2018 ASC Men's Basketball Championship Central

ALPINE, Texas – The American Southwest Conference Championship will start Thursday, February 22 in Alpine, Texas on the campus of Sul Ross State University.
 
The 2018 tournament is the 20th postseason event in league history dating back to 1999. The winner of the Championship earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship, which is announced on Monday, February 26 at 11:30 a.m. on NCAA.com.
 
The tournament will tip off at Noon on Thursday, February 23, as (W2) Mary Hardin-Baylor takes on (E3) East Texas Baptist, followed by (E1) LeTourneau facing (W4) Howard Payne at 2:30 p.m. In the evening, (W3) Concordia Texas will face (E2) UT Dallas at 5:00 p.m. and (W1) Sul Ross State will play the late game at 7:30 p.m. against (E4) UT Tyler.
 
The ASC Championship semifinals will be played Friday, February 24. Game five will tip at 5:00 p.m. and game six is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start time. The championship game will start at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, February 25.
 
The entire eight-team, single elimination event is available for fans to watch online for free. All tournament links for live stats, broadcasts, box scores, game recaps, bracket, photos and post-game interviews can be found on the ASC Championship Central page and the Sul Ross State athletic website.
 
Admission prices each day will be $10 for adults and $5 for students daily. Tickets are available on game days at the entrance of the Gallego Center. Souvenir tournament T-shirts will be available to purchase.
 
2018 ASC Championship Tournament Teams
East Division
No. 1 LeTourneau (16-2 / 22-3) – LeTourneau enjoyed its best season in team history winning its second East Division title and set a team record with 22 overall wins. The YellowJackets make their seventh tournament appearance with a 2-5 record. They were the runner-up last season. Sophomore guard Nate West ranks sixth in the ASC with 18.4 points per game to go with 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Junior forward Caleb Loggins leads the conference with 1.4 blocks per game while averaging 15.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and shooting 60.6 percent from the field.
 
No. 2 UT Dallas (14-4 / 18-7) – UT Dallas makes its 15th consecutive tournament appearance and has won three ASC championships (2005, 2009, 2014). The Comets have a 15-11 tournament record and share honors with Mary Hardin-Baylor for the longest current active streak, each with 15 consecutive conference tournament appearances. Sophomore guard Dimitrius Underwood posted two triple-doubles and averaged 19.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.20 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Senior guard Caleb Banks ranks third in the conference with 5.3 assists per game and sits eight off the ASC career record of 563.
 
No. 3 East Texas Baptist (13-5 / 19-6) – East Texas Baptist makes its fifth consecutive tournament appearance and 12th overall. The Tigers are 5-10 in tournament play and won the ASC title in 2015 en route to competing in the Elite 8. Sophomore guard Robby Dooley leads the Tigers with 16.6 points per game while grabbing 6.1 boards. Freshman forward Westin Riddick has drained 86 three-pointers, which is first in the conference.
 
 
No. 4 UT Tyler (8-8 / 15-10) – UT Tyler are entering their eighth tournament and have a 1-7 record. Sophomore forward Emeka Obukwelu ranks second in the league with 19.7 points per game and leads the conference with a 68.1 field goal percentage. Sophomore guard Johnell Lane scored 13.6 points per game and has made 65 three-pointers on the year. Senior guard Josh Tatum leads the ASC with 6.0 assists per contest.
 
West Division
No. 1 Sul Ross State (14-3 / 19-6) – Sul Ross State won the ASC West Division for the second time in three seasons. The Lobos are making their 10th overall appearance and have a 4-8 record. Senior forward Caleb Thomasson ranks third in the league with 19.5 points per game as well as third in scoring (8.4 ) with 1.0 blocks and a 62.1 field goal percentage. Freshman guard Tristen Licon leads the ASC with a 53.1 three-point field goal percentage while hitting 51 shots from outside.
 
No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (10-7 / 17-8) – Mary Hardin-Baylor leads the ASC with 18 tournament appearances and has claimed two ASC crowns (2008, 2010). The Cru has a 14-15 tournament record and share honors with UT Dallas for the longest current active streak, each with 15 consecutive conference tournament appearances. Junior guard Demarius Cress leads UMHB with 15.4 points and 3.8 assists per game. Junior guard LaKendric Hyson comes in with 15.3 points, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest. Junior forward Brian Long averages 14.6 and 5.7 boards.
 
No. 3 Concordia Texas (9-8 / 15-10) – Concordia Texas makes its sixth straight tournament appearance and 11th overall. Concordia Texas won the ASC title in 2013, is a two-time runner-up and has an 8-9 record in the conference tournament. The Tornadoes are led by junior guard Ephriam Price ranks fourth in the ASC in scoring with 19.0 points per game and is second with an 85.1 free throw percentage. Senior forward Ben Page comes into the tournament averaging 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest.
 
No. 4 Howard Payne (7-10 / 11-14) – Howard Payne return to the championship for the fifth time overall and first since 2015. The Yellow Jackets have a 4-4 record in the tournament. Senior guard Khyce Randall leads the ASC in scoring (25.3) and rebounding (9.4) and is seventh in the nation in scoring averaging. Junior guard Shadd Cole is averaging 7.2 points and 4.5 boards per contest.