NEW ORLEANS — For the second time in three years, Xavier University of Louisiana and longtime city rival Dillard will meet in the men's basketball opening round of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.
The second-seeded Gold Rush (22-8) and the seventh-seeded Bleu Devils (5-24) will play at 7 p.m. Friday at XU's Convocation Center in the last of four men's games that day. The GCAC announced the tournament schedule Wednesday.
The XU-Dillard winner will advance to the semifinals against third-seeded Tougaloo or sixth-seeded Voorhees at 7 p.m. Saturday. The championship game will start at 5 p.m. Sunday.
The Convocation Center will be the site of all three men's rounds, plus the women's semifinals and championship. The women's first-round games will be played Friday at Dillard's Dent Hall.
The XU men allowed their fewest points of the season Saturday in a 67-41 home victory against Dillard in both teams' regular-season finale. A Convocation Center-record crowd of 3,267 watched the Gold Rush shoot 53.7 percent from the floor, commit a season-low-tying seven turnovers and produce five double-figure scorers.
Two years ago, Xavier dominated Dillard similarly in the regular-season finale at Xavier, but the eighth-seeded Bleu Devils shocked the top-seeded Gold Rush 59-56 six days later in the GCAC Tournament quarterfinals at Little Rock, Ark.
This time Xavier has home-court advantage. The Gold Rush are 7-0 against Dillard on XU's campus since Dillard's 63-50 victory at The Barn on Jan. 25, 1999.
Xavier last defeated the Bleu Devils in the postseason in 1993. The Gold Rush lead the series 82-48 and have won four straight and 19 of the past 21 meetings.
Xavier seeks its first appearance in the championship game since 2011 and its first GCAC Tournament title since 1996. Talladega defeated Philander Smith 104-95 in overtime in the championship game a year ago at the Convocation Center. This year Talladega is the tournament's top seed and No. 1 nationally.
Junior guard Morris Wright in 2014-15 became the first Gold Rush player to reach 400 points, 100 rebounds, 100 assists, 50 steals, 100 made free throws and 50 made 3-pointers in one season.
The tournament winner will receive the GCAC's automatic bid to the Buffalo Funds-NCAA Division I National Championship, which will begin March 18 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Xavier qualified for the national tournament eight times in the past 10 seasons, including 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 as an at-large selection. Xavier is ranked 18th nationally with a new top 25 to be announced March 11.
The tournament schedule:
Quarterfinals (First Round) — Friday, March 6
#4 Philander Smith vs. #5 Edward Waters, noon
#3 Tougaloo vs. #6 Voorhees, 2 p.m.
#1 Talladega vs. #8 SUNO, 5 p.m.
#2 Xavier vs. #7 Dillard, 7 p.m.
Semifinals — Saturday, March 7
Talladega-SUNO winner vs. Philander Smith-Edward Waters winner, 2 p.m.
Xavier-Dillard winner vs. Tougaloo-Voorhees winner, 7 p.m.
Championship — Sunday, March 8
Semifinal winners, 5 p.m.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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