Despite a conference title and nearly 25 wins, the Tallahassee State men’s basketball team will be watching the state playoffs from home.
The Eagles (24-6) were not picked for the eight-team bracket for the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Region 8 Tournament, set to start Wednesday, March 11.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow because our guys have fought and earned the right to compete this week,” TSC head coach Corey Hendren told the Tallahassee Democrat.
After a four-way tie in the Panhandle Conference with TSC, Chipola College, Gulf Coast State, and Northwest Florida State all going 7-5 and splitting the league title, the Massey Ratings were used to break the tiebreakers to select who would head to the NJCAA Region 8 tournament.
It measured offensive and defensive ratings, as well as strength of schedule. And after running the numbers, the Massey Ratings placed the Eagles one-one-thousandth of a point behind Chipola College. Hendren added that the Massey Ratings placed TSC above the Eagles after the tournament field was already set.
“I do think it’ll be reconsidered next year,” he said about the Massey Ratings’ usage. “From our standpoint, it doesn’t feel accurate because of some of the head-to-heads. We don’t fully know what goes into those.”
Now, TSC must hope for one of eight at-large bids for the 24-team NJCAA National Tournament. The selections will be made official on Monday, March 16.
“It’s a weird spot to be in, but we’re hopeful that maybe there’s still an at-large bid come next week,” Hendren said. “Our fingers are crossed.”
The Eagles have a compelling case to occupy one of those eight at-large spots.
TSC ended the season as the nation’s No. 6 team.
It won the three-game Panhandle Conference series against Gulf Coast State and Northwest Florida State, but was swept by Chipola.
The Eagles won nine ranked games and six against top 10 teams.
Talent-wise, TSC freshman guard Shane Cherry was named to the first team for the Florida College System Activities Association and Panhandle Conference after averaging 19.2 points per game, the 22nd leading scorer in the nation.
Guard Elijah Guillory was named to the Panhandle Conference’s first team, and wing Orion Wilson was on the second.
Hendren was also named the Panhandle Conference’s Coach of the Year.
A resumé full of accolades leaves Hendren and TSC players wondering how far this team can really go.
“Of course, we have something to prove,” said Amare Robinson, a freshman guard out of Tallahassee’s Florida High School.
“They didn’t want us in. We’ve beaten a bunch of high-ranking teams. We still have a chip on our shoulder. One more game would mean a lot for us.”
TSC basketball staying 'locked in' after state playoff snub
The Eagles are in a literal “wait and see” situation.
They truly don’t know if they will play another game this season.
That creates a challenge for Hendren and his coaching staff, keeping players engaged.
“We’re just telling them there’s hope,” Hendren said about discussions he’s having with his team. “We’ve got to prepare like we’re going to be in the national tournament. It’s a good life lesson for these guys always to be prepared, like you have a chance, and just seeing what happens from there.”
The NJCAA Region 8 Tournament’s champion will be crowned on Saturday, March 14.
Robinson says outside of practice, he and his Eagles teammates will be closely watching who comes out as state champions and use it as a scouting opportunity.
“We want to stay locked in. If we don’t watch anything, we’re not going to be prepared for if we actually get in,” said Robinson.
As state tournaments happen across the country, TSC needs one thing to strengthen its national tournament inclusion chances.
No overwhelming amount of upsets.
If the TSC Eagles are selected for the NJCAA Tournament, they will head to Hutchinson, Kansas, for the playoff, which runs from March 21 to March 28.
“I hope they consider the fact that in one of the best leagues in America, we were co-champions,” Hendren said when asked what NJCAA voters should consider.
“We’ve gotten better throughout the year, had a lot of injuries, and this group stayed together. So, I hope they don’t hold the fact against us that we didn’t make our region tournament based on a unique tiebreaker system.”
The last time the program was in the national tournament was 2023, as it reached the Final Four, losing to John A. Logan in former head coach Rick Cabrera’s final season before landing a Division I job at Northwestern State.
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: TSC basketball hopes to have strong case for NJCAA Tournament bid