Let's Dance! Wildcats Claim Second-Straight NCAA Tournament Bid

Daemen Seeded 8th In East Region, Will Face Top-Seeded Bridgeport Saturday

3/8/2020 10:47:00 PM

By: By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

AMHERST, N.Y. - For the second time since gaining full NCAA membership, the Daemen College men's basketball team will compete for a national championship. The Wildcats have earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship which gets underway next weekend with regional tournaments across the country. The full 64-team NCAA tournament bracket was announced late this evening in a selection show broadcast on NCAA.com.

The tournament field is broken down into eight regions, consisting of eight teams each. Each of the 24 conference champions earns an automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA DII tournament. The Division II Men's Basketball Committee selects the remaining 40 at-large bids.

Daemen is the No. 8 seed in the East Region and the Wildcats will meet No. 1 seed University of Bridgeport on their home floor at Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium in the opening round this Saturday, March 14. The top portion of the bracket also features No. 4 seed and defending East Region champion St. Anselm College against No. 5 seed Le Moyne College. Additional first-round matchups include No. 2 seed St. Thomas Aquinas College, champions of the East Coast Conference, taking on Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference champion and No. 7 seed Dominican College, as well as No. 3 seed Jefferson University facing No. 6 seed Stonehill College.

Game times, ticket and broadcast information for the East Region Championship will be announced later this week.

Daemen will make its second-straight NCAA tournament appearance after posting a 24-8 record so far this season. The Wildcats recorded a 12-4 record in East Coast Conference play and advanced to the semifinal round of the ECC Championship this weekend. Daemen's tournament résumé includes four wins against teams that are headed to the NCAA tournament, including fellow East Regional participants Le Moyne and St. Thomas Aquinas.  Daemen is one of five East Region teams to earn an at-large bid and one of three ECC teams in the field. It marks just the fifth time that the ECC has produced as many as three NCAA tournament teams.

Bridgeport, which captured the ECC regular season title before falling in today's conference tournament championship, will be making their 11th NCAA tournament appearance under longtime head coach Mike Ruane. The Purple Knights are 24-4 overall and have won 20 of their last 22 contests.

Saturday's game will mark the third meeting between Daemen and Bridgeport this season. The Purple Knights swept the teams' regular season meetings, but only by a combined 12 points. The Daemen-Bridgeport winner advances to Sunday's regional semifinals to face either Saint Anselm or Le Moyne. A full opening-round preview will be posted to daemenwildcats.com later this week.

Winners of the eight regional tournaments will advance to the Elite Eight which is slated for March 26-28 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. The Division II national championship game is being held in conjunction with the Division I Men's Final Four in Atlanta, Ga. That game takes place Sunday, April 5 at Phillips Arena.

Regional Schedule (all played at Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium, Bridgeport, Conn.)
Saturday, March 14 – First Round games
12 p.m.            Game No. 1. – TBA
2:30 p.m.         Game No. 2 – TBA
5 p.m.              Game No. 3 – TBA
7:30 p.m.         Game No. 4 – TBA

Sunday, March 15 – Regional Semifinals
5 p.m.              Game No. 5. (Winner Game No. 1 vs. Winner Game No. 2)
7:30 p.m.         Game No. 6. (Winner Game No. 3 vs. Winner Game No. 4)

Tuesday, March 17 – Regional Championship Game
7 p.m.              Game No. 7. (Winner Game No. 5 vs. Winner Game No. 6)

National Schedule
Thursday, March 26 – National Quarterfinals (at Ford Center, Evansville, Ind.)
Saturday, March 28 – National Semifinals (at Ford Center, Evansville, Ind.)
Sunday, April 5 – National Championship Game (at Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Ga.)

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