NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 8, 2025) – On Sunday, a champion will be crowned and a Cinderella story will be born.
 
The University of North Alabama men's basketball team will battle Lipscomb in the 2025 Atlantic Sun Conference championship final on Sunday, March 9 inside Allen Arena in Nashville, Tenn. The game will be nationally-televised on ESPN2 at 1 p.m.
 
UNA fans who are making the trip to Nashville are encouraged to wear black in support of the Lions. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. UNA fans will congregate in Section 103 and surrounding sections. All tickets are general admission.
 
Fans who are staying in Florence are invited to Mugshots Grill & Bar in Downtown Florence for the official watch party at 1 p.m.
 
The stakes have never been higher for UNA, as the Lions hope to join "The Big Dance" for the first time in school history. A win on Sunday against top-seeded Lipscomb will accomplish this with NCAA Selection Sunday looming on March 16.
 
The hometown call will include "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray, Matt Daniels and Bryan Neece on 98.3 and 103.5 FM beginning with the countdown to tipoff at 12:40 p.m. Fans can also listen worldwide on the WLX Radio app or website, linked below.
 
The TV broadcasters for ESPN2 are Mike Monaco and Chris Spatola.
 
GAME INFORMATION
2025 ASUN Championship — Championship Final
#2 North Alabama vs. #1 Lipscomb
Date: Sunday, March 9
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Venue: Allen Arena
Capacity: 5,000
Watch Party: Mugshots in Downtown Florence
Watch: ESPN2
Radio: WLX 98.3 & 103.5 FM ("Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray, Bryan Neece, Matt Daniels)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Click Here
Game Notes: Click Here
Championship Info: ASUNSports.com
Social Media: @UNA_Basketball
 
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama advanced to the final round of the 2025 ASUN Championship on Thursday night with a 78-63 win over No. 4 seed Jacksonville inside CB&S Bank Arena. The Lions led by two possessions in the final six minutes, but proceeded to an 18-7 run to end the game.

LET THE MADNESS BEGIN: The ASUN will be one of the first conferences to crown its automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Sunday marks UNA's second appearance in the ASUN Championship Final in seven seasons at the Division I level. The first appearance came in 2021, where UNA fell by a tight 79-75 final against Liberty.
 
WHAT'S AT STAKE: If UNA wins on Sunday, the Lions will punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The Lions have appeared in 14 NCAA Division II Tournaments — including two national championships in 1979 and 1991 — but never at the Division I level.
 
ASUN CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: The ASUN Championship began in 1979 with the first tournament hosted by Louisiana-Monroe. The Warhawks defeated Mercer 90-69 in the championship game. No current ASUN schools played in this tournament. This will be the 46th ASUN Championship in league history. UNA will play in the tournament for the seventh time in seven seasons at the Division I level. No. 2 is UNA's highest seeding since the move in 2019, including four times as the No. 6 seed and twice as the No. 5 seed. UNA made the championship game in 2021 as the No. 5, falling 79-75 to No. 1 Liberty.
 
UNA POSTSEASON HISTORY: The Lions have a 5-6 record in the ASUN tournament since 2019, including a pair of wins over North Florida and FGCU in 2021, a quarterfinal win over Lipscomb last season and wins over both Austin Peay and Jacksonville this season. UNA's last conference tournament title came in the 2014 Gulf South Conference Championship. The Lions defeated West Georgia, Valdosta State and Christian Brothers and went on to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament in the Lakeland, Florida Regional.
 
LOOKING FOR SEVEN IN YEAR SEVEN: UNA has won six conference tournament championships — all as a member of the Gulf South Conference. This includes 1981, 1984, 1988, 1994, 1996 and 2014. The Lions are on the hunt for their seventh all-time tournament championship in the seventh season of Division I.
 
LUKE OF THE DRAW: UNA is the No. 2 seed in the postseason tournament, marking the highest seed of the Division I era. Since 1979, the team with the No. 2 seed has won the ASUN tournament 13 times. The top seed has won 17 times and the third seed nine times. The lowest seed ever to win was FIU as a No. 8 seed in 1995.
 
DEUCES: Some notable No. 2 seeds that won the ASUN include the 2019 Liberty team that upset #5 Mississippi State, the 2014 Mercer team that upset #3 Duke and the 2013 FGCU "Dunk City" team that made a run to the Sweet Sixteen with upsets over #2 Georgetown and #7 San Diego State.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.