Tournament Recaps & NCAA Regional Preview
By Chris Granozio
The stage is set for the East Regional, to be held in Vermont for the first time since 1960 at the Burlington Memorial Auditorium. St. Michael’s is the top seed and host school, while Southern Connecticut snagged the eight seed, edging out Bentley for the final at-large bid. Quarterfinal previews are up ahead, but first, let’s take a look back at the weekend action in the three conference tournaments:
NE10
Preston Santos totaled 20 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots, while Kurtis Henderson chipped in with 16 points, six boards and four assists as Southern New Hampshire ended former NECC rival Southern Connecticut’s Cinderella run with a 75-60 victory in Manchester – its seventh consecutive triumph, and sixth straight in the series (3-0 this season). Tourney MVP Matt Becht added 15 points and six assists for the Penmen, who embarked on a 15-4 run out of the halftime break, capped by Santos’ follow slam, opening up a 48-31 lead that would never dip below double digits the rest of the way. Marty Silvera recorded 21 points and seven assists for the Owls, who were outshot (44%-31%) and outrebounded (45-29) in seeing their five-game win streak go by the boards. This was the third banner for SNHU since joining the NE10 in 2000 (2013 & 2016), and at 26-16, the Penmen boast the third-highest winning percentage in NE10 Tourney play behind crosstown rival St. Anselm (61-32) and UMass-Lowell (18-9).
CACC
The region’s hottest team – Jefferson – punched its ticket to the Big Dance with two weekend wins at Caldwell’s Newman Center, extending its win streak to 11. In the semis, Erik Timko tallied 19 points and seven rebounds, while Bismark Nsiah offered 15 and seven, respectively, to lead the Rams past Post, 70-58, improving to 7-0 all-time vs. the Eagles in the CACC Tournament. A 31-11 uprising spanning the halves flipped a 24-14 deficit into a 45-35 lead. Post crept back within one (53-52) with six-and-a-half minutes to go, however a Nsiah dunk and Timko triple (his second in as many attempts on the day) sparked a 17-6 game-ending flourish. Deng Deang’s 15-point, 10-rebound double-double kept the Eagles afloat, but Jefferson’s superior 3-point performance (8-15 to 3-10), foul shooting (18-22 to 5-7) and rebounding (37-26) were too much to overcome… Next day vs. Bloomfield in the final, all five starters reached double figures, led by tourney MVP Hakim Byrd (23 points, 5-8 from 3, four assists) in an 89-69 runaway, snapping the Bears’ five-game winning streak. A 14-4 burst over the last 3:01 of the first half opened things up at 50-36 and the margin never dipped into single digits the balance of the ballgame, maxing out at 22 points thanks to major advantages in shooting (57%-41%), 3-point shooting (13-22 to 6-23), rebounding (39-20) and passing (25-5 in assists). Timko (19 points, six rebounds) and Nsiah (15, 11, plus five blocks) made their presences felt for the Rams, who captured their sixth CACC Tourney title in 10 tries, and first since 2019. Izaiah Poole was high man for Bloomfield with 21 points (7-10 FG, 3-4 from beyond the arc). Neither team missed a foul shot (JU 10/10, BC 15/15).
Bloomfield eked out an 86-85 win vs. North Division rival Dominican in the weekend’s most hotly contested game regionwide. A 12-0 Bears tear, capped by a Poole lay-up, transformed a 71-66 deficit into a 78-71 lead that would bend but not break, primarily due to the Chargers’ awful foul shooting (13-28 compared to BC’s 28-36). Dominican nearly erased an 86-81 deficit with 21 seconds left as Javel Cherry nailed a straight-on trey, and then, after a stop, Jaden Honis was fouled with seven ticks remaining and missed the second of two free throws that would have knotted the score. Still, Bloomfield left the door open as Al Fatir Connor missed two foul shots with 1.7 on the clock. Honis’ running shot up the sideline was off the mark as time expired, ending the Chargers’ season. Poole and Conner led an uber-balanced attack with 14 points for the winners, while national blocked shots leader Edward Ngene (11 points, 14 rebounds, four swats), Abdallah Elsaleh (12 points, six rebounds, four assists) and Marcus Bucknall (six of his 10 bench points in the final 43 seconds) all played key roles in the victory. Cherry topped the Chargers with 21 points (4-7 from 3), followed by Seth-Sharif Brown (15 off the bench) and Emmanuel Smith (14 points, 6-9 FG, 12 rebounds, three rejections) as they stayed close due to their long-range proclivity (10-20 to BC’s 2-10).
ECC
For the fifth straight year, and eighth in the last nine, St. Thomas Aquinas is king of the ECC, outlasting Daemen, 77-66, in Sparkill for the fourth year in a row to claim the prize. Tourney MVP Kyle Pulliam cranked out 21 points and James Patterson 19 for the Spartans, who seized control with a 19-5 second-half surge that expanded a modest 47-42 lead to 66-47 following a lay-up by backup center Luis Risquez (nine points, 11 rebounds) with 9:06 to go. The Wildcats – who boast six double-digit scorers – only landed one in twin figures on this day: Dylan Fasoyiro with 21. Daemen actually shot a little better from the floor (39%-37%) but only managed to hit half of its 18 free-throw attempts (STAC was 16-20) in seeing its eight-game winning streak evaporate. Lawrence Foreman also played a big role for STAC with eight points and 11 boards (seven on the offensive glass) as his team won for the sixth straight time overall and improved to a perfect 8-0 vs. the Wildcats in ECC Tournament action… Prior to that, the Spartans held off a furious rally from Roberts Wesleyan in the semifinals that saw the Redhawks uncork a 29-12 blitz in slashing a 62-42 deficit to 74-71 following a Ryan Garwood triple with 33 seconds to play. Shaun Arnold stanched the bleeding with a free throw at the eight-second mark, then Ethan Millirons and Patterson each knocked down a pair of their own to close out the scoring. Patterson produced 22 points, 12 rebounds and five steals for Aquinas, with Pulliam (20 points) and Rich Smith (12 points, 12 rebounds, four assists) providing quality support. Malik Brooks topped the Roberts scoresheet with 19 points, seven caroms and four steals. Both teams turned it over 21 times, but STAC benefited from more trips to the stripe (23-27 to 10-12).
The third time was the charm for Daemen, which reached a fourth straight championship game by stifling Staten Island at Aquinas Hall, limiting the Dolphins to 28% shooting and just three 3-pointers in 21 attempts, both representing season lows by significant margins (38% and six threes were the previous lows). A 12-0 second-half spell, punctuated by a Joey Atkins jumper with 5:51 left, broadened a 44-41 lead to 56-41, and the Wildcats maintained a double-digit advantage thereafter. Fasoyiro galvanized the Cats’ attack with 23 points, followed by Atkins’ 17 points and 11 rebounds. CSI – which finished the season with a D2-era high of 19 wins – failed to land a double-figure scorer as ECC Freshman of the Year Jonathan Goldstein posted a team-high nine points.
NCAA Regional Match-Ups
Each of the eight teams in this year’s field has a fighter’s chance to capture three wins in four days and represent the region in Evansville, Indiana at the Elite-8 that begins on March 26. All eight won at least 20 games, with STAC boasting 25, while only two – SNHU and Southern Connecticut – registered double-figure losses (10) due to playing in the region’s toughest conference top-to-bottom. The NE10 and CACC each landed three in the field, with the ECC sending its top two (Trivia Question: name the last year that neither Bentley nor St. Anselm was in the NCAA Tournament – answer below). Three of the four quarterfinal encounters are rematches, as well. So, without further ado, here’s the breakdown:
3 Southern New Hampshire (21-10) vs. 6 Bloomfield (22-9):
These two teams played a barnburner in New Jersey back on December 9, with the Penmen prevailing, 69-67, due to a Kurtis Henderson jumper with three seconds to go, and Preston Santos’ potential game-saving block of Deavion Ellis’ deep three at the buzzer. SNHU is playing in its 22nd NCAA Tournament and is one of only two teams in the field that made it this far last March, going 1-1 last year at St. Anselm. The Penmen – who have won seven regional titles (most recently in 2015) come in red-hot, having won seven straight, the second-longest active streak in the East. Highlighted by a 32-point blowout of top-seeded St. Michael’s. Jack Perri’s charges shot a robust 47% from beyond the arc (55-116) during the NE10 Tournament, but the team’s silent strength is its defense, which cannot be underestimated (41% FG allowed, #2 in the region). One key question: Will grad transfer and excellent 2-way threat Alex Rivera be healthy enough to play? He sat out the semifinal and championship games due to a lower-body injury, and his absence in such high-caliber games could hurt the team’s chances. Matt Becht is the deadliest 3-point shooter in the region at 45% (ninth nationally) with a D2-best 116 triples. The Bears are back in the field for the first time since 2021 and are always at their most dangerous in the lower half of the bracket, where they became the first-ever 7 seed to win a game in the East (2005 vs. St. Anselm at Bentley) and one of only six 7 seeds ever to win a regional across all of D2, turning the trick in 2011, also at Bentley – still the only CACC team to win a regional (for the record, there are two 8 seeds that reached the Elite-8: St. Joseph’s of Indiana in 2010 and Tuskegee in 2014). Gerald Holmes – arguably the region’s most underrated coach (395-247 record) – will have his team prepared, in the hopes of reaching the Sweet 16 for a fourth time (this is the program's 10th NCAA appearance). Balance and defense are the team’s calling cards, as Edward Ngene paces the nation at nearly four blocked shots a game, while the entire team limits opponents to about 41.5% shooting, just behind SNHU, and just under 31% from distance (third in the region and 21st nationally). Nine players average over 12.5 minutes per game, and no one scores more than 12.5 points a night, making the Bears a tough scout. One thing’s for sure, though: redshirt freshman guard and CACC Freshman of the Year Starrell Hearns lives up to the “Star” in his name, shooting 49% off the bench. What the Bears lack in 3-point firepower, they more than make up for in getting to the basket. Expect a lower-scoring game, much like the first encounter.
2 St. Thomas Aquinas (25-5) vs. 7 Post (20-9):
Right off the top, you could make a case for STAC to be the #1 seed here, and the school's inability to host a regional likely played a part in its garnering the 2. This intriguing match-up sees the team with the most experience (the Spartans are participating in their region-high ninth straight NCAA) going against the one with the least, as this is Post’s maiden voyage! Kudos to head coach Marc Kuntz for a remarkable job in taking a team of mostly new faces and breaking through this ceiling while playing in the worst gym in America: the Drubner Center. The Eagles – led by junior transfers Deng Deang and Bol Akot – have been almost perfect in close contests this year, going a sensational 12-1 in games decided by five points or fewer. One of those timely triumphs came against the Spartans at Aquinas Hall on November 8 – a 109-107 overtime thriller that saw Post survive an Ethan Millirons tying 3-pointer at the regulation horn and then win on an Akot bucket with two seconds remaining. Clearly, revenge will be on STAC’s collective mind, but Post is one of the few teams that can match the Spartans in terms of depth and athleticism. Post has leveled off a bit, going 8-7 over the last half of the winter after a 12-2 start that supplied the fuel for this deserved at-large bid. St. Thomas Aquinas’ experience on this stage may turn out to be the difference in this one, as well as the presence of the most talented player in the region: 6-7 sophomore swingman James Patterson, who wasn’t at his best during the ECC Tournament (10-28 FG, 10 turnovers in two games) but very few players can dominate a game and get to the foul line at will as the Richmond, VA native can. Kyle Pulliam is also playing terrific ball, fresh off his tourney MVP weekend, as Matt Capell has picked up right where Tobin Anderson left off, going 51-10 over the last two seasons in the head coach’s chair. The Spartans - who won the regional in 2017 - are the best offensive team still playing in the East, ranking 5th across D2 with 94.1 points per game, and their full-court pressure after made baskets and turnovers can throw a monkey wrench into another team's gameplan. All these reasons, plus the revenge factor, make STAC the clear favorites here.
1 St. Michael’s (22-8) vs. 8 Southern Connecticut (22-10):
St. Michael’s historic season continues, as it finds itself serving as regional host for the first time in 64 years (1960-2024), snapping Le Moyne’s previous record of a 47-year gap (1969-2017). In fact, 1960 was 13 years before the Ross Sports Center even opened its doors, making this truly a season to remember in greater Burlington. The Purple Knights - who captured four regional crowns between 1958-65 - defied all prognosticators’ expectations, becoming just the second team in the NE10’s 44-year history to jump from last place to first (Franklin Pierce in 2012) and third to win the league after being picked last in the preseason coaches’ poll (FPU in 2012, Assumption in 2002). Just one year after NE10 Coach of the Year Eric Eaton’s squad went 3-7 in games decided by five points or fewer, the Purple Knights turned that around with an impressive 10-2 mark this season. Still playing the 2-3 zone and firing up lots of threes (a program-record 320 and counting), St. Mike’s is fronted by its extremely talented backcourt of Manhattan transfer (see what I did there?) Romar Reid and super sophomore Darrel Yepdo, who are dangerous both on the drive and from deep, combining to average 32 points and total 195 assists. Lefty backup shooter CJ Crews has been a weapon since returning from injury in December, averaging over 12 points a game in just 22.7 minutes per outing. The key question for this team is how will it perform under the bright lights, as the Purple Knights haven’t been to an NCAA regional since a Sweet 16 run in 2001 (when most of the current players were either unborn or toddlers) down at Old Westbury, NY. This is their 13th overall appearance. Their opponent is NE10 rival Southern Connecticut, which the P-Knights defeated twice during the regular season by an average of 10 points. One could consider the Owls a surprise team in this field as they weren’t even in the regional Top 10 until last week. But oh, what a week they had, knocking off Bentley (the team they ousted for this spot) for the second straight time on the road by 10 points after surviving a scare at home vs. American International. Then, Southern defeated St. Anselm in New Haven before falling at SNHU in the NE10 title game. Southern – which is participating in its ninth NCAA Tournament and captured regional crowns in both 1997 and 2014 – was last here in 2017, when once again, the Owls were installed by the national committee late as the last at-large club and parlayed that into a surprise win (minus their coach, Scott Burrell, no less) vs. Southern New Hampshire in Syracuse and affording Michael Mallory the opportunity to shatter the NE10 scoring record in the process. Southern is playing its best ball at the right time, guided by veteran point guard Marty Silvera, who ranks third in D2 with 6.6 assists per game. Fifth-year swingman Josh McGettigan has also had a stellar campaign and is the player most responsible for his team being here as he hit not one but two tying 3-pointers at or around the buzzer that turned into overtime wins, including the season-saving AIC game. Kazell Stewart (13.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg) is the best dunker in the tournament, as well. In a regional that features just three NE10 teams, one is guaranteed not to advance because of this complelling match-up between two of the three teams in this regional that didn't lose to a sub-.500 club (STAC is the other). The Owls hope to become the fourth eight-seed in nine years - and second in a row - to knock off the #1.
4. Daemen (24-8) vs. 5 Jefferson (23-8):
The only pairing that is not a rematch sees two of the hottest teams in the region locking horns for the first time ever! And what a contrast of styles this one is: Daemen – the top defensive team in the field – goes up against Jefferson – the second-best shooting team in the nation! The Wildcats had won eight in a row since falling to their nemesis, St. Thomas Aquinas, once again in the ECC Tournament, but it wasn’t because of a lack of defense, as they held STAC 14.5 points below its season average. You can’t spell Daemen without a capital D, and that’s is the foundation of Mike MacDonald’s team as the Wildcats pace the region in field goal defense (.409) and are fourth in scoring defense (71.4 ppg). Dylan Fasoyiro – younger brother of alum Sean Fasoyiro – has emerged as the scoring leader, averaging over 20 points over his last 10 games (15.7 prior) for a team that features six double-figure scorers and has seen no fewer than eight players top the scorecard throughout the course of the season. After close calls the past two Marches as the first team out, Daemen is back in the big dance, looking for its second regional title (2021, against STAC, no less, in an abbreviated field) in four tries. Standing in the way is Jefferson, which boasts the most NCAA appearances among regional teams with 38, second only to Kentucky Wesleyan’s 41 and one of only three schools wthat can claim at least 30 (Virginia Union is the other with exactly 30). One of only two current teams in the region that proudly hangs a national championship banner in its gym (District of Columbia – 1982), the former Philadelphia Textile knocked off Tennessee State in 1970 and has made four other Elite-8s (1963, 1965, 1991, 1993). Of course, Hall of Fame Coach Herb Magee’s fingerprints are all over this program’s success, and he coached many of Jimmy Reilly’s current players. It’s monumentally difficult to replace a legend, but Reilly, Magee’s longtime assistant, has taken a step forward in his second season at the helm, and his starting five is, to my mind, the richest in talent in the East, headlined by two-time CACC Player of the Year Erik Timko, who is averaging 20 points a game and nearly joined Saint Rose’s Jeff Gore as the only player to shoot at least 50% from the floor, 40% from 3-point range and 90% from the line as the junior guard is at 55%, 44% and 88% presently. Tournament MVP Hakim Byrd is playing the best basketball of his career, Frenchman Antonin Kemkeng is the premier post player in the region, shooting 62% with an un-guardable hook while snatching 8.5 rebounds a night, junior wing Ahmed Barba-Bey leads the league in assists and forward Bismark Nsiah is an athletic 4-man who is shooting a whopping 67% over his last 11 games. After a rough 1-4 start, the Rams are barreling through the competition, winners of 11 straight (tops in the East) and 19 of 23, tied with St. Thomas Aquinas for the fewest losses since November 26. If ever there were a dark horse in this race, this is the one.
Trivia Answer: the last regional that did not include either Bentley or St. Anselm occurred in 2012.
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