INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Gulf South Conference runner-up Valdosta State men's basketball team learned Sunday evening on the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Selection Show it is the No. 4-seed in the upcoming NCAA South Regional, marking the Blazers' first trip to the NCAA postseason since 2021. 
 
VSU (25-6) will face No. 5-seed Lynn (20-8) in the first round on Saturday, Mar. 15, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on the campus of top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Nova Southeastern who earned hosting duties and won the Sunshine State Conference Championship Sunday.  The Blazers and Fighting Knights will battle in the final game of the quarterfinal round at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday evening.
 
GSC champion Alabama Huntsville earned the No. 2-seed, while Sunshine State Conference runner-up Florida Southern is the No. 3-seed.  Montevallo is the No. 6-seed, while Tampa is the No. 7-seed and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion (SIAC), Savannah State, is the No. 8-seed.
 
Click here for the interactive NCAA Men's Basketball Division II bracket.
 
This marks the Valdosta State's 14^th appearance in program history in the NCAA postseason.  The Blazers are 8-12 all-time in the NCAA postseason and qualified in 2020 for the regional, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. 
 
Blazer head coach Mike Helfer is making his ninth trip to the postseason in 2025 with an Elite Eight appearance in 2010.  VSU is looking for its first NCAA postseason victory since 2010.  Helfer is 386-197 (.662) at Valdosta State in his 20^th season, while he is 572-280 (.671) in 28 years of coaching. 
 
The Blazers fell in the GSC Championship to No. 3 Alabama Huntsville 101-95, but senior Carlos Hart finished with a game-high 29 points tying the most by a Blazer in a GSC Tournament game since Burke Putnam also had 29 points in the 2020 semifinals.  Hart finished 11 of 22 from the field and 7 of 9 from the line, earning GSC All-Tournament Honors.  Junior teammate Drew Mills also earned all-tournament honors with 18 points in the final.
 
VSU owns an 8-3 record all-time against Lynn as the teams have not played since 2022 when Lynn won 96-85 on Nov. 26, 2021, in West Palm Beach, Fla. 
 
Check back with vstateblazers.com later this week for more information on the upcoming regional.