CHARLOTTE, NC- The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) has released the official bracket for the 42^nd Annual Women's Basketball Tournament and 71^st Annual Men's Basketball Tournament.  The CIAA Basketball Tournament will take place February 23^rd-February 27^th.  All games will be played in Time Warner Cable Arena.

With the conclusion of regular season competition, the pairings and brackets have been released by the CIAA Basketball Tournament Committee.  Pairings are based on the highest divisional winning percentage.  In the event of a tie, the tiebreaker rule begins with head-to-head competition results followed by head-to-head point differential.  If a tie situation remains, the highest conference winning percentage will be utilized.  The top two seeds of each division receive a first round bye. 

On the women's side, Virginia Union University captured the CIAA Northern Division crown with 9-1 record.  For the second consecutive season, Shaw University has been crowned the Southern Division Champion with a 9-1 mark in divisional play.

Chowan University represents the No. 2 seed in the Northern Division with an 8-2 record.  The Hawks received a bye through Tuesday's round, and will square off against the winner of Tuesday's Fayetteville State University/Bowie State University matchup on Wednesday at 10:00am. 

Tournament play will continue with semi-final action on Friday, February 26^th beginning at 1:00pm.  The Championship Game will tip-off on Saturday at 4:00pm and will air live on the ASPiRE Network.  Click HERE for access to the women's bracket. 

On the men's side, Virginia State University earned the No. 1 seed in the Northern Division with an 8-2 record while the Southern Division was clinched by Johnson C. Smith University (7-3). 

Bowie State University and Chowan University both ended the regular season with 5-5 divisional records and tied in head-to-head contests.  The Bulldogs edged the Hawks in head-to-head point differential, resulting in Chowan earning the No. 4 seed in the North.  Chowan will compete on Wednesday at 6:40pm and awaits the winner of Tuesday's Fayetteville State University/Elizabeth City State University matchup. 

With quarterfinals slated for Thursday, semi-final play is scheduled for Friday, February 26^th.  The Championship Game is scheduled for 7:00pm on Saturday and will be broadcast live on ESPN3, and tape-delayed for a 10:00pm broadcast on ESPNU.  Click HERE for access to the men's bracket.