Selection Sunday was kind to both UNA basketball teams as they received at-large bids in the upcoming NCAA Division II championship tournaments.

The men’s team will enter the south region with a No. 8 seed and will play Florida Southern March 16 in the first round of the NCAA D-II Men’s Basketball tournament.

Florida Southern went 23-5 on the season and won the Sunshine Conference championship. The team is led by Seth Evans, who averages 16.1 points and 3.4 assists per game.

The women’s team will be playing Delta State (No. 3) in the south region of the NCAA D-II Women’s Basketball tournament. UNA has swept Delta State in two hard fought games earlier this season. Nichelle Fillmore led the Lions in scoring in both games against Delta this year.

Both UNA basketball teams had disappointing conference tournament performances, coaches said.

“We were really disappointed about the loss,” said Terry Fowler, women’s head coach. “My hat’s off to West Alabama. I thought at the beginning of the season that they were a championship caliber team, a great team.”

In the GSC tournament, held March 7-10, the men’s team lost 82-78 in the first round to West Florida.

The women made it to the semifinal round before the team’s conference championship hopes were dashed as they lost to West Alabama 69-52.

The fates of both teams were in the hands of the selection committee March 3.

“If I was on the selection committee, we would be in,” Fowler said.

The Lions women’s team finished the season with a 20-10 record, while the men’s team finished 19-8.

The men’s championship game will be played in Atlanta in the Atlanta Hawks’ Phillips Arena April 7.

The women’s championship game will be played in San Antonio, Texas, March 29.