ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Citadel (10–21, 7–11 SoCon) opens play in the 2026 Ingles Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship as the No. 9 seed, facing No. 8 seed Chattanooga (13–18, 7–11 SoCon) on Friday, March 6, at 5 p.m. ET at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and will also air on Nexstar affiliates throughout the region.
The Bulldogs enter the postseason following a 93–90 overtime victory at Wofford on Saturday.
Sola Adebisi scored a career-high 27 points in the win as The Citadel recorded its fourth overtime victory of the season, a program record. The victory also secured the program's most Southern Conference wins since the 2009–10 season.
"I'm really proud of these guys and the way they've fought through the adversity that comes with a college basketball season," Bulldog head coach
Ed Conroy said. "They've come a long way from November through where we are now. Our team has kept improving and working hard every day, and hopefully our best basketball is still ahead of us as we head to Asheville."
Game Information
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Tournament Information
Matchup:
(9) The Citadel vs. (8) Chattanooga
Date: Friday, March 6, 2026
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Location: Harrah's Cherokee Center | Asheville, N.C.
Broadcast: ESPN+ | Nexstar affiliates
The two teams split their regular-season meetings, with each team winning on the road. The Citadel earned a 78–71 victory at Chattanooga on Feb. 7 behind 18 points each from
Braxton Williams and
Sola Adebisi. Chattanooga later claimed a 93–72 win in Charleston on Feb. 21, where Williams recorded 26 points and 11 rebounds while
Christian Moore added 16 points and eight rebounds.
"Chattanooga is an explosive offensive team," Conroy said. "If you let them get out in transition and get comfortable shooting the three, they can be very dangerous. It starts with our shot selection, sharing the ball, getting paint touches and getting to the free-throw line."
"Tournament basketball comes down to staying locked in possession by possession," Conroy said. "We've had strong leadership from guys like Sola, Braxton, Carter and Christian all year. Our focus is to keep doing the things that have helped us improve and be ready to compete at our best."
The winner of Friday's contest will advance to the quarterfinal round to face No. 1 seed ETSU on Saturday, March 7, with tipoff scheduled for noon ET.
For complete coverage of The Citadel basketball program, follow The Citadel on X and Instagram @CitadelHoops and online at CitadelSports.com.
