Men's basketball team faces Chipola College in state tournament opener Wednesday

The Eastern Florida State College men's basketball team is looking to do something they haven't done in 18 years – win a state title.

The Titans come into the FCSAA State Tournament 27-3 on the season and champions of the Mid-Florida Conference. Eastern Florida State College has made it to the championship game in two of the past three seasons.

The postseason begins for the men's team on Wednesday evening when they play Chipola College at 8 p.m. in Ocala.

"Chipola is really talented and it is going to be a fun first-round matchup. They have a ton of talent," Eastern Florida State College men's basketball coach Jeremy Shulman said. "That is what you want in the state tournament, you want to play against great teams and you want the opportunity to beat great teams. We are excited."

Chipola College finished as the runner-up in the Panhandle Conference and is 19-7. The Titans beat Chipola 102-64 Dec. 10 and have won two of the past three meetings in last five seasons.

In the first matchup, Nathanael Jack hit eight 3-pointers and scored 24 points while Michael Nuga had 20 points.

"We have a great group of guys, we work hard every day and know there is nothing we can't do. The sky is the limit for us," said Nuga who was named to the Mid-Florida Conference first team last year.

Sophomore Ahmed Ali comes into the postseason averaging 18.7 points per game and is the Mid-Florida Conference Player of the Year.

The state tournament is being held at the College of Central Florida with the semifinals scheduled for Friday and the finals on Saturday. Tickets will be available at the door for $10 per adult and $6 for students or a tournament pass is available for $25 for adults and $15 for students. Kids three and under are free.

The champion will advance to the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.

You can watch Wednesday night's game vs. Chipola live here https://youtu.be/r-X1QHvPOv0