The University of West Alabama men’s basketball will face Saint Leo in the first round of the 2014 NCAA South Regional in Lakeland, Fla., on March 15. It will be the first regional tournament appearance for the Tigers since 1982.

West Alabama is 17-10 and come into regional play as the No. 7 seed. Saint Leo is 23-8 and the No. 2 seed. Florida Southern, the host school for the South Region, earned the No. 1 spot with a 26-4 record. They will face No. 8 Tuskegee.

“We are very excited, we have new life,” said UWA head coach Mark Downey.

“We did not play well in the conference tournament, but we did our work in the regular season. It means a lot that that work in regular season got us in. We now have to get back to work. This bracket will be a tough one.”

The south bracket also features two more Gulf South Conference opponents. Delta State enters as the No. 3 seed to face No.6 Barry, while No. 4 North Alabama will take on No. 5 Tampa.