WEST BABYLON, N.Y. – The bracket for the East Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Championship is now finalized after the conclusion of regular-season play earlier today.
Tournament action begins on Wednesday, March 6 with the first round at on-campus sites. After clinching the ECC Regular-Season Championship for a fourth consecutive year, St. Thomas Aquinas will host the semifinals and final of the tournament at Aquinas Hall Gymnasium on their campus in Sparkill, N.Y. on Saturday, March 9, and Sunday, March 10.
St. Thomas Aquinas earns hosting duties and is the tournament's top seed after continuing their run of dominance over the ECC. After compiling a 14-2 record (23-5 overall) in conference play, the Spartans have now won at least a share of seven of the past 10 ECC regular-season titles and earned a first-round bye for the ninth straight season (excluding the 2021 season when only four teams played in the tournament).
The four-time defending champion Spartans, who will attempt to win their eighth ECC Championship in the past nine seasons, will start their tournament awaiting the winner of the match-up between No. 4 Roberts Wesleyan and No. 5 District of Columbia. STAC went 3-1 against both in the regular season, with a sweep of the Firebirds and a split with the Redhawks.
Roberts Wesleyan (12-12, 9-7 ECC) returns to the bracket for the fourth season in a row. The Redhawks, who have advanced to the semifinals in each of the last two seasons, are still in search of their first-ever ECC title.
UDC (10-15, 8-8 ECC) makes their third straight trip to the ECC Championship and seventh since joining the conference in 2012. The Firebirds are still in search of their first-ever ECC Championship win after being eliminated in their tournament opener five times in their last six appearances.
The Redhawks and Firebirds split their pair of meetings in the regular season, with UDC taking a 77-65 decision at home on February 3 and Roberts Wesleyan earning an 87-74 victory at home on February 24.
On the other side of the bracket, Staten Island (19-9, 13-3 ECC) earns the No. 2 seed. The Dolphins made their first-ever appearance in the conference tournament last year in their first season of Division II postseason eligibility after transitioning from Division III.
CSI awaits the winner of No. 3 Daemen (22-7, 12-4 ECC) and No. 6 Queens (12-15, 6-10 ECC). The Dolphins went a perfect 4-0 against both in the regular season.
Daemen is making its ninth consecutive ECC Championship appearance. The Wildcats advanced to the championship game of the tournament four times, including the last three seasons, but fell to St. Thomas Aquinas each time.
Queens returns to the tournament for the first time since 2022; the Knights have won the trophy twice, in 2002 and 2005.
The Wildcats and Knights split their pair of regular-season meetings, with Queens earning an 81-79 overtime win at home on December 10 and the Wildcats taking a 78-56 decision at home on January 28.
Follow Live
Each game of the championship will be broadcast live on the ECC Sports Network website. The games will also be available on the ECC Network app. Download the ECC Network app on any Apple or Android mobile device or on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, and Roku OTT streaming devices.
Twitter updates will also be available throughout the tournament, at @ECCSports. Tournament recaps, live stats, box scores, and all other pertinent tournament information will also be available on the tournament central page.
2024 East Coast Conference Men's Basketball Championship
First Round – Wednesday, March 6 at No. 3 and No. 4 seeds
7:00 PM - No. 6 Queens at No. 3 Daemen
No. 5 District of Columbia at No. 4 Roberts Wesleyan
Semifinals – Saturday, March 9 at St. Thomas Aquinas (Sparkill, N.Y.)
Winner of No. 5/No. 4 vs. No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas
Winner of No. 6/No. 3 vs. No. 2 Staten Island
Final – Sunday, March 10 at St. Thomas Aquinas (Sparkill, N.Y.)
Semifinal winner vs. semifinal winner
Times TBA