Mar. 3—STANDISH — The players on the St. Joseph’s College men’s basketball team watched the screen pensively as the NCAA Division III tournament selection show played, waiting for their future to be revealed.
Well, save for one.
“Actually, one of my friends sent me the picture of it before,” freshman guard Silvano Ismail said with a smile. “But I didn’t (tell anyone).”
The rest of the Monks found out together: St. Joseph’s will open the tournament against the 11th-ranked University of Redlands on Friday at Tufts University, continuing their journey after a 24-4 season that netted the school its first Great Northeast Athletic Conference championship since 2009.
“It’s still a great feeling to watch our name be put up there,” Ismail said, “(considering) the work that we put in the whole season, since the first day we came here until now. … To be in the tournament my first year is really exciting.”
St. Joseph’s had company Monday. Husson University (21-7), fresh off of winning the North Atlantic Conference championship, drew No. 14 Worcester Polytechnic Institute, while in the women’s tournament, No. 2 Bowdoin (27-0) will host Brooklyn College (17-11), and Bates (16-9) drew an at-large bid and will play Southern Virginia University (26-2) in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
“This is the most fun time of year, and it is always fun to play teams that you’ve never seen before or played before,” Bowdoin coach Megan Phelps said. “And you know, to just have a couple days to prepare, and then play a couple more games, hopefully in Morrell (Gymnasium), it’s gonna be fun.”
‘Now look at us’
The mood in Standish before the show was light and calm as the players filtered into the Hall of Fame room at St. Joseph’s Harold Alfond Center. The Monks had punched their ticket by beating Lasell College in the GNAC championship, so hearing their name called was a matter of when, not if.
“We know we made it, we know we’re going to get a game, so there’s not too much scared-ness,” senior guard Teagan Hynes said. “But there’s definitely some curiosity. We don’t know, and I think that’s the fun part about doing this. It’s less scared, and more, ‘Oh, it’s exciting. We get to find out where we’re going.'”
Still, there wasn’t much chatter as the Monks watched quietly as the first 32 teams were read off. Finally, when the St. Joseph’s matchup was revealed, there were claps around the room as the Monks saw their next assignment following 18 straight victories.
“It’s an exciting feeling,” said sophomore forward Remijo Wani, the team’s leading scorer at 18.3 points per game. “You’ve got seniors who never would have thought of playing in March Madness, and now look at us.”
They’re back in the dance for the first time in 16 years, and they don’t have to travel far.
“It’s a great feeling, going to Tufts. Not too, too far, which is nice,” junior guard John Paul Frazier said. “I’ve got family who lives right around Tufts, so it’ll be fun to have them come to the game and experience that.”
Redlands (22-4), roughly 60 miles east of Los Angeles, is making its first tournament appearance since 2013.
“This is a great experience for these guys,” St. Joseph’s coach Tyler Ackley said. “If there’s an opportunity to go play, I’ll take this team any day of the week.”
The Husson men started the season 2-5 but have won their past nine games, the most recent a 90-59 victory over Vermont State University Johnson in the NAC final. Riles Neff leads the Eagles in scoring at 17.5 points per game, while Jeremy Moronta is averaging 14.9.
Perfect Polar Bears
One of two remaining undefeated teams in the nation, the Polar Bears will host Brooklyn in Friday’s Round of 64 at 7:30 p.m. Also traveling to Brunswick are Cortland (24-3) and Endicott (22-5), who will face off at 5 p.m. The winner of these two games will play in Saturday’s Round of 32 at 7:30 p.m.
“Being in the NESCAC, one of the hardest leagues there is, coming out of there undefeated has been a really big building block for us, and having that pay off is really awesome,” senior guard Sydney Jones said after a selection show watch party. “I think we’re just excited to keep playing in Morrell. That’s really what our team is all about, getting to play with each other in a place that we love. So we’re excited for anyone who comes along.”
Bowdoin repeated as NESCAC champions on Sunday, after Jones scored 15 fourth-quarter points to erase a double-digit deficit and in a 62-59 win over Colby. The win marked Bowdoin’s 11th conference title, the most in NESCAC history. This is second time the Polar Bears have entered the NCAA tournament undefeated (2003-2004).
If Bowdoin wins its first two games, the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds will take place at Morrell Gymnasium on March 14-15. The semifinals and national championship game will take place in Salem, Virginia, on March 20 and March 22.
Last season, Bowdoin hosted four NCAA tournament games in Brunswick before falling to Smith College in the Elite Eight. A rematch between the Polar Bears and Pioneers (26-2) is possible if both teams win their first two games.
Bates, which made the Sweet 16 in the women’s tournament last year, earned an NCAAs berth for the third time in four years. The Bobcats, led by former Mt. Ararat standout Elsa Daulerio (15.2 points, 9.1 rebounds per game), have made nine tournament appearances in program history.
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