Cats Fall to Phoenix-Mid-South Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Bracket Announced
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Regular-season champion Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) is the top seed in the 2026 Mid-South Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, MSC officials announced today with the release of the tournament bracket.
The conference tournament begins on Saturday, February 28, with three quarterfinal games, followed by the semifinals on Sunday and the championship game on Monday night. All games are scheduled to be played at Bowling Green Arena on the campus of Bowling Green High School.
Freed-Hardeman (27-1, 12-0 in the MSC) earns the bye into the semifinals on Sunday, March 1, as the top seed.
Georgetown (Ky.) is the No. 2 seed, Cumberlands (Ky.) is the third seed, and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) is the No. 4 seed.
Bethel (Tenn.), Campbellsville (Ky.), and Cumberland (Tenn.) all tied for fifth in the MSC standings this season.
The three teams all posted 2-2 records among one another, forcing the conference's second tiebreaker -- the record against the teams in the standings, starting at the top and working in descending order.
Campbellsville's win over the second-place Georgetown during the regular season gives the Tigers the No. 5 seed. With the last two teams tied, the tiebreaker procedure starts over, and Cumberland is the No. 6 seed based on its head-to-head advantage over Bethel during the regular season.
The tournament begins at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, February 28, as Lindsey Wilson (18-10, 6-6) plays Campbellsville (18-10, 3-9) in the first quarterfinal. Georgetown (22-6, 8-4) meets Bethel (17-11, 3-9) at 5 p.m. CT, followed by Cumberlands (22-6, 7-5) and Cumberland (11-16, 3-9) at 7:30 p.m. CT in the nightcap.
The Lindsey Wilson-Campbellsville winner plays Freed-Hardeman in Sunday's first semifinal at 5 p.m. CT. The Bethel-Georgetown winner meets the Cumberland-Cumberlands winner at 7:30 p.m. CT in the final semifinal.
The championship game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT on Monday, March 2.
The tournament champion receives the conference's automatic bid into the NAIA National Tournament later in March.
Wildcats Fall in Double Overtime Battle, Turn Focus to Conference Tournament
LEBANON-Tenn. - The Bethel Wildcats left everything on the floor Saturday afternoon but fell 103-94 in double overtime to the Cumberland Phoenix at Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena.
Bethel (17-12, 3-10) fought back from a seven-point halftime deficit and forced overtime with a strong second-half surge. The Wildcats shot 55.9 percent in the second half and connected on 50 percent from three-point range after the break to claw back into the contest.
David Starr paced the Wildcats with 24 points, hitting four three-pointers and going 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. Chauncey Hughes III added 23 points and five assists off the bench, while Jackson Hayes recorded 13 points and six rebounds in 45 minutes of action. Alonzo Rhodes Jr. and Ethan Turner each pulled down nine rebounds as Bethel scored 48 points in the paint and added 36 bench points.
The Wildcats tied the game at the end of regulation and matched Cumberland with 10 points apiece in the first overtime. However, the Phoenix used timely shooting and interior presence in the second extra period, outscoring Bethel 14-5 to seal the victory.
"I'm proud of our fight," said head coach Jeff Britt. "We showed toughness and togetherness for 50 minutes on the road. We made plays to extend the game and gave ourselves opportunities to win. Now it's about resetting, learning from this one, and carrying that edge into the conference tournament."
As the Wildcats turned their attention to postseason play, the performance provided momentum despite the result. With balanced scoring, improved second-half efficiency, and strong bench production, Bethel heads into the conference tournament battle-tested and determined to make a run.
Bracket: