GAME NOTES: The USC Upstate Spartans fell short in their conference title game but will make a postseason appearance anyway when they host the James Madison Dukes in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament on Tuesday.

This is the third time in four seasons the Spartans are appearing in the CIT. They won their opener in 2012 and lost a first-round meeting against Towson last year.

Hopes of earning an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament reached a fevered pitch when the Spartans made the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament finals, but North Florida destroyed their dreams with a 63-57 victory. Upstate opened the second half on an 11-0 run and led by four with under nine minutes to play before North Florida turned it around for good with 12 consecutive points.

Ty Greene led the Spartans with 21 points, but needed 23 shots to do so. The conference Player of the Year is putting up 20.2 ppg -- good for 13th in the nation -- and also ranks first in the conference in steals (2.1) and second in 3-point percentage (.427). His 96 3-pointers are a single-season school record.

Fred Miller complements Greene with 12.1 ppg, while Michael Buchanan and ShunQuez Stephens anchor a frontcourt that has helped the Spartans to a +3.9 rebounding advantage. Upstate finished second in the A-Sun in scoring (72.3 ppg) and was the top defensive team in points against (60.8 ppg)

JMU made an appearance in the inaugural CIT in 2009 and made it all the way to the semifinals. The Dukes won a "First Four" game in the NCAA Tournament in 2013, took a step back last season and bounced back to finish in a tie for first in the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season standings this year.

The Dukes went into the league tournament on a 6-1 stretch but were upended by Hofstra 74-57 in the quarterfinals. Hofstra shot 49.2 percent from the floor, including 55.6 percent in the second half, while holding JMU to 37 percent overall.

The Dukes used a team effort all season long to get the job done. Ron Curry, who was named to the All-CAA Second Team, led the charge offensively with 13.9 ppg, adding in 4.3 apg to pace the squad. Yohanny Dalembert checked in second in scoring with 11.5 ppg, while Jackson Kent added in 10.1 ppg to level off a trio of double-digit scorers.

Dalembert, an All-CAA Defensive Team member, led the way on the boards with 5.8 rpg and 37 blocked shots. The Dukes netted 67.0 ppg this season on 45.1 percent shooting from the field, but surrendered 68.2 ppg to opponents.

This is the first meeting ever between JMU and USC Upstate, which is 22-3 at home against non-conference opponents since the start of the 2011-12 season. The Dukes will put up a fight, but Greene and Co. will come away victorious.