Men's Basketball | 2/19/2026 12:00:00 PM
Russell Sage College, Nazareth University, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Poly, SUNY Brockport, Utica University, Keuka College and St. John Fisher University will compete for the 2025-26 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Championship, which starts on Saturday, Feb. 21 and wraps up Saturday, Feb. 28, with all games played at the higher seed.
All eight teams will be in action for opening round play on Saturday, Feb. 21, as No. 1 Russell Sage will host No. 8 St. John Fisher, No. 2 Nazareth hosts No. 7 Keuka, No. 6 Utica travels to take on No. 3 SUNY Geneseo and No. 5 SUNY Brockport heads east to face No. 4 SUNY Poly. The winner of Russell Sage vs. St. John Fisher will take on the winner of Poly vs. Brockport on Wednesday, Feb. 25, while the winner of Nazareth vs. Keuka will face the winner of SUNY Geneseo vs. Utica, also on Wednesday. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2026 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the highest remaining seed.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship, which begins March 6-7.
2025-26 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament Participants
No. 1 – Russell Sage (13-3 E8, 21-4 Overall)
No. 2 – Nazareth (13-3 E8, 18-7 Overall)
No. 3 – SUNY Geneseo (11-5 E8, 15-10 Overall)
No. 4 – SUNY Poly (11-5, E8, 18-7 Overall)
No. 5 – SUNY Brockport (10-6 E8, 14-11 Overall)
No. 6 – Utica (10-6 E8, 17-8 Overall)
No. 7 – Keuka (9-7 E8, 12-13 Overall)
No. 8 – St. John Fisher (8-8 E8, 12-13 Overall)
The 2025-26 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.
2025-26 Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship Schedule
Saturday, February 21 – First Round (at Higher Seed)
No. 8 St. John Fisher at No. 1 Russell Sage – 2 p.m.
No. 7 Keuka at No. 2 Nazareth – 4 p.m.
No. 6 Utica at No. 3 SUNY Geneseo – 4 p.m.
No. 5 SUNY Brockport at No. 4 SUNY Poly – 4 p.m.
Wednesday, February 25 – Semifinals (at Higher Seed)
Winner of Russell Sage/St. John Fisher vs. Winner of Poly/Brockport – TBA
Winner of Nazareth/Keuka vs. Winner of Geneseo/Utica – TBA
Saturday, February 28 - Championship Final (at Highest Remaining Seed)
Winner of Semifinal No. 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal No. 2 - TBA
Russell Sage enters the E8 Tournament having earned the regular season crown No. 1 seed for the first time in program history. The Gators finished 13-3 in E8 play and are 21-4 overall on the season. The Gators are making their fifth E8 Championship Tournament appearance. Russell Sage is the top offensive team in the league, scoring 86.4 points per contest. Four different players are averaging at least 11 points per game. Brandon Harris is fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 17.7 points, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game, while Pape Tunkara is ninth, averaging 15.7 points per contest and leads the league with 2.7 steals a game. Khalel Noteman is third in the league, shooting 56 percent from the floor, while averaging 13.3 points and 7.3 caroms per game. Kyle Dhu is averaging 11.0 points per contest.
Nazareth, the 2022 E8 Champion, is attempting to win fifth its fifth league championship in program history. The second-seeded Golden Flyers enter the tournament with 18-7 overall record, having finished 13-3 in league play. Senior Jaylen Savage, the 2023 E8 Rookie of the Year, 2025 E8 Player of the Year and All-American, is sixth in the league in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game. He is fifth in the league, shooting 85.7 percent from the free throw line and enters the tournament with 1,709 career points. Luke Insley leads the Empire 8 and is among the national leaders with 6.8 assists per game, while adding 11.1 points per game. Insley dished out 7.3 assists per game in league play. Sophomore Merrit Holly is second in the league in field goal percentage, shooting 59.7 percent from the floor, while averaging a double-double with 14.9 points and a league-best 10.8 boards per game. Tyler Putney and Solomon McFarlane have also played a key role for the Golden Flyers.
SUNY Geneseo enters the E8 Tournament as the No. 3 seed, having finished 11-5 in league and play and is 15-10 overall. The Knights have three players averaging at least 13 points per game. Josh Garelle leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game. He is also fourth in the E8, shooting 55.3 percent from the floor to go along with 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Robert Pericolosi is averaging 13.7 points and a team-high averages of 7.5 boards and 3.2 assists per game. Trevor Hofer is averaging 13.1 points per contest and leads the league in shooting from 3-point range at 51.5 percent. Colin Gentile, Justin Yearwood and Casey Jackson are all key contributors for the Knights.
SUNY Poly enters the tournament with a 18-7 overall mark, having finished 11-5 in Empire 8 play in the second straight season. The fourth-seeded Wildcats advanced to the E8 Championship game last season, also as the No. 4 seed. Anthony Rose leads the Wildcats and is third in the league in scoring, averaging 19.1 points per game on 49 percent shooting from the floor and 85 percent shooting from the foul line. Kamryn Comstock is second in the team in scoring, averaging 10.4 points per game to go along with a team-best 7.1 boards per game. Hydara Oumaru is averaging 10.2 points, while Marqiis Samuels leads the team with 3.3 assists per game, while chipping in with just under 10 points a contest. William Scanlon is second in the E8, shooting 45.5 percent from 3-point range with 55 made baskets from downtown.
SUNY Brockport rebounded from a slow start to league play to enter the tournament having won seven straight and eight of their last nine games. The fifth-seeded Golden Eagles have three players averaging in double figures. Jacob Oka is averaging 12.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, while Camron Dyr is right behind with 12.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. First-year standout Pharell Aybar is averaging 11.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He enters the tournament having averaged 21.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists over his last four games. Ajani Flemming and Omar White have also played major minutes for Brockport this season.
Utica is looking to win its third straight Empire 8 title and fourth in the last six seasons, while trying to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year. The Pioneers enter the tournament with an 17-8 overall record, while finishing 10-6 in league play. Dayion Thompson, Jordan Cain, Liam Teague and Keyaton Parks lead the way for the Pioneers. Thompson is averaging 16.2 points per game and leads the league in free throw shooting at 88.4 percent. Jordan Cain is averaging 14.4 points and is second in the league with 2.4 steals per game. Liam Teague is averaging 12.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, while Keyaton Parks leads the E8 in field goal percentage, making 70 percent of his shots from the floor to go along with 7.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per contest. The Pioneers are in the tournament for the seventh straight season.
Keuka enters the Empire 8 Tournament as the No. 7 seed, having finished 9-7 in conference play. The Wolves enter the tournament having won five of their last six games. Lamar Lovelace leads the Empire 8 in scoring, averaging 21.3 points per game, including nearly 23 points per contest in league play, while shooting 86 percent from the foul line. He also averages 5.9 boards and 2.4 assists per game. Akinlana Popoola is averaging 13.9 points, while Kaleb Morrison is averaging 9.7 points and 7.0 boards per game and Makya Morrison leads Keuka with 7.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
St. John Fisher, the No. 8 seed, will attempt to win their 11th E8 title in program history. The Cardinals enter the tournament having won 12 games on the season, including eight in conference play. Maximus Michalski leads the Cardinals, averaging 12.2 points and 6.4 boards per game to go along with a league best 2.0 blocks per contest. Andrew Violante is second on the team, averaging 9.6 points per game and a team-best 1.7 steals per game, while newcomer Mekhi Gidney is averaging 9.5 points. Max Schneider leads St. John Fisher with 3.2 assists per game.
Russell Sage won the lone regular season matchup against St. John Fisher, 85-70 on Jan. 24. Nazareth earned a pair of wins over Keuka, 71-54 at home on Jan. 17 and 71-63 on the road on Feb. 13. SUNY Geneseo defeated Utica in both regular season contests, 77-74 in overtime at Utica on Jan. 17 and 75-57 at home on Feb. 13. SUNY Poly and SUNY Brockport split their regular season contests, with each team winning on their home court. Poly defeated Brockport, 94-64 on Jan. 17, while Brockport earned a 70-55 win on Feb. 13.
Admission
$10.00 - Adults
$2.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12