Austin Peay Governors

The Austin Peay Governors represent Clarksville, Tennessee, playing their home games at F&M Bank Arena after decades at the Dunn Center. Now competing in the Atlantic Sun, the Govs carry a reputation as one of college basketball's classic Cinderella threats, capable of shocking a blue blood when the bracket breaks right. It's an underdog program with a fiercely loyal regional following. Few mid-major names carry as much March folklore weight as Austin Peay.

Austin Peay basketball's signature moment came in 1987, when the Governors upset a heavily favored Illinois team in the NCAA Tournament's first round, a result so unlikely that broadcaster Dick Vitale had promised on air to stand on his head if it happened. The 1972-73 team, led by high-scoring guard James "Fly" Williams, delivered the program's first NCAA Tournament trip. Austin Peay has long been a fixture of the Ohio Valley Conference before its 2021 move to the Atlantic Sun Conference.