AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The 2007-08 Augusta State women’s and men’s basketball teams will be recognized prior to Saturday evening’s season opener with Benedict in Christenberry Fieldhouse.

The 2007-08 women’s squad, which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, will receive its Peach Belt Conference championship rings in a ceremony prior to its 5:30 p.m. tipoff with the Benedict Lady Tigers.

The Lady Jaguars posted a 20-10 overall mark last season and captured a share of the PBC regular-season championship with a 13-7 record. Senior point guard Deo Ngulela was named to the Peach Belt Conference’s all-conference team.

The Lady Jags earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the round of 32 before falling to Wingate 66-65 in the semifinals of the South Atlantic Regional in Florence, S.C.

The ASU men’s squad enjoyed the best season in school history in 2007-08, advancing to the NCAA Tournament’s National Championship game and posting a school-record 27 wins.

Senior AJ Bowman was named an All-American for the second straight season while junior Garret Siler and sophomore Ben Madgen earned All-South Atlantic Region honors.

Under fourth-year head coach Dip Metress, the Jags captured the program’s first-ever South Atlantic Regional championship in Christenberry Fieldhouse with an 89-72 victory over Clayton State. ASU was nationally-ranked for the entire season -- 15 consecutive weeks – and reached its highest ranking in school history at No. 5.

The Jags, who finished the season No. 10 in the nation, earned their first trip to the Elite Eight in Springfield, Mass. In the quarterfinals, ASU mounted a furious second-half rally to eliminate Central Oklahoma 106-104 in double overtime. The Jags then edged Alaska Anchorage 56-50 in the semifinals, earning a spot in the National Championship game against Winona State and a national television appearance on CBS.

The men’s ring and banner ceremony will take place prior to the Jags’ 7:30 p.m. matchup with Benedict as well.