UAH set for NCAA South Regional Championship game Tuesday

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The University of Alabama in Huntsville third-seeded men’s basketball team takes on top-seeded Nova Southeastern in the 2023 NCAA Division II South Region Championship game on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CT.

This is the UAH men’s basketball program’s seventh appearance in the South Regional final, as the Chargers most recently made the region’s title game in 2021.

UAH made the South Region championship game after  a win over sixth-seeded Embry-Riddle in the first round followed by yesterday’s rout of second-seeded West Alabama in the semifinals. The Chargers are now 27-7 overall, as the team has its highest win total since the 2011-12 season.

GSC Player of the Year Chaney Johnson led the Chargers to the 72-56 victory over UWA with a team-high 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the floor. The Alabaster, Alabama, native leads the Chargers overall in 2022-23 as well with 15.9 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game.

Overall this season, UAH averages 76.6 points per game, while holding opponents to 69.8 points per contest.

Nova Southeastern enters the regional final as the No. 1 team in the country, boasting a 32-0 overall record after a 105-74 win over fifth-seeded West Georgia in the semifinals on Sunday. The Sharks are led by Will Yoakum and RJ Sunahara with 19.1 points per game apiece, as NSU averages 103.6 points per game. Nova Southeastern’s defense hold opponents to a scoring average of 76.2.

UAH is 4-1 all-time against Nova Southeastern, with the Sharks taking the most recent matchup 101-81 on Nov. 5 to open the 2022-23 season. The Chargers and Sharks have never matched up in the NCAA tournament.

The winner of Tuesday night’s game moves on to the 2023 NCAA Division II Elite Eight at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, from March 21-25.