WEST BABYLON, N.Y. – After facing off in the ECC Men's Basketball Championship title game earlier this afternoon, both St. Thomas Aquinas and Daemen have been selected to play in the East Regional portion of the upcoming NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship, as the the full 64-team NCAA tournament bracket was revealed on Sunday evening in a selection show broadcast at NCAA.com. The No. 2 Spartans of St. Thomas Aquinas College and No. 4 Wildcats of Daemen University will represent the ECC at No. 1 seed Saint Michael's College's Vincent C. Ross Sports Center in Colchester, Vt. this upcoming weekend. Ticket information for the East Regional will be announced later this week.
No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas (24-5) will face No. 7 Post (20-9) from the CACC in the East Regional quarterfinals on Saturday, March 16 at 2:30 p.m.
St. Thomas Aquinas had already qualified for its ninth consecutive consecutive trip the the field of 64 on the strength of Sunday's 77-66 ECC Championship victory over Daemen in the final. Eight bids were awarded in the region with champions from the ECC (St. Thomas Aquinas), Northeast-10 (So. New Hampshire), and Central Atlantic (Jefferson) capturing automatic bids and the others issued on an at-large basis.
The Spartans and Eagles squared off on November 18, 2023 in the STAC Basketball Classic at Aquinas Hall Gymnasium in Sparkill, N.Y. Down three in the final seconds of regulation, Ethan Millirons heaved up a prayer of a shot from a step over half court that would swish through the net to tie the game at 98-98 and force overtime. In the extra session, Post outscored STAC 11 to 9, but the game once again came down to final shot, this one by the Eagles' Bol Akot to secure a 109-107 OT victory for the visitors from Waterbury.
No. 4 Daemen (24-8) will face 2024 CACC tournament champion No. 5 Jefferson (23-8) in the East Regional quarterfinals on Saturday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m.
With their highest NCAA East Regional seed in program history, the No. 4 Wildcats previously competed in the NCAA tournament in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Daemen arrowly missed earning an at-large bid the past two seasons. Daemen has gone 12-2 since suffering a 92-82 loss at St. Thomas Aquinas back on Jan. 19. Daemen advanced to the ECC Tournament title game, but suffered a 77-66 loss at top-seed St. Thomas Aquinas. Daemen has featured a balanced scoring attack and solid defense thus far. Six players are averaging in double figures and the Wildcats lead the ECC in fewest points allowed per game (71.4).
Dylan Fasoyiro averaged 21.3 points during the ECC Tournament and was named to the All-Tournament Team. He is averaging a team-high 17.4 points overall with 63 three-pointers. ECC Defensive Player of the Year Joey Atkins is averaging 12.3 points and 7.4 rebounds. A five-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection, he ranks third among the ECC leaders in both blocks (52) and steals (50). Saturday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between Daemen and Jefferson.
The regional champion advances to the Elite Eight, which begins at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., on March 26. A national champion will be crowned on March 30.
NCAA DIVISION II EAST REGIONAL
At Saint Michael's College, Colchester, Vt.
Quarterfinals – Saturday, March 16
#1 Saint Michael's (22-8) vs. #8 Southern Connecticut State (22-10)
#2 St. Thomas Aquinas (24-5) vs. #7 Post (20-9)
#3 Southern New Hampshire (21-10) vs. #6 Bloomfield (22-9)
#4 Daemen (24-8) vs. #5 Jefferson (23-8)
Semifinals – Sunday, March 17
Saint Michael's-Southern Connecticut State winner vs. Daemen-Jefferson winner
St. Thomas Aquinas-Post winner vs. Southern New Hampshire-Bloomfield winner
Championship – Tuesday, March 19