NCAA EAST REGIONAL CENTRAL | INTERACTIVE BRACKET | PRINTABLE BRACKET | NCAA RELEASE | SELECTION SHOW REPLAY | DIVISION II REGIONALS GUIDE
INDIANAPOLIS – The Southern New Hampshire University men's basketball team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship on Sunday night, as the Penmen were tapped for the No. 2 seed by the NCAA Selection Committee and will take on seventh-seeded Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday, March 11 in the quarterfinal round of the East Regional, which will be hosted by Le Moyne College at the Henninger Athletic Center in Syracuse, N.Y.
SNHU, one of six teams from the Northeast-10 Conference to make the regional, receives an invitation to the NCAA Tournament for the 20th time in the program's history just one day after falling short in its bid to repeat as NE10 Champions with a loss in the conference final to Saint Anselm College.
Southern New Hampshire, which will be making its third straight tourney appearance and fourth in five years, will set out to capture its second regional title in three seasons against a team it defeated at home, 95-79, back on Jan. 18. SNHU is 52-21 all-time against Southern Connecticut, including 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament. The Owls recorded an 80-61 win at the SNHU Fieldhouse in the 1997 Northeast Regional, while the Penmen notched a 75-68 victory in the East Regional final down in Springfield, Mass., in 2015.
The victor of the Southern New Hampshire and Southern Connecticut tilt will move on to the semifinal round to play the winner of No. 3 College of Saint Rose and No. 6 Bloomfield College on Sunday. SNHU posted a 75-64 regular-season win against Saint Rose on Jan. 4 before eking out a 65-63 victory in the NE10 Championship semifinal. The Penmen also defeated Bloomfield in the regular season, 86-81, Dec. 16. Overall, SNHU is 6-5 this season vs. the East Regional field.
The regional final is slated for Tuesday, March 14, with the Elite Eight set to take place March 22-25 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Southern New Hampshire is 27-19 (.587) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, having made Elite Eight trips in 1980, 1981, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 2015, as well as Final Fours in 1993 and 1994. Last season, the Penmen became the first No. 8 seed ever to knock off a No. 1 in the East Regional with an 88-80 win against Holy Family University before suffering a heart-breaking 75-74 overtime loss to eventual Regional Champion Stonehill College in the semis.
SNHU will enter the tournament at 21-8 overall, coming off its third NE10 Championship Final appearance in the last five seasons. The Penmen, who captured their second NE10 Regular-Season Championship and the Northeast Division's top seed, as well as home court throughout the tournament, rallied from 14 down in the second half to defeat Adelphi University, the Southwest's fourth seed, 97-95, in the quarterfinals before squeaking out another two-point victory against the Saint Rose, the No. 2 seed in the Southwest, in the semifinals. In the first ever title game meeting between the crosstown rivals, Saint Anselm held off SNHU in the final minute for a 73-68 win to steal the crown.
Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, children and students with a valid ID.
Stay tuned to SNHUPenmen.com for more information on the NCAA East Regional.
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2017 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship - East Regional
Hosted by Le Moyne College
Henninger Athletic Center – Syracuse, N.Y.
Saturday, March 11 - First Round
No. 3 Saint Rose vs. No. 6 Bloomfield - 12 p.m.
No. 2 Southern New Hampshire vs. No. 7 Southern Connecticut - 2:30 p.m.
No. 1 Le Moyne vs. No. 8 Merrimack - 5 p.m.
No. 4 Saint Anselm vs. No. 5 Saint Thomas Aquinas - 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 12 - Semifinals
So. New Hampshire/So. Connecticut winner vs. Saint Rose/Bloomfield winner - 5 p.m.
Le Moyne/Merrimack winner vs. Saint Anselm/Saint Thomas Aquinas winner - 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 14 - Championship
Semifinal Winners - 7 p.m.
