Men's Basketball | 2/28/2022 2:26:00 PM
Tournament bracket
Empire 8 Conference champion Nazareth has been chosen to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Division III Tournament for men's basketball this weekend.
The Golden Flyers (23-4 overall) will play Westfield State (22-4) of Massachusetts in a first-round match-up Friday at 6:05 p.m. on Mike Daley Court at the Kidera Gymnasium. That game will be preceded a game between Emerson (18-7) and UMass-Dartmouth (24-4) at 3:35 p.m. The winners will meet Saturday at 6:05 p.m. for a berth in the tournament's Sweet 16. Tickets for each day are $15 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens.
"This what we've played for all season," said Nazareth Coach
Kevin Broderick. "It's an honor for Nazareth to be able to host the first two rounds."
Nazareth will be making its ninth NCAA Tournament appearance for men's basketball. The Golden Flyers qualified automatically with weekend wins over St. John Fisher and Utica. Nazareth's 2021-22 season has included some historic milestones, including a 17-game winning streak and a record-equaling 23 wins.
Westfield State is making its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the championship of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference with a 80-66 win over Worcester State. The Owls will bring a 10-game winning streak into tournament play.
Emerson and UMass-Dartmouth each made the 64-team field as at-large selections. Emerson competes in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference and lost in the conference championship game to Worcester Polytechnic Institute. UMass-Dartmouth competes in the Little East Conference and lost in its conference championship game, 71-69 in overtime, to Keene State.
This weekend's games will mark just the second time that Nazareth has hosted an NCAA Tournament game for men's basketball. The other time was in 1984 when the Golden Flyers won the NCAA's East Region and lost to Clark University in the national quarterfinals.