The La Roche University (21-6, 19-1) men's basketball team claimed their fourth AMCC championship on Saturday afternoon, punching their ticket to the NCAA national tournament with the conference's automatic bid. The Redhawks defeated Penn State Behrend 62-61 in the final minute of the game to take home the title. Also moving on to postseason play are Penn State Behrend and Penn State Altoona, as both teams earned a bid, and hosting rights, to the 2020 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Men's Basketball Championship.
After finishing the 2019-20 season with an overall record of 26-2, the fourth-ranked Wittenberg University men’s basketball team earned one of the 20 at-large selections into the 64-team field of the 2020 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Tigers were also one of 16 teams selected to host first and second round games this weekend, March 6-7, at Pam Evans Smith Arena on the Wittenberg campus.
Tip-off for the La Roche-Wittenberg game will take place at 6:00 P.M. on Friday, March 6. The other two teams in the Springfield four-team pod are the Eagles from Benedictine University (IL), out of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, and Susquehanna University out of the Landmark Conference. The Eagles and the Riverhawks will play before Wittenberg and La Roche on Friday at 3:30 P.M., with the two Friday winners set to meet in the second round at 6:00 P.M. on Saturday at Wittenberg.
Wittenberg fell to the College of Wooster in the NCAC Tournament Championship Game, 87-63. The Tigers are led by Connor Seipel who averages a double-double with 15.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
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The Behrend Lions (20-8) earned the right to host a first-round game against the Titans of Westminster College (15-11). Gwynedd-Mercy claimed the No. 1 seed and received a first-round bye and will host the weekend. Behrend is making its 17th appearance in the ECAC Tournament, as they made their last appearance in 2017-18 and claimed the ECAC Title in 2010. Behrend recently finished second in the AMCC Tournament, falling to No. 1 La Roche 62-61. The winner of the first round game will face the winner of No. 3 Alvernia and No. 2 Rutgers-Newark on Friday evening. The Lions last faced Westminster in the semifinals of the ECAC Tournament in 2016-17, defeating the Titans to advance 82-76. Behrend has won seven in a row against the Titans, dating back to 2007-08.
The Titans are 15-11 overall this season and 4-8 on the road. Westminster fell in the PAC Tournament quarterfinals to St. Vincent, 88-78. The Titans have earned a bid to the ECAC Championships three of the last four seasons. Westminster holds a 21-12 lead in the all-time series against Behrend dating back to 1973-74. Dylan O'Hara leads the team with 18.8 points per game.
For the first time in program history, the Penn State Altoona men's basketball team will be hosting an Eastern College Athletic Conference postseason game.
The Lions received the second seed in Pod 2 of the tournament and will host No. 3 Hood College on Wednesday, March 4 at 7:00 p.m. for a first round game in the Adler Arena. The winner of that contest will advance to the ECAC quarterfinals on Friday at Gwynedd Mercy College, facing the number one seed in Pod 2, Drew University, at 8:00 p.m. The loser of Wednesday's game will be eliminated from the tournament.
Penn State Altoona posted a 16-11 overall record this season, including going 11-9 in the AMCC to place fourth in the league's regular season standings. The Lions defeated Hilbert College 81-73 in the first round of the AMCC Tournament last Tuesday before suffering an 87-76 defeat at the hands of La Roche University, the eventual champion, on Friday. This is the Lions' third ECAC postseason berth in the past four seasons. Penn State Altoona lost to Bethany College on the road in each of its previous two ECAC appearances.
Hood went 16-10 overall this season, compiling a 9-7 record within the Middle Atlantic Conference's Commonwealth division. The Blazers took a narrow 80-78 loss to Lycoming College in the first round of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament last Monday. Hood's most recent ECAC postseason appearance was last season, when the Blazers hosted Grove City College in the first round and lost 96-92.
For more information on the ECAC Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament, click HERE.