Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament – Semifinal Preview

2021 AAC Conference Tournament Bracket

Opening Round

February 20th

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 ET

No. 6 Montreat vs # 7 Union 5pm ET

WATCH LIVE

Finals

February 27th – (Kingsport, KY)

Game 9 Winner vs Game 10 Winner

WATCH LIVE

League Notes:

The top seed: Reinhardt (18-7, 13-6)
NAIA Locks: None
NAIA Bubble Teams: None
Best chances to win this tournament: Reinhardt (18-7, 13-6), Tennessee Wesleyan (14-7, 12-7)
Possible sleeper: Union (9-9, 8-8)

KEY PLAYERS:

Markell Turner 6’2 Soph – Union: 27.3ppg, 4.1rpg, 3.2apg

– 35pts, 9assists and 5 rebounds in opening round win over Bryan

– 34pts, 5rebs, 4asst in quarterfinal win over Point.

Corey Benton 6’4 Senior – CIU: 24.7ppg, 6.6rpg, 3.7apg (ELIMINATED)

– 27pts, 7rebs, 5assts in loss to Montreat.

Bryant Bernard 6’0 Senior – TN Wesleyan 21.9ppg, 2.8rpg, 3.3apg

– 17pts, 3rebs, 4assts in quarterfinal win over Milligan

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.

UPSET SPECIAL:

#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 ET

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!

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.

OTHER NOTES:

AAC Tournament Page

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: 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!