Men's Basketball | 4/5/2021 10:03:10 AM
Six teams will vie for the 2021 Empire 8 Spring Men’s Basketball Championship, which takes place from Tuesday, April 6 to Sunday, April 11, with all matches played at the higher seed. St. John Fisher College, the 2021 E8 regular season champion and top-seed is looking to defend its 2019-20 league title.
Final 2021 Empire 8 Spring Men’s Basketball Championship Seeds
#1 – St. John Fisher (10-0)
#2 – Utica (8-2)
#3 – Nazareth (7-2)
#4 – Russell Sage (3-5)
#5 – Keuka (1-8)
#6 – Elmira (1-9)
The 2021 Empire 8 Spring Men’s Basketball Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
2021 Empire 8 Spring Women's Tennis Championship Schedule
Tuesday, April 6 – First Round
#3 Nazareth College vs. #6 Elmira College – 4 p.m.
#4 Russell Sage College vs. #5 Keuka College –
7 p.m.
Friday, April 9 - Semifinals
#1 St. John Fisher College vs. winner of #4 Russell Sage/#5 Keuka – TBA
#2 Utica College vs. winner of #3 Nazareth/#6 Elmira –
TBA
Sunday, April 11 - Championship
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA at Highest Remaining Seed
St. John Fisher enters the tournament as the top seed and won the 2021 Empire 8 Spring regular season title after going 10-0 in league play. The Cardiinals are looking for their second straight league title and tenth overall in program history. St. John Fisher is out-scoring its opponents by an average of nearly 18 points per game in 2021, while shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor as a team. Sophomore Daniel Cook leads all Empire 8 players in scoring and rebounding, averaging 22.6 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 59.7 percent from the floor. Brendan Trapper is averaging 19.5 points per game, while shooting 57 percent from the floor. Sean Williams is among the E8 leaders, averaging 4.6 assists and 3.0 steals per game.
Utica is attempting to win its first E8 title in program history after advancing to the league semifinals in 2019-20. The Pioneers enter the tournament having won four straight games and are out-scoring opponents by 15 points per contest. Four players are averaging in double figures, while the Pioneers are shooting 47.2 percent from the floor as a team. Kobe Lukin leads the Pioneers in scoring, averaging 11.9 points per game, while averaging 1.9 made 3-pointers per game. Thomas Morreale, the 2019-20 E8 Rookie of the Year, is averaging 11.8 points, while shooting 56.4 percent from the field. Darius Hopkins, Chris Green, Avery Coston and Kimedrick Murphy are all integral contributors for the Pioneers.
Nazareth is looking for its fourth Empire 8 Championship in program history and first since the 2017-18 season. The Golden Flyers are out-scoring its opponents by an average of seven points per game in 2021. Senior Stephen Gabel, a 2019-20 All-Empire 8 First Team selection, is averaging 16.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Zach Stenglein, the 2019-20 E8 Defensive Player of the Year, is right behind, averaging 12.8 points and 3.6 assists per contest to go along with 1.8 steals. Senior Kevin Underwood is averaging 11.8 points in just 19 minutes per game. Jonathan Park, Jordan Haggard and Issac Nelson are also key contributors for the Golden Flyers.
Russell Sage advanced to the Empire 8 Semifinals in 2019-20 for the first time as a member of the E8. Junior guard Jalon Borders, an All-Empire 8 First Team selection in 2019-20, is enjoying another strong season, averaging 15.4 points and 5.9 rebounds to go along with 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per contest. Classmate Amani Cummings is enjoying a breakout season, averaging 14.9 points on 48.9 percent shooting from the floor. Fellow junior Stuart Phair is averaging 8.8 boards, 6.0 boards and 1.9 blocks per game, while shooting 56 percent from the field.
Keuka is in its first season as a member of the Empire 8 conference. Devin Milton, Nana Oteng and Daniel Obunse are all averaging at least 10 points per game this season. Milton leads Keuka by averaging 14.4 points per game, while averaging 4.9 boards per game and 2.3 makes from 3-point range. Oteng is right behind with 14.1 points per game to go along with 4.0 boards and 1.2 steals per contest. Obunse is averaging 10.8 points per game on 47.3 shooting from the floor.
Elmira is in the E8 Tournament for the first time in program history. Shawn Backus leads the Golden Flyers in scoring, averaging 11.4 points to go along with 5.5 rebounds per game. Rashaad Nurse leads Elmira with 6.0 rebounds per game, while adding 9.5 points. Isiah Charles, Harry Ravitz and Kyle Kokoskie are all mainstays in the starting five for the Soaring Eagles.
The Golden Flyers and first round opponent Elmira met earlier in the season on March 3, with Nazareth pulling out a 76-64 win. Keuka won its first contest as a member of the Empire 8 versus Sage in the lone meeting between the two programs on March 21 by a score of 91-79.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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