A surreal, synthetic asterisk of a D2 basketball season transitions into a surreal, synthetic asterisk of a D2 basketball postseason this weekend in front of zero spectators at a venue that has never hosted a regional game.
Are we having fun yet?
Well, for six teams with starry-eyed dreams of advancing to a counterfeit Elite-8 that is minus several perennial powers, they couldn’t care less. Their dream is alive and they are afflicted with March Madness, having put in the hard work, practicing masked, playing in empty, antiseptic gyms and getting tested multiple times a week, all for the love of the game.
For the first time in nearly two decades, the NCAA’s D2 Regionals consist of just six teams apiece (expansion to eight teams and an overall 64-team field occurred in 2003), and only 15 of the 37 East clubs played at least one game in this, the first-ever, non-hyphenate regional season on record. Only 13 of those qualified for the postseason, so nearly half of the East’s participating teams actually made it to the NCAAs, one year after the last regional slated for Bridgeport was scuttled just hours before it was to have commenced.
Because the Northeast-10 opted out this season, there was no league tournament or automatic bid that comes with it, though three schools (Saint Rose, American International, Franklin Pierce) decided to play partial schedules. None of that triumvirate heard its school name called on a contrived Selection Sunday, making this the first time since the power conference came into existence in 1980-81 that it failed to produce an NCAA participant.
Despite the obvious and unavoidable inequities, I’ve thrown together a thumb-nail rundown of the six teams that will descend upon Albany’s Capital Center on Saturday, when the first two of five NCAA games will be played. This year’s field can be playfully summed up as STAC, MAC and the CACC, as St. Thomas Aquinas and Daemen of the East Coast Conference were awarded the top two seeds and first-round byes that accompany them. The latter team is coached by Mike MacDonald, nicknamed “Mac” and who also coached in the MAAC at nearby Canisius, gives us the rhyme (I know, it’s a stretch), as the four remaining teams are all from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, whose men’s tournament was canceled due to Covid complications. So, in effect, Saturday’s doubleheader will be a CACC Invitational of sorts, with the winners playing the top two teams on Sunday. The final is slated for Tuesday night – the only somewhat normal component of this year’s dizzying schedule.
Now, a look at the participating teams, by seed:
- St. Thomas Aquinas – At 13-1, the Spartans are a legitimate NCAA contender and were my preseason pick to be in this very spot, even prior to teams opting out, as they are stocked with talent, depth and experience. Though St. Thomas hasn’t been seriously challenged this season (Daemen was its lone opponent to make the regional and STAC won two of three meetings at home, including the ECC Championship Game on Sunday), they are the most complete team here and anything short of two wins would have to be considered a major upset. Tobin Anderson’s hard-working, press-happy team – which played its last seven games in the cozy confines of Aquinas Hall – led the nation in steals (10.7 per game) and turnovers forced (20.1), so the Spartans are a very tough out. With five ECC trophies over the past six years, STAC also boasts the most consecutive appearances here, with six straight selections, having enjoyed their greatest success in 2017 with an Elite-8 appearance.
- Daemen – Named to its third straight regional, the ECC runners-up have established themselves as a perennial power since transitioning from the NAIA, racking up a 116-46 overall record. The primary source of that recent on-court success can be directly attributed to National Player of the Year Candidate Andrew Sischo, who is averaging 27 points (#2 in D2) and 13 rebounds (#1), last month becoming just the 15th player in regional history – and second in ECC lore behind STAC great Justin Reyes – to become a 2K/1K player (2,000+ career points, 1,000+ career boards). And the redshirt senior has carried the load this season in the wake of the Wildcats having graduated four starters, each of whom accumulated at least 1,000-points. The only team to have beaten top-seeded STAC, Daemen would love another crack at the top-seeded Spartans, who have been the Cats’ only roadblock since joining the league in 2015. We know the “Sischo Kid” will show up. It’s the unproven supporting cast that will likely determine if Daemen can disrupt the chalk.
- The team sporting the richest pedigree in this grouping is Bloomfield, whose eight NCAA appearances are most among teams hailing from the CACC, including seven outright league titles. This year, the Bears were named conference champs and earned the only AQ on record while not playing a game, after accumulating the best record in the circuit at 6-3. If there’s a dark horse in this field, Gerald Holmes’ club may be it, having saved its best basketball right before the league pulled the plug. While it’s true Bloomfield will have had the longest gap between games when it takes to the court Saturday (20 days), it also sports the longest gap since it tasted defeat (Feb. 9 at Felician), winning its next four games, including a sweep of fellow tourney team Dominican and a 42-point drubbing of Georgian Court in its last outing. The question is: after a nearly three-week layoff, which Bears team will we see now in March: the one that shot 39% and 24% from deep the first five games, or the one that was successful on 51% of its attempts and 39% from 3 the past four?
- Dominican – the last of the three regional repeaters, the Chargers have also had a long time to rest since its last outing on February 23. Joe Clinton’s troops played the highest percentage of their schedule against NCAA teams, going 3-2, which elevated them to the 4-line. The last time the Chargers were playing this late was in 2018, when they blasted Merrimack in that program’s D2 swan song before losing an overtime heartbreaker to crosstown rival STAC in the semis at St. Anselm. Only one significant player remains from that team in point guard Daniel Grant, who by virtue of his position and experience, may be the key to his team’s success this go-around. However, Dominican does showcase the CACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in Jalen Burgess.
- Caldwell – Mark Corino’s Cougars return to the NCAA Tourney for the first time since 2007, when they gave top-seeded and undefeated Bentley a major scare before succumbing. The team they match up with is familiar foe Dominican, to which they lost in their season opener. There are many parallels here, including the fact that the two coaches are also the only ones in the region that also wear the hat of Athletic Director. Both squads also will have gone 18 days since their last appearance on the hardwood. Caldwell sports the best record against the field at 4-1 and will look to exploit its size advantage in avenging the early setback.
- Nyack – the new kid on the block had me diving into the archives as the Warriors – at 4-4 – become the first team to reach the East Regional without a winning record since 13-16 Le Moyne crashed the party in 1997. Alum Valiant Jones has done a wonderful job guiding this once moribund program to unchartered waters in just two years, earning a signature win at rival Dominican – its first in the NCAA era – that proved vital to its garnering this spot. The rematch vs. Bloomfield “bears” watching as Nyack lost on a controversial final play in their season opener at New Jersey City University – the vagabond Warriors’ ersatz home this season and the site for its only home game. That makes them the first team ever to make our region’s NCAA bracket without having won a true home game. Nyack – the feel-good story in the field – edged out upstate New York teams Roberts Wesleyan and Saint Rose, the only programs with winning records that didn’t go dancing.
Wrapping up this week, it’s worth noting some D2 East alumni who transferred up and are making impacts at the D1 level this March.
Let’s start with former LIU Post and Southern New Hampshire guard Michael Almonacy, who erupted for 32 points and seven rebounds vs. defending champ Georgia State in the championship game of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Monday, leading Appalachian State (TN) to its fourth win in as many days. The Mountaineers punched their ticket to the Big Dance for the first time since 2000 thanks largely to Almonacy, who earned tourney MVP honors after amassing 87 points (20-for-39 from distance) and 26 rebounds during the fairy-tale run.
As the MAAC Tourney gets underway Thursday, Niagara’s Kobi Nwandu will be looking to pull a similar rabbit out of his hat for the Purple Eagles as they open vs. Marist. The former Le Moyne standout paced Niagara with a 14.5 scoring average this season.
And then there’s former Mercy great Bryan Griffin, who has played a key role off the bench for Xavier this season. The big man has been extremely efficient for the Musketeers, who open the Big East Tournament tonight vs. Butler at Madison Square Garden. In just 11.2 minutes per game, Griffin has averaged 4.2 points (57% FG) and 4.1 rebounds, while rejecting a total of 14 shots.
Kudos also go out to a couple of former NE10 schools: Bryant, which lost the Northeast Conference championship last night vs. fellow former-D2 club Mt. St. Mary’s (MD) after destroying former NECC power Sacred Heart in the semis; and UMass-Lowell, which remains the last team from our region to win the national championship in 1988. The River Hawks (former Chiefs) play at original NE-10 (NE-7 at that point) member Hartford for the America East crown on Saturday.
Questions… comments… suggestions? Drop me a line at chrisgranozio@gmail.com.
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