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On March 8, 2026 in Jacksonville, Florida, Queens University of Charlotte men’s basketball officially arrived on the Division I stage.
In a high-scoring, emotional Atlantic Sun Conference championship that went to overtime, the third-seeded Royals outlasted top-seeded Central Arkansas 98–93 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The win delivered Queens its first ASUN men’s basketball title and, more importantly, secured the program’s first NCAA Division I men’s tournament berth in school history.
The milestone is even more dramatic when you consider the timing. Queens only became fully eligible for Division I postseason play at the start of the 2025–26 academic year, following the NCAA’s formal approval of its reclassification on July 1, 2025. In their very first season with access to March Madness, the Royals punched an automatic bid and secured a storybook entrance into the national bracket.
The moment in Jacksonville has been several years in the making for Queens University of Charlotte. The school announced its move from Division II to Division I and its acceptance into the ASUN Conference in 2022. The transition period limited Queens to regular-season play without the chance to qualify for the NCAA Division I tournament, even as the program adjusted to a tougher schedule and deeper opposition.
Before that move, Queens had already proved it could be a perennial contender at the Division II level. The men’s basketball program stacked up multiple conference tournament titles and 15 NCAA Division II tournament appearances, consistently positioning itself among the nation’s top small-college teams. What it did not have was a shot at the Division I March Madness spotlight.
That changed when the NCAA granted full Division I membership effective July 1, 2025, opening the door for the 2025–26 Royals to chase an ASUN championship and an NCAA bid. According to NCAA tournament records, very few programs since the early 1970s have managed to reach the men’s tournament in their first year of Division I postseason eligibility, underscoring how rare Queens’ achievement is in modern college basketball history. For the university, the title and bid serve as validation of the resources and strategic vision poured into moving up a level.
The ASUN final itself played out like a script written for March. On one side was Queens, a freshly elevated Division I program in search of a signature moment. On the other was Central Arkansas, a regular-season co-champion hoping to turn its own breakthrough year into the school’s first NCAA Division I men’s basketball appearance.
Central Arkansas came out sharp, opening the game with an 8–0 run and holding Queens to just 30 points in the first half. The Bears led 34–30 at the break by spacing the floor, moving the ball crisply and knocking down key three-pointers. Their defense forced Queens into uncomfortable possessions, and the Royals struggled to establish rhythm against the early pressure.
Even so, Queens never let the championship tilt get away. The Royals leaned on their perimeter offense and depth to keep the margin manageable. They competed hard on the glass and stayed patient, knowing their pace-and-space identity could eventually open up cleaner looks from outside.
The turning point came after halftime. Over the final 20 minutes of regulation, Queens erupted for 52 points, attacking Central Arkansas with one of its most efficient offensive stretches of the season.
The Royals shot better than 50 percent from the field and from three-point range during the second half, showing why they have become known in the ASUN as a fast-paced, perimeter-oriented team. Sophomore guard Chris Ashby headlined that surge, spacing the floor with deep three-point shooting that repeatedly forced the Bears to stretch their defense beyond the arc.
With defenders pulled outward, Queens’ other playmakers began to find driving lanes. Wing scorer Jordan Watford attacked closeouts and drew contact, while forward Nasir Mann, who would be named tournament MVP, exploited gaps to score and clean the glass. Behind that trio, Queens built a double-digit lead and eventually went up by 11 with a little more than three minutes to play. At that point, the Royals appeared to have the title and NCAA automatic bid comfortably in hand.
Instead of a routine finish, the contest morphed into a classic March comeback story. Central Arkansas cranked up full-court pressure and turned the game into a track meet, forcing a series of Queens turnovers that quickly chopped into the lead.
Junior guard Camren Hunter delivered one of the most remarkable individual performances in ASUN history. In the closing stretch of regulation alone, he poured in 20 points, hitting contested threes and weaving through traffic for acrobatic finishes at the rim. Hunter drained a deep three with under 30 seconds left, then added free throws and, finally, drove the lane for a layup with two seconds on the clock to tie the game at 82–82.
By the end of regulation he had already demolished his previous career high, and he was not done. Hunter finished the night with an astonishing 49 points on 17-of-30 shooting, including 8-of-12 from beyond the arc. His total set both a Central Arkansas program record and an ASUN tournament single-game scoring mark, according to school and conference accounts. In most championship games, a 49-point outing would be the headline story. On this day, it became the most painful footnote imaginable for the Bears.
After seeing their 11-point cushion disappear, Queens had every reason to be rattled heading into overtime. Instead, the Royals reset and reclaimed control almost immediately.
Ashby opened the extra session by scoring the first five points, including yet another three-pointer that restored momentum to the Queens bench. Forward Avantae Parker added a powerful dunk as the Royals rebuilt a two-possession edge. Defensively, Queens finally did just enough to slow Hunter, forcing the ball out of his hands and contesting more aggressively on the perimeter.
Central Arkansas refused to go away, but the final difference came at the free-throw line. Queens knocked down nine of ten foul shots in overtime, calmly managing the clock and possessions down the stretch. Late free throws from Ashby and Watford sealed the 98–93 victory and sparked a celebration as the final seconds expired, players and coaches realizing they had just earned a place in the NCAA tournament field.
Queens’ stat sheet reflected the modern, perimeter-driven style that has helped the Royals climb so quickly in Division I.
As a team, Queens shot 46 percent from the field, hit 16-of-38 three-point attempts and converted 22-of-27 free throws. The Royals also posted a 45–35 rebounding edge, translating that dominance on the glass into 20 second-chance points and significant production from their bench.
Central Arkansas, led by Hunter’s 49, matched much of that firepower. The Bears made 15-of-36 threes and got 16 points from Ty Robinson, staying in the game with their own perimeter shooting. But Queens’ rebounding margin and advantage in free-throw attempts ultimately provided the narrow statistical edge needed in a contest featuring nine lead changes and multiple momentum swings.
The significance of Queens’ championship goes far beyond a single banner or bracket placement. By securing the ASUN’s automatic bid, the Royals improved to 21–13 and carved out a unique place in NCAA tournament history.
According to the NCAA’s men’s basketball tournament records and historical archives, it is exceedingly rare for a program to qualify for March Madness in its first year of Division I postseason eligibility. Reclassification typically involves a multiyear ramp-up phase, with many programs taking years – or even decades – before making their first appearance in the Big Dance.
Queens’ rapid ascent is part of a broader story in college basketball, where ambitious institutions are investing significantly in athletics as a centerpiece of campus identity, alumni engagement and national visibility. The Royals’ leap from a strong Division II program to an ASUN champion so quickly will likely be cited in conference and NCAA discussions as a case study in how to manage a successful transition across divisions.
For context on how rare that pathway is, the official NCAA championship site and historical summaries of the Division I men’s tournament brackets provide data on first-time participants and realignment trends over time. These records show that only a small handful of programs since the early 1970s have converted their first year of eligibility into an immediate tournament berth, putting Queens in exclusive company among modern-era newcomers. You can explore more about the tournament’s structure and history at the NCAA’s hub for March Madness at https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2024-03-01/march-madness-history-ncaa-tournament and in the 2026 bracket overview at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_tournament.
For Queens, this ASUN championship is a program-defining moment. It validates the decision to invest in upgraded facilities, scheduling and staffing to compete at the Division I level. It also gives the Royals a powerful recruiting message as they pursue prospects across North Carolina, South Carolina and the broader Southeast.
The coaching staff can now walk into living rooms and AAU gyms and point to tangible proof that the program’s style of play translates to winning in March. Recruits who want to play high-paced, perimeter-oriented basketball and chase NCAA tournament appearances will see Queens as more than a transitioning program; they will see a champion that has already broken through.
Within the ASUN, Queens’ title deepens the league’s reputation as a competitive mid-major conference capable of producing compelling March Madness storylines. Overtime thrillers, record-setting individual performances like Hunter’s 49-point explosion and rapid-rise champions like Queens are exactly the kind of narratives that draw national attention to one-bid leagues every March.
For high school and transfer prospects watching this run, Queens’ path offers a few key takeaways:
If you are a recruit or parent trying to identify similar programs that fit your goals, tools like the Pathley Basketball Pathley Hub and the broader Pathley College Directory can help you discover schools with comparable profiles, playing styles and academic environments.
Queens’ ability to erase deficits and generate big scoring runs is rooted in a clear identity. The Royals have become known in the ASUN for pushing tempo, spacing the floor and relying heavily on the three-point shot as a primary weapon.
Ashby’s 10 made threes in the championship game are a vivid example of that philosophy. When a shooter commands that kind of attention 25 to 28 feet from the basket, it forces defenses into uncomfortable rotations and opens cutting lanes for teammates. Watford, Mann and others took advantage of that spacing in Jacksonville, attacking rotating defenders and hitting the glass against an undersized or stretched frontcourt.
On the other end of the floor, Queens’ rebounding advantage reflects both scheme and effort. By holding a 45–35 edge on the glass and converting those boards into 20 second-chance points, the Royals gave themselves a cushion against Central Arkansas’ elite shot-making. For mid-major contenders, that combination of spacing on offense and toughness on the boards is often the recipe for surviving tournament pressure.
Next comes the national stage. With the ASUN’s automatic bid in hand, Queens now waits for its seed and regional destination on Selection Sunday. Bracket projections will likely slot the Royals as a lower seed, but that label has rarely deterred mid-major champions who play fast and shoot a high volume of threes.
Coaches and analysts will be asking:
Regardless of seed or matchup, the Royals will arrive in the NCAA tournament with a clear identity, a veteran core and the confidence that comes from surviving an overtime championship thriller. For a program in its first year of Division I postseason eligibility, that is about as strong a foundation as you can reasonably ask for.
If Queens’ ascent has you interested in other Charlotte-based colleges and basketball environments, there are several nearby institutions worth exploring as you build your recruiting or college search list:
These schools vary widely in size, setting and athletic emphasis, which makes the Charlotte area a useful microcosm for athletes and families to compare different types of college environments.
Queens University of Charlotte’s journey from Division II contender to ASUN champion and NCAA tournament qualifier is exactly the kind of story that can reshape a recruit’s college list. It is a reminder that the best fit might be a rising mid-major program rather than a traditional powerhouse.
If you are trying to figure out which colleges match your academic, athletic and campus preferences, tools built for that purpose can save time and guesswork. The Pathley platform is designed specifically for athletes and families navigating the recruiting world, with search tools and AI guidance to help you surface schools you might otherwise miss.
You can start by exploring the full landscape of colleges through the Pathley College Directory, then narrow your focus within your sport using sport-specific hubs like the Basketball Pathley Hub. From there, Pathley’s AI recruiting assistant at https://app.pathley.ai/ can help you compare programs, build a target list and understand which schools look like the best fit for your goals.
For now, March belongs to Queens. The Royals have cut down the ASUN nets, booked an unprecedented NCAA bid in their first year of eligibility and etched their name into college basketball history. For recruits and fans alike, their rise is a powerful reminder that in the modern era, big-time March Madness moments can come from anywhere.
