MONTGOMERY, Ala.- For the first time in 14 years, Alabama State will participate in March Madness. 
 

The Hornets earned the NCAA Tournament automatic bid with a SWAC Tournament championship win over Jackson State on Saturday in Atlanta, winning 60-56.
 

ASU (19-15) will play in the First Four round in Dayton on Tuesday against St. Francis, champions of the Northeast Conference. Tip off has been announced for 5:40 p.m. CDT. The game will be broadcast on TruTV.
 

With a win against St. Francis, the Hornets would face top-overall seed Auburn in Lexington on Thursday at approximately 1:50 p.m. (CBS - locally on WAKA Ch. 8). The Tigers won the Southeastern Conference regular season championship and have spent much of the year as the top-rated team in the major polls, entering the field with a 28-5 record.
 

ASU got 20 points from. CJ Hines in the finals on Saturday. ASU hit nine 3-pointers in the win.
 

The Hornets saved their best for last this season, winning their last six games including three in the SWAC Tournament. They won seven of their last eight games in the regular season, including a road win at top-seed and regular season champ Southern on March 6.

ASU's last appearance in the Dance came in 2011 following a win over Grambling State in the SWAC tournament championship game. The Hornets were in the NCAA play-in game that year, losing to Texas-San Antonio.

This will be the fifth trip to the tournament dating back to 2001, the program's first-ever appearance. That year, the Hornets faced defending champ Michigan State in the first round of the South Regional in Memphis. The Hornets briefly led the game before falling 69-35 with current assistant coach Tyrone Levitt leading the team in scoring with 17 points.
 

ASU made the NCAAs again in 2004 but was eliminated by Duke. 
 

In 2009, the Hornets were SWAC champions and played Morehead State in the "First Four" round, losing 58-43.
 

On Monday, ASU will make the trek to Dayton, which is about a 600-mile drive directly up I-65. 
 

About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.
 
Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field and Tennis.
 
Women’s competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.

Follow the SWAC
For complete coverage of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, please follow the SWAC on social media at @TheSWAC (Twitter), @TheSWAC (Facebook), and @TheSWAC (Instagram) or visit the official home of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at www.swac.org.