Men's basketball team plays Northwest Florida State in semifinal on Friday

The Eastern Florida State College men's basketball team face a familiar foe in the semifinals of the FCSAA Men's Basketball Championship on Friday afternoon.

The Titans, who are the No. 1 seed and defeated Hillsborough Community College in the quarterfinals, will play No. 4 seed Northwest Florida State College in the second men's semifinal Friday at 4 p.m. EDT.

Northwest Florida State College advanced to the semifinals with a tight win over Florida Southwestern in the quarterfinals. The Raiders are the host and while they do not meet often, when they do it is historically a good game.

The Titans have won three of the past five but the last two meetings in the state tournament have gone to Northwest Florida State College including the last meeting in 2022. Three of those five have been close games at the end including the last one which was a four-point win for the Raiders.

It will be a battle of top teams in each conference tonight as the Titans won the Citrus Conference and are 27-4 this season while Northwest Florida State College were the Panhandle Conference co-champions and come into the contest 27-4 as well.

"We are excited for the opportunity to compete against Northwest Florida State College," Eastern Florida State College men's basketball coach Jeremy Shulman said. "They are a fantastic team, one of the best in the country, with one of the best coaches in the country in Steve DeMeo. It will obviously be a challenge, playing a true road game on their home floor but we are excited for the challenge and the opportunity."

Sophomore Matija Zuzic had 20 points in the quarterfinal game and has 20-plus point performances in two of the past four games. The FCSAA Player of the Year Owen Aquino finished with 11 points and nine assists in the win.

Northwest Florida State College's Tajuan Simpkins finished with 23 points while teammate Tavion Banks had 16 in the win.

The Titans have been to the semifinals in five of the past six seasons and is looking to go to the championship game for the fifth time under Shulman.

Northwest Florida State College is the defending champions and lost in the national championship game. Friday will mark the third straight season the Raiders have been in the semifinals of the tournament.

Friday's game at Northwest Florida State College will be $15 at the door and you can watch the game live online at https://team1sports.com/fcsaa/