WATCH: March Insanity begins with a bang as last-second shot wins 2023’s first convention event sport

The primary loopy end of faculty basketball’s postseason got here Monday night time within the ASUN Match as Bellarmine used a last-second shot to upend North Florida 76-74 and advance to the second spherical. Juston Betz hit a turnaround jumper with 0.4 seconds left to ship the Knights on to face No. 1 seed Kennesaw State on Tuesday.

In a sport that featured 13 lead modifications and 7 ties, Betz’s shot made for a becoming end. It could even have been a telling omen for what’s forward over the following two weeks as every faculty basketball convention crowns a event champion heading into Choice Sunday for the NCAA Match on March 12. The ASUN was the primary to start play whereas three extra convention tournaments will tip off Tuesday. 

Because the No. 8 seed within the ASUN, Bellarmine nonetheless faces an extended highway to chopping down nets, however Monday’s end introduced some pleasure to what’s been a difficult season for this system. After a 20-13 marketing campaign and ASUN Match title final yr, the Knights entered this yr’s event simply 14-17 and 9-9 within the ASUN. This system can also be simply within the third yr of the NCAA-mandated four-year probationary interval for colleges transitioning to Division I, which suggests the Knights stay ineligible for the NCAA Match.

That actuality makes the convention event all of the extra important to this system. Whereas Betz was the late hero on Monday, Ben Johnson sustained the Knights. He completed with a team-high 26 factors, together with 19 within the second half.