LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern College men's basketball team will host Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Sunshine State Conference Men's Basketball Championship, beginning on Tuesday, March 3. 
 
SSC QUARTERFINAL
OPPONENT: Embry-Riddle
Location: Lakeland, Fla. | George W. Jenkins Field House
Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026 | 7:30 p.m.
 
Three-seed Moccasins (21-9, 13-7 SSC)
Florida Southern College has remained steady in the final weeks of conference play to secure its spot in the SSC tournament. The Mocs clinched a spot in the conference postseason early, with a 6-4 record in the final month of games. 
 
FSC is averaging 89.4 points per game, ahead of its opponent on a 6.3 point margin, and second-best in the league. In over 30 games in the regular season, the Mocs are shooting .458 from the field, and a .342 average from beyond the arc, knocking down 10.6 three-point FGs a game. At the line, Florida Southern is one of the best in the conference, only behind its next opponent, with a .750 percentage. 
 
Leading the team in several categories remains the 3x SSC Player of the Week, Amare Miller. The senior forward averages a team-high 16.1 points per game, shooting .554 from the field. With 13 double-doubles this season (and a five-game streak), Miller also averages a team-best 8.7 boards a game. Leading the team from beyond the arc is Brady Corso, with a strong 14.1 points per game, along with Jasir Tremble, Ameer Ramadan, and Charlie Dalton, all averaging double-digit points. 
 
Six-seed Eagles (13-14, 10-10 SSC)
Embry-Riddle recorded an even 10-10 record in conference play, though the Eagles have been strong in scoring throughout the year. Just behind the Mocs in team scoring (86.6), the Eagles are led by Jared Berry with 20.6 points per game, third-best in the SSC. Jack Klinger is the league's leader in field goal percentage, and Dawson Barr is the leader in shots beyond the arc. ERAU struggles with turnovers and tends to average lower assist numbers, a category FSC may look to take advantage of with the Mocs' 8.3 steals per game average. 
 
Berry, Barr, and Klinger are the only ERAU players who average double-digit points, with Evan Montanari and Clarens Pierre averaging 20+ minutes a game on the court. The Eagles are the SSC's leader in free throw percentage at .771, led by Berry's .865 percentage and 122 FTM.  Berry was named to the Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch list back in January, and continued to lead ERAU in the final games of the regular season. 
 
Series Matchup
Florida Southern is 17-9 overall against the Eagles, having won the last four meetings. The last matchup was on Feb. 14, as the Mocs won an 87-82 contest in Daytona Beach. When playing in Jenkins Field House against ERAU, FSC is 11-3 overall. The last meeting between the two in the SSC tournament was back in the 2023 quarterfinals, when the Eagles beat the Mocs 96-88 in Lakeland. Overall, the Mocs are 1-1 against the Eagles in SSC Tournament play, winning the 2020 semifinal matchup in Lakeland by an 80-77 score. FSC went on to win the tournament championship that same year. 
 
Tournament History
The Mocs are 81-23 all-time in the SSC tournament, most recently posting a 2-1 record in the 2025 tournament, where they advanced to the championship final, falling to No. 1 Nova Southeastern 103-89. 
 
NCAA Regional Selection
FSC was ranked 5th in the South Region in the NCAA's Feb. 25 regional rankings. The NCAA men's basketball selection show will be on Sunday, March 8, at 11:00 p.m. on NCAA.com
 
The SSC champion will receive automatic qualification to the 2026 NCAA Division II Championships. Regional competition will take place at a non-predetermined site beginning on Friday, March 13th. Elite Eight play will take place from Wednesday, March 25th, to Friday, March 27th, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. The National Championship game will be on Sunday, April 5, in a location that has yet to be determined. The NCAA will announce championship selections and seeding on Sunday, March 8th.