to find out during the live Selection Sunday show against whom the Lancers would continue their magical season. The crowd exploded as the CBS broadcasters announced the selection, the Lancers’ second time appearing in the NCAA Tournament in the last three years.

The Lancers hit their stride late in the year, winning four-out-of-six conference games – against three of the top four teams in the Big South – to enter the conference tournament as a No. 5 seed. Over three days, they beat three of the top four seeds in the conference, including a 26-point win over UNC-Asheville in the Big South Championship to punch their ticket to March Madness.

“What an exciting day for all of us to be playing on one of the biggest stages in sports,” Longwood coach Griff Aldrich said. “This team is about character and chemistry. Like a lot of teams, we have had ups and downs, but to be here is a true testament to the character and resilience of the men who are representing you. It’s also a testament to what can be accomplished when you put individual goals and desires to the side and bring the team’s goals to the fore.”

When the Lancers cut down the nets at the Big South Championship game, they became one of only 20 mid-major teams in the last five years to make at least two NCAA Tournaments.

“Great programs are competitive year-in and year-out,” said Athletics Director Tim Hall. “It’s been wonderful all year to see Longwood alumni, the campus community, and fans from across Central Virginia support this team on their way to a second Big South Championship. I know the team has been boosted by that support the entire year.”