Longwood Earns 1st NCAA Tournament Berth in School History with Big South Title Win

Longwood secured the first men's NCAA tournament appearance in program history Sunday with a 79-58 win over Winthrop in the 2022 Big South tournament championship game.

Isaiah Wilkins led the Lancers' offensive charge with a game-high 19 points. Justin Hill added nine points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Leslie Nkereuwem chipped in 11 points off the bench.

It was a dominant performance from start to finish for Longwood, the tournament's top seed. It shot 52.8 percent from the field, held Winthrop to 41.2 percent shooting and forced the Eagles into 19 turnovers.

D.J. Burns Jr. led all scorers for Winthrop with 14 points.

Longwood isn't likely to generate a ton of attention leading up to Selection Sunday. The Bracket Matrix currently projects the Big Dance newbies as a No. 16 seed.

The Lancers are far from a pushover, though. They posted a 26-6 record, including a 15-1 mark in conference play, and they've only lost once since Dec. 22. They're 138th in the KenPom rankings.

Add in the fact that three of the team's top five scorers are battle-tested seniors, and that's a tough potential matchup for any No. 1 or No. 2 seed to open with.

Longwood basketball was elevated to Division I in 2004, compiled a 1-30 record in its first season and posted just one winning record over its first 17 seasons at college basketball's top level.

Those struggles make Sunday's triumph that much sweeter for the Lancers faithful.