Men's Basketball | 2/21/2025 10:30:12 AM
SUNY Brockport, Utica University, Nazareth University, SUNY Poly, Alfred University, Russell Sage College, Houghton University, and SUNY Geneseo will compete for the 2024-25 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Championship, which starts on Saturday, Feb. 22 and wraps up Saturday, March 1, with all games played at the higher seed.
All eight teams will be in action for opening round play on Saturday, Feb. 22, as No. 1 Brockport will host No. 8 Geneseo, No. 2 Utica hosts No. 7 Houghton, No. 6 Russell Sage travels to take on No. 3 Nazareth and No. 5 Alfred heads east to face No. 4 Poly. The winner of Brockport vs. Geneseo will take on the winner of Poly vs. Alfred on Wednesday, Feb. 26, while the winner of Utica vs. Houghton will face the winner of Nazareth vs. Russell Sage, also on Wednesday. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2025 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday, March 1 at a time to be determined.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship, which begins March 7-8.
2024-25 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament Participants
No. 1 – SUNY Brockport (14-2 E8, 16-9 Overall)
No. 2 – Utica (12-4 E8, 18-7 Overall)
No. 3 – Nazareth (11-5 E8, 16-9 Overall)
No. 4 – SUNY Poly (11-5, E8, 16-9 Overall)
No. 5 – Alfred (10-6 E8, 14-11 Overall)
No. 6 – Russell Sage (9-7 E8, 16-9 Overall)
No. 7 – Houghton (8-8 E8, 13-12 Overall
No. 8 – SUNY Geneseo (6-10 E8, 9-16 Overall)
The 2024-25 Empire 8 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 X and Instagram (@Empire8) and
www.empire8.com.
2024-25 Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship Schedule
Saturday, February 22 – First Round (at Higher Seed)
No. 8 SUNY Geneseo at No. 1 SUNY Brockport – 4 p.m.
No. 7 Houghton at No. 2 Utica – 3 p.m.
No. 6 Russell Sage at No. 3 Nazareth – 4 p.m.
No. 5 Alfred at No. 4 SUNY Poly – 2 p.m.
Wednesday, February 26 – Semifinals (at Higher Seed)
Winner of Brockport/Geneseo vs. Winner of SUNY Poly/Alfred – TBA
Winner of Utica/Houghton vs. Nazareth/Russell Sage – TBA
Saturday, March 1 - Championship Final (at Highest Remaining Seed)
Winner of Semifinal No. 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal No. 2 - TBA
SUNY Brockport has enjoyed a tremendous first season as an Empire 8 member, winning the regular season title with a 14-2 mark in league play. The top-seeded Golden Eagles leads the Empire 8 in scoring, averaging 82.1 points per game, with seven players averaging more than 20 minutes of action per game and seven student-athletes averaging between 7.8 and 12.9 points per game. Mekhi Beckett leads the Golden Eagles in scoring, averaging 12.9 points per game. Tony Arnold is third in the Empire 8, averaging 3.6 assists per contest, while leading the league in steals per contest with 2.3 per contest. Jakhi Lewis is right behind Arnold, second in the league with 2.1 steals per game. Brockport out-scored opponents by 9.4 points per game in league play this season and was the top 3-point shooting team in conference action. Zachary Rice, Alex Tavarez, Nathaniel Gordon, Jacob Oka and Colby Jordan have played major minutes for Brockport this season.
Utica is looking to win its third Empire 8 title in the last five seasons and make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year. The Pioneers enter the tournament with an 18-7 overall record and finished 12-4 in league play. Utica is 46-6 in E8 play over the last three seasons. The Pioneers leads the league in team field goal percentage at 47.1 percent and 3-point shooting at 39.2 percent. Dayion Thompson, Hagen Foley and Damien Call form a formidable trio for the Pioneers. Thompson is averaging 16.2 points per game and leads the league in free throw shooting at 91.1 percent and is second from 3-point range at 43.1 percent. Thompson is also sixth in the league in steals (1.8) per game. Damien Call is averaging 13.8 points per game and is fourth in the E8 in rebounding (7.4 per game), fifth with 3.4 assists per game and seventh in shooting percentage (51.5 percent). Hagen Foley is a strong shooter who is averaging 16.2 points per game, while sitting sixth in the league in field goal percentage at 52.3 percent and is shooting 45 percent from behind the arc. The Pioneers are in the tournament for the sixth straight season.
Nazareth, the 2022 E8 Champion, is attempting to win fifth its fifth league championship in program history. The third-seeded Golden Flyers enter the tournament with 16-9 overall record, having finished 11-5 in league play. Junior Jaylen Savage, the 2023 E8 Rookie of the Year, leads all Empire 8 players in scoring, averaging 20.4 points per game, including more than 21 points per game in league play. He is second in the league, shooting 87.5 percent from the free throw line to go along with 6.0 boards and 1.7 steals per game. Luke Insley leads the Empire 8 and is among the national leaders with 6.8 assists per game, while adding 11.6 points per game. Insley dished out 7.9 assists per game in league play. Tyler Putney had made 73 shots from behind the arc this season, while first-year Merrit Holly leads all E8 players in field goal percentage, shooting 64 percent from the floor. Solomon McFarlane has also played a key role for the Golden Flyers, who have played in each of the last three E8 Championship games.
SUNY Poly enters the tournament with a 16-9 overall mark, having finished 11-5 in Empire 8 play. The fourth-seeded Wildcats are the second highest scoring team in the league, averaging 79.2 points per game. Four players average at least 13.5 points per game. LaMarquis Merchant Jr. is second in the league in assists per game (5.6) and third in steals per contest (2.1), while shooting 53.6 percent from the floor, fourth in the league, and 83.6 percent from the line (fifth). Daimarr Miller and Anthony Rose are seventh and eighth in the E8, both averaging 15.8 points per contest. Rose is also fifth in the league in blocks and is shooting 50 percent from the floor. Miller leads the league with 82 made 3-pointers. Cheickne Toure is also averaging 14.5 points per contest for the potent Poly offense in 2024-25.
Alfred enters the Empire 8 Tournament as the No. 5 seed, finishing 10-6 in conference play. The Saxons enter the tournament having won six of their last seven games. Alfred, who won the 2019 Empire 8 Championship, has advanced to the league semifinals in each of the last three seasons. The Saxons have allowed just 61.6 points in league play, nearly eight points less than the rest of the league. In addition, the Saxons lead the league with 240 made 3-pointers. Tyler Hind leads the Saxons in scoring, averaging 12.2 points per game, while converting on 58 made 3-pointers. Amoi Charles is a force on both ends of the court, averaging 11.7 points per game, while pulling down 6.3 rebounds per game to go along with 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. Tyler Curran, Ziob Baitey and Oscar Wolter average at least 25 minutes of action per game.
Russell Sage enters the E8 Tournament riding a three-game winning streak and is 16-9 overall on the season. The No. 6 seed Gators are making their fourth E8 Championship Tournament appearance and first since 2022. Russell Sage is the top defensive team in the league, allowing 66.2 points per contest, while allowing opponents to shoot just 38.7 percent from the floor. Trevor Green leads the Gators in scoring, averaging 13.0 points per game, while Brandon Harris has averaged over 15 points per contest in league play. Noah Girard leads the Gators with 46 made 3-pointers. Avery Oduro-Dompreh is averaging 10.0 points and 7.4 boards per game and leads the Empire 8 with 1.4 blocked shots per contest. He also led all student-athletes, shooting 62.4 percent from the floor in E8 play.
Houghton has advanced to the Empire 8 Championship for the third straight season. Houghton has the second, third and fourth leading scorers in the conference in Jajuan Preaster (17.0 points per game), Lou Bellamy (16,7 points per game), and Christian Sage (16.3 points per game). Bellamy also leads the league in rebounding, averaging 9.1 caroms per contest. Both Preaster and Bellamy are shooting over 50 percent on the season. Sage is third in the league in both free throw percentage (84.9 percent) and 3-point shooting (42.4 percent). He is also fourth, averaging 3.5 assists per contest. Houghton is averaging 78.7 points per game this season, third most in the league.
SUNY Geneseo clinched the No. 8 seed on the final day of the regular season. The Knights have three players averaging at least 10 points per game. Josh Garelle leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game. He is also second in the E8, shooting 55 percent from the floor. Robert Pericolosi is averaging 11.4 points and a team-high 7.9 boards per game. Colin Gentile is averaging 10.2 points per contest and leads the Knights with 37 made 3-pointers.
SUNY Brockport won both regular season matchups against SUNY Geneseo, including an 87-73 win in the regular season finale on Feb. 18. Utica defeated Houghton by a score of 80-56 at home in their lone matchup on Jan. 17. Russell Sage won both previous regular season matchups against Nazareth, including a 76-58 win on the road on Feb. 14. SUNY Poly needed overtime to defeat Alfred at home, 67-63 on Jan. 17.
Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$4.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12
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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