Disappointment wore on the faces of Limestone College men’s basketball players Sunday night when the video screens flickered out on the NCAA Division II selection show.

Limestone missed out on their first appearance in the NCAA tournament despite their first 20 win season since 2006. The Saints won nine of their final 10 games before their season ended with a loss in the quarterfinals of the Carolina Conference tournament last week.

Limestone College basketball players watched the NCAA tournament selections Sunday night in the multimedia room inside the college’s new athletic complex. The Saints had their best ever finish in the conference standings, placing second with a 14-6 league record.

“It was bittersweet because we had such a great season. It’s a hard thing because we got so close,” head coach Brandon Scott said. “We took a big step forward on the court this year. We were very competitive with the best teams in the league.”

Scott felt confident about his team’s chances of earning an NCAA bid headed into the weekend. Instead, he endured several white knuckle moments with multiple upsets of the top teams in conference tournaments.

Limestone swept Anderson in the regular season. But Anderson earned one of the four at large berths over Limestone in the Southeast bracket.

Brevard upset top seeded Catawba for the conference title, scoring the game-winning shot with 5.6 seconds left.

Unranked in the region, USC Aiken earned an automatic bid after a surprise run to the Peach Belt conference title.