The La Roche University men's basketball team will enter the NCAA Division III National Tournament this upcoming weekend, as they are set to take on the Osprey of Stockton University in Galloway, NJ. The Rehwaks earned the AMCC's automatic bid after defeating Penn State Altoona this past Saturday afternoon, 84-61 in the AMCC Championship.
Stockton was selected to host first and second round games for the second straight year. The two first-round games will be held on March 3 followed by the second-round game on March 4. On Friday, Stockton will host La Roche at 6:30 p.m. in the back half of a first-round doubleheader that also features Mary Washington (Va.) versus St. Lawrence (N.Y.) at 4:00 p.m. The winners will meet in an NCAA second-round game at Stockton on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
La Roche is led by AMCC Player of the Year, senior guard Devon Darrell. Darrell led the conference in AMCC play with 21.4 points per game and 300 total points against AMCC opponents. Not only did he top the league in scoring, he was also first with 112 overall assists, including 62 in AMCC play. He racked up a seventh-best 23 steals while adding 5.6 rebounds per game. Junior guard/forward Joe Pipilo, an AMCC all-conference second team selection, averaged 13.2 points per game and 5.8 rebounds during the regular season, while his 57 made three-pointers were third-best in the conference. Senior guard/forward Jordan Grayson, who earned third team all-conference honors, added 10.4 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game. He ranked fourth in the AMCC with 30 blocks and 55 made three-pointers on the season. Grayson joined Darrell on the AMCC All-Tournament Team this past weekend.
Stockton is making its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance overall and both playing in the NCAA Tournament and hosting for the second straight year. The Ospreys earned an at-large NCAA berth with a 22-5 record while playing the seventh-toughest schedule in the nation (.603 opponents' winning percentage).
Stockton is led by a trio of NJAC all-conference players. NJAC First Team selection DJ Campbell ranks in the top nine in the conference in eight different categories. He stands second in the NJAC in three-point field goal percentage (.358) and free throw percentage (.841) plus tied for second in three-pointers (2.7/game) and steals (2.2 spg). Kyion Flanders was voted NJAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, repeating as the league's award winner for defense. The guard also was an NJAC Second Team selection. Flanders is tied for fourth in the league in minutes (33.0 mpg) and sixth in three-pointers (2.2/game) to go with averages of 11.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Kadian Dawkins was chosen NJAC Honorable Mention to complete the trio. The point guard leads the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.9) and stands third in assists (3.9 apg) and ninth in minutes played (31.5 mpg) while scoring 11.4 points per game.
Check out the entire men's bracket here: MEN'S DIVISION III BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET