Andrew Pace
The Southern Conference Basketball Tournament, also known as the SoCon Basketball Championships, is an annual tournament for men's and women's basketball teams from the Southern Conference. The tournament usually takes place in March, with all tournament games played at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina. The Southern Conference Basketball Tournament features exciting matchups between some of the nation's top teams, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. The tournament has also been known to feature fan zones with free food and beverage sampling, photo booths, arcade games, and other activities.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 2024 |
| Dates | March 7-11, 2024 |
| Location | Harrah's Cherokee Center, Asheville, North Carolina |
| Teams | All ten teams in the Southern Conference |
| Seeding | Based on record within the conference, with a tiebreaker system for teams with identical conference records |
| Byes | Top six teams receive first-round byes |
| Fan Zone Activities | Free food and beverage sampling, photo booths, mascot challenges, classic arcade games, giveaways |
| Champion | Samford |
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What You'll Learn
The 2024 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Teams were seeded by their record within the conference, with a tiebreaker system in place for teams with identical conference records. The top six teams received first-round byes.
Samford won the tournament, earning an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.
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The Ingles Fan Zone
In 2024, the Ingles Fan Zone offered a variety of attractions and activities for attendees. These included free food and beverage sampling on select days, a TapSnap photo booth, Ingles Mascot Challenge voting kiosks, classic arcade games provided by the Asheville Pinball Museum, giveaways, and other entertainment. The Fan Zone provided a great opportunity for fans to relax and enjoy themselves while waiting for the games or in between matches.
The Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships is a highly anticipated event, with participants and spectators travelling from across the nation. The tournament showcases the talents of the top basketball teams within the Southern Conference. All ten teams within the conference are eligible to compete, with seeding based on their records and a tiebreaker system in place for teams with identical conference standings. The highest-ranked teams receive first-round byes.
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2025 SoCon Week
Get ready for an action-packed week as the 2025 SoCon Week kicks off in Asheville! From March 6th to 10th, 2025, the Ingles Southern Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships will take over the city, offering an exciting opportunity to witness some of the nation's best conference tournament action.
The tournament will tip off on Friday, March 7th, with Game 1 featuring Mercer vs. Western Carolina at 5 p.m., followed by Game 2 between VMI and an opponent to be determined. On Saturday, the quarterfinal matchups will continue, with the No. 4 seed taking on the No. 5 seed, and the winners of Friday's second contest, VMI or The Citadel, facing off against the No. 2 seed. The excitement will build on Saturday with the quarterfinal between No. 3 and No. 6 seeds, and the highly anticipated matchup between the last two tournament champions, with the No. 1 seed facing the winner of the quarterfinal between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds.
But SoCon Week offers more than just basketball. On March 7th and 8th, the Explore Asheville SoCon Wrestling Championship will showcase the talent of college wrestlers at the Kimmel Arena at UNC Asheville. And let's not forget the vibrant atmosphere that Asheville promises, with its thriving arts scene, mouthwatering dining options, and local breweries. The city's hospitality extends beyond the courts and mats, with the breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains providing a stunning backdrop for a spring break getaway.
For those who want to give back to the community, SoCon fans have a unique opportunity to support the Hometown Heroes program. By donating, you can help provide tickets to the championship game for local Asheville heroes, including frontline workers, healthcare workers, and first responders, as a token of appreciation for their invaluable contributions, especially during challenging times like Hurricane Helene. A portion of the premium-level ticket sales will also be directed to the Always Asheville Fund, aiding small businesses in the travel and hospitality industry impacted by the hurricane.
So, whether you're a basketball enthusiast, a wrestling fan, or simply someone seeking an exhilarating spring break destination, the 2025 SoCon Week in Asheville has something for everyone. Mark your calendars, pack your bags, and get ready to immerse yourself in an unforgettable week of thrilling competition and Southern hospitality!
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SoCon Wrestling Championship
The 2025 Explore Asheville SoCon Wrestling Championships took place on March 7-8, 2025. The event returned to Asheville for the first time since 2016, with the two-day competition held at the Kimmel Arena on the campus of UNC Asheville. The Southern Conference's partnership with Asheville brought economic benefits to the city and its businesses.
The championship schedule included skin checks, weigh-ins, pig tails, the first round, consolation first round, consolation quarterfinals, semifinals, consolation semifinals, consolation finals, finals, true 2nd matches, and awards. Mat-side seating was available for the semifinals and finals, with purchasers receiving a SoCon Wrestling t-shirt, VIP Hospitality Room access, and reserved premium parking. Tickets for general admission ranged from $10 to $25, with special pricing for students and youth.
The 2025 SoCon Wrestling Championships overlapped with the Ingles SoCon Basketball Championships, creating a unique atmosphere of competition, celebration, and community pride. This simultaneous occurrence of the tournaments marked the first signs of spring and contributed to the economic revival of Asheville. The events crowned twelve team and individual champions, who all automatically qualified for the NCAA Championship.
Guests attending the Championship were required to register their vehicles for free to park on campus.
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SoCon Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket
The SoCon Men's Basketball Tournament is an annual event, with the 2024 tournament taking place from March 8-11. All tournament games were played at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina, with all ten teams from the Southern Conference eligible to compete. The teams are seeded by record within the conference, with a tiebreaker system in place for teams with identical conference records. The top six teams receive first-round byes.
The 2025 tournament took place from March 7-10 at the same venue, with Chattanooga as the No. 1 seed, having won the regular-season title. The tournament began on Friday, March 7, with a pair of first-round games: No. 8 seed Mercer vs. No. 9 seed Western Carolina, and No. 7 seed VMI vs. No. 10 seed The Citadel. The Mocs entered the tournament on an 11-game win streak and faced the winner of the Mercer-Western Carolina game. UNC Greensboro, ETSU, and Samford were also among the top four seeds.
The quarterfinal games featured the winners of the first-round games facing off against the top seeds. Furman, the 2023 tournament champion, was the No. 5 seed and took on the winner of the VMI-Citadel game. The semifinal round and championship game of the 2025 tournament were aired on ESPNIU and ESPN, respectively.
The Southern Conference Tournament is unique among mid-major tournaments as the No. 1 seed has dominated in recent years, winning seven straight titles and eight of the last nine. Chattanooga, as the top seed in 2025, continued this trend.
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Frequently asked questions
The Southern Conference Basketball Tournament is usually held in March. In 2024, it took place from March 7 to March 11. In 2025, it will be held from March 6 to March 10.
The tournament games are played at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina.
The Ingles Fan Zone is a feature of the Southern Conference Basketball Tournament that offers fans free food and beverage sampling on select days, as well as entertainment like arcade games, photo booths, giveaways, and other activities.
Notable teams and schools that have participated in the tournament include Samford, Furman, Mercer, Western Carolina, VMI, The Citadel, UNCG, ETSU, Wofford, and Spartanburg.
