MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | Georgia College & State University will face No. 23 University of South Carolina-Aiken in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Marvin Vanover Peach Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Wednesday (March 6) at 5 p.m. at the USC Aiken Convocation Center in Aiken, South Carolina.

The Bobcats, who are 14-14 overall, are seeded eighth in the tournament, while the Pacers, who are 23-5, are the tournament's top seed. USC Aiken, as the top seed, will host the three-day tournament. The GCSU-USC-Aiken winner will advance to Thursday's (March 7) semifinals at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of the No. 4 seed Flagler College (18-10) and No. 5 seed Augusta University (17-11) game.

This will be only the third-ever meeting between the Bobcats and the Pacers in the 33-year history of the tournament as each team has won a game. USC AIken defeated GCSU 73-69 in the 1993 quarterfinals, while the Bobcats claimed a 98-93 overtime decision in the 1999 quarterfinals. Georgia College leads the all-time series that dates back to the 1984-85 season 32-29; however, the Pacers have won the last four meetings, including both this season. USC Aiken won 93-86 in Milledgeville and 91-74 on its home court.

The other two quarterfinal matches will have No. 2 seed University of North Georgia (22-6) hosting No. 7 seed Georgia Southwestern State University (16-12), while No. 3 seed Lander University (20-8) entertains No. 6 Columbus State University (15-12).
 
The championship game will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday (March 9) with the winner earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament.

Tickets are $10 per person and must be purchased online in advance at https://peachbeltconference.org/sports/2020/10/14/tickets.aspx. Children ages five and under, and students with a valid ID from a PBC school are admitted free.

About GCSU Athletics 
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for three consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won four consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.