How Charlotte 49ers could make a run in American men’s basketball tournament
The American Conference bracket is set, and Aaron Fearne and the Charlotte 49ers know their only path to breaking the program’s 21-year NCAA Tournament appearance drought.
Losers of its past three games, including a blowout loss in Tampa against the top-seeded South Florida Bulls on Sunday afternoon, Charlotte enters the tournament as the No. 5 seed. With the American’s new tournament format, only 10 of the league’s 13 teams qualify.
Charlotte will take on the winner of the No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 9 Tulane matchup at 7 p.m. Thursday (ESPNU).
The 49ers won their first conference tournament game in nine seasons last year, securing a first-round victory before being eliminated the following day.
After finishing the regular season 15-16 (9-9 in the American), Fearne’s group will head to Birmingham, Alabama, as huge underdogs (+8000 to win, per FanDuel Sportsbook).
The 49ers will need at least two wins in tournament play to post a .500 season.
Can Fearne’s group find life in the American Conference Tournament? Here are cases for why they could turn the program’s tide, or why they’ll continue watching March Madness from the couch.
How Charlotte 49ers can win American tournament
Despite the late-season skid, Charlotte started conference play as one of the hottest teams in the league, sitting atop the standings for a brief period after knocking off the second-seeded Wichita State Shockers on what was a three-game win streak, and winning seven of eight games early in conference play.
As the games get bigger, guard play becomes increasingly valuable — and the 49ers have one of the best table-setting guards in the conference in Dezayne Mingo. Averaging 4.5 assists per game (fifth-best in American), Mingo keeps the 49ers’ offense organized and efficient.
Operating in one of the slowest-paced offenses in the nation, shot-making is at a premium for the 49ers. Charlotte’s 3-point percentage is among the top three in the conference, placing the 49ers at a 34.7% clip this season — and getting hot from beyond the arc is the best chance for Fearne’s group to make a late-season surge.
To run the table, Fearne would need the two-man game of Mingo and Anton Bonke to feast on smaller defenders, wing Arden Conyers to continue his late-season stride, and the hit-or-miss game of Damoni Harrison to fire on all cylinders. And Fearne must run frequent sets to get Bonke the ball with two feet in the painted area. Unless the 49ers back up the Brink’s truck and make a hefty NIL offer for Bonke, there’s a chance this is the 7-foot-2 center’s final stint in green and gold.
In closing, Charlotte’s roster is more than talented enough to win the league, which is a complete 180 from last season.
Why 49ers’ NCAA Tournament drought could continue
Fearne has preached playing their best basketball at the end of the season for the past three years – but this group is yet again faltering down the stretch.
Charlotte has lost seven of its past nine games, featuring multiple blown late-game leads, and a season (and maybe Fearne’s tenure) low of losing to UTSA at home, a team that had lost 17 straight games and won just one American Conference game in 2026 — against the 49ers.
The aforementioned pace of play can be a bonus at times (330th slowest of 365 teams), forcing opponents to play your brand of basketball. But it can also limit possessions. And the three-year sample size of Fearne’s offenses has proven that the 49ers will, at key points, completely stagnate.
And the path to Sunday’s title game doesn’t bode well for the 49ers. Of Charlotte’s second round matchups (Tulane, Memphis), the 49ers were blown out by Memphis and escaped with a narrow victory against Tulane. If Charlotte is to advance to Friday’s quarterfinals or Saturday’s semifinals, they’d face No. 4 UAB or No. 1 South Florida — the teams responsible for the 49ers’ last two losses.
Punching their ticket to the big dance will be a tall task, and the 49ers must win four games in as many days to score an invite.
This story was originally published March 10, 2026 at 6:00 AM.