The eligibility issue applied in both 2021 and 2022, with each final featuring a team representing a transitional member of Division I (North Alabama in 2021[1] and Bellarmine in 2022[2]).
[3] North Alabama began its transition in July 2018 and was thus ineligible for the NCAA tournament or NIT through the 2021–22 season; Bellarmine began its transition in July 2020 and is thus ineligible for said events through 2023–24.
Should a transitional school win the tournament, ASUN rules call for the regular-season champion to receive the automatic bid.
North Alabama lost its final, making the issue moot for 2021, but Bellarmine won in 2022, giving Jacksonville State that season's automatic bid.
Teams in bold are ASUN members as of the upcoming 2024–25 NCAA basketball season.