There are two first-time teams appearing at the NCAA Tournament. The first is Grambling State, who bested Montana State in a First Four game. The second is Stetson University.
The Hatters are dancing for the first time in program history after Stetson won its first ASUN conference championship. Stetson took out Austin Peay in the conference championship to punch its ticket to the Big Dance, taking the Hatters' name off a list of 45 Division I teams that have never played in an NCAA Tournament game.
Stetson also owns one of the best team names in the tournament, as the Hatters are named after the Stetson cowboy hat — literally. The team is coached by Donnie Jones and led by junior guard Jalen Blackmon.
The Hatters, who are the No. 16 seed in the East Region, face no easy task in their first game. A date with No. 1 seed and defending national champion UConn awaits to kick off their March Madness.
Here's what to know about Stetson as the Hatters make their March Madness debut.
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Where is Stetson located?
Stetson University is located in DeLand, Florida, a city approximately 40 miles north of Orlando. DeLand is on the Atlantic side of the state, about 25 miles from Daytona Beach.
The campus sits on 175 acres of land and the school enrolls 2,339 undergraduate students and an additional 1,331 grad students, per the school's website.
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What conference is Stetson in?
Stetson's athletic programs compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). The conference was founded in 1978 as the Trans American Athletic Conference before it was rebranded in 2011. It includes 12 member institutions spanning across the Southeast.
The current full members of the conference are as follows:
- Austin Peay State
- Bellarmine
- Central Arkansas
- Eastern Kentucky
- Florida Gulf Coast
- Jacksonville
- Kennesaw State
- Lipscomb
- North Alabama
- North Florida
- Queens University of Charlotte
- Stetson
HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
16 vs. 1 | 15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5
Stetson name origin
Stetson University was originally founded as DeLand Academy in 1883 after the principal founder of the town, Henry Addison DeLand.
However, in 1889, the name of the school was changed to Stetson University after John B. Stetson, a hat manufacturer known for the creation of the Stetson hat. He made a donation to the university, and the school changed the name in his honor.
The connection to John B. Stetson not only gave the university its official name, but it is also the reason why its athletics teams are called the Hatters.
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Stetson NCAA Tournament history
This is the first year Stetson is competing in the NCAA Tournament for Division I.
The Hatters have never reached the March Madness stage before, as their 2024 ASUN conference title was the first earned in program history.
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Stetson has been a member of Division I since 1971, but the Hatters previously competed in the NCAA Division II Tournament in 1967, 1970 and 1971. They also have competed in the College Basketball Invitational Tournament (2021 and 2023) and the NAIA Tournament (five times, last in 1963).
