Ingles SoCon Basketball Championships tip off this week in Asheville

The 2020 Ingles SoCon Basketball Championships get underway in Asheville, NC this week, with East Tennessee State heading a 10-team field that sports gurus say could be the strongest group of teams ever to take part in the Southern Conference men’s basketball tournament.

Seventh-ranked Wofford College of Spartanburg will face The Citadel (No. 10) of Charleston in the first round at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Another Upstate favorite, second-ranked Furman University of Greenville, will take on the winner of the Wofford-Citadel matchup at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 7. The tournament begins with women’s play throughout the day on Thursday, March 5.

The oldest college basketball tournament in the nation, the SoCon Championship will be held at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in downtown Asheville. Coverage of men’s quarterfinal play will begin at Noon on WYCW, The CW62. Coverage of the SoCon Women’s Basketball Championship game will begin at Noon on Sunday, March 8, on The CW62, followed by men’s semi-finals.

Those planning to attend the tournament can take advantage of free trolley service to and from the center thanks to a partnership between Ingles Markets, the Southern Conference, Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission and Gray Line Trolley Tours of Asheville.

The iconic trolleys will run continuously throughout the tournament beginning two hours before the start of each game and one hour after the conclusion of the last game each day. Route 1 will cover the parking deck at the corner of Sears Alley and Coxe Avenue, the Wall Street deck at Page Avenue, and Battery Park Avenue. Route 2 will cover Renaissance Hotel front entrance and the College Street parking deck.

For route information, click here. For tournament schedules and information on area restaurants and attractions, visit soconsports.com.