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Utah earns South's 5th seed, will play Stephen F. Austin

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Utah is back in the NCAA Tournament, earning the No. 5 seed in the South Region against an opponent that knows how to pull off an upset.

The Utes (24-8) will play their tournament opener on Thursday in Portland against 12th-seeded Stephen F. Austin (29-4).

Utah is making its 28th NCAA Tournament appearance but first since 2009 and first as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. The Utes were knocked out of the Pac-12 Tournament in the semifinals when Oregon hit a buzzer-beater to win 67-64.

Stephen F. Austin won its second straight Southland Conference Tournament title, beating Sam Houston State in the final for the second consecutive year.

The Lumberjacks were a No. 12 seed last year when they upset fifth-seeded VCU before falling to UCLA.

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