INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - In their first ever trip to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship Elite Eight, Daemen will be the No. 8 seed and face top-seeded West Texas A&M in the national quarterfinals at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana on Wednesday, March 24. Tip-off is set for 3:45 p.m. The NCAA unveiled the seeding for the Elite Eight today following the conclusion of the eight regional championships across the country last night.
Daemen (10-5) advanced to the Elite Eight by capturing the program's first East Region championship with a 71-70 victory for the ages over East Coast Conference rival St. Thomas Aquinas at the Albany Capital Center. It was the fourth meeting in the last 17 days between the Wildcats and Spartans, teams that have amassed more wins than any other Division II programs in New York State over the last eight seasons. Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) scored 17 of his game-high 25 points in the second half and was named the regional's Most Outstanding Player as Daemen handed STAC just its second setback of the season. Daemen had previously defeated the Spartans 84-81 in overtime on February 27, and the regional championship victory avenged their loss to STAC in the final round of the ECC tournament on March 7.
SEE HEAD COACH MIKE MACDONALD'S AND REGIONAL MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER ANDREW SISCHO'S REACTION TO DAEMEN'S REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Wednesday's meeting with the West Texas A&M Buffs, champions of the South Central Region, will be the first in program history. The Buffs are ranked fifth in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll and sixth in the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) national media poll. They claimed the Elite Eight's number one seed after after dispatching of two nationally ranked teams in their regional. The Buffs downed No. 16/No. 21 Dallas Baptist (82-65) on Sunday evening and won the regional with a 101-92 victory over No. 10/No. 10 Lubbock Christian last night. West Texas A&M is in the midst of their 19th NCAA tournament appearance and they've advanced to the Elite Eight for the third time in the last four seasons.
Limited fan attendance will be permitted for the Elite Eight. Additional information regarding ticket sales as well as a full game preview will be available at daemenwildcats.com in the coming days.
Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.
Support Daemen College's return to intercollegiate athletic competitions by making a contribution to the Game On Campaign and the Daemen Wildcats Gotta Play Fund. This comprehensive fundraising campaign was established to help offset the loss of valuable external revenue streams that directly support Daemen's 17 varsity teams. To learn more, visit daemenwildcats.com/gameon.
