2021 AAC Conference Tournament Bracket
Opening Round
No. 5 Milligan def. No. 12 St. Andrews, 83-81 (OT)
No. 6 Montreat def. No. 11 Truett McConnell, 88-79
No. 7 Union def. No. 10 Bryan, 95-73
No. 8 Kentucky Christian def. No. 9 Bluefield, 87-75
Quarterfinals
February 25th – (Kingsport, KY)
No. 1 Reinhardt def No. 8 Kentucky Christian 73-70
No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan def No. 5 Milligan 88-81
No. 7 Union def No. 2 Point 85-71
No. 6 Montreat def. No. 3 Columbia International 94-83
Semifinals
February 26th –(Kingsport, KY)
No. 1 Reinhardt vs #4 Tennessee Wesleyan 3pm ETÂ
No. 6 Montreat vs # 7 Union 5pm ET
League Notes:
The top seed:Â Reinhardt (18-7, 13-6)
NAIA Locks:Â None
NAIA Bubble Teams:Â Â None
Best chances to win this tournament:Â Reinhardt (18-7, 13-6), Tennessee Wesleyan (14-7, 12-7)
Possible sleeper:Â Â Union (9-9, 8-8)
KEY PLAYERS:
Markell Turner 6’2 Soph – Union:Â 27.3ppg, 4.1rpg, 3.2apg
–Â 35pts, 9assists and 5 rebounds in opening round win over Bryan
– 34pts, 5rebs, 4asst in quarterfinal win over Point.
Â
Corey Benton 6’4 Senior – CIU:Â 24.7ppg, 6.6rpg, 3.7apg (ELIMINATED)
– 27pts, 7rebs, 5assts in loss to Montreat.Â
Â
Bryant Bernard 6’0 Senior – TN Wesleyan 21.9ppg, 2.8rpg, 3.3apg
– 17pts, 3rebs, 4assts in quarterfinal win over Milligan
Â
KEY TEAMS:
#1 Reinhardt – Winners of 8 of their last 10 games. The Eagles under Head Coach Justin Newton went from a 7-22 squad in 19-20, to a 18-7 team this year. They get the #1 overall seed for the AAC Tournament and will have a great shot at getting 1 of the 2 AAC auto-bids.
#2 Point – Lost in the AAC Quarterfinals to Union.
#3 Columbia International – Lost in the AAC Quarterfinals to Montreat.
Â
UPSET SPECIAL:Â
#7 Union – Won their opening round game behind 35pts, 9 assists, 5 rebounds from the AAC Player of the Year, Markell Turner
Semifinal Game Notes:
No. 1 Reinhardt vs #4 Tennessee Wesleyan 3pm ETÂ
Series Tied 1-1
Sign. Us. Up. for Game 3 between these two teams. In their first two matchups, both games were won by the home team and by less than 2pts. With the 1st game going to OT. You can expect another great game with these two this afternoon!Â
No. 6 Montreat vs # 7 Union 5pm ET
Montreat 2-0
Another battle between these two programs in Kingsport. Should be another classic one too. Union beat Montreat on a buzzer beater, in the Title game to win their 7th straight AAC Title.Â
OTHER NOTES:
The last team, outside of the Union Bulldogs to win the AAC Tourney? – Tennessee Wesleyan in 2013-14
AAC has (2) auto-bids: The AAC Tournament Champion and the 2nd team will be selected by the AAC Committee
Best Semifinal Game: #1 Reinhardt vs #4 Tennessee Wesleyan.
Our Pick To Win It:Â Â Reinhardt – We love their balance, their ability to defend and force turnovers and their ability to shoot the three ball. They don’t turn the ball over and they know how to get open shots. All of that usually leads to successful postseason runs!
Â
NAIA Men’s Schedule, Links to Watch, Games of the Day and Five Players to Watch – Oct. 23rd
xFive Players to Watch Luke Rankin 6’0 Freshman, Dordt (IA) Why not throw the Freshman in to this.
Daily Dive – Saturday, October 23rd
xOur Daily Dive series is your daily rundown of what is happening around NAIA basketball. We feature game
California Pacific Conference 2021-22 Season Preview
xThe CalPac, like the Cascade, decided to let those teams that could, play in the NAIA regular season,
Red River Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Preview
xThe Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) is coming off a year where only four teams finished the season.
Cascade Collegiate Conference 2021-22 Season Preview
xWe aren’t here to debate politics or Covid beliefs. The fact of the matter here is that when
NAIA Schedules, Links and Players to Watch – October 22nd
xFive Players to Watch Alex Gross 6’10 Olivet Nazarene 2020-21 1st Team All-American. 21.6ppg, 11.7rpg High basketball IQ,
Follow us on Social Media
