Central Islip, N.Y. – It took until the final buzzer of the regular season, but the brackets for the 2017 East Coast Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships have been finalized.
Tournament action begins on Wednesday, March 1 with the play-in round on campus sites. The University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Conn. will host the semifinals and finals of both tournaments on Saturday, March 4 and Sunday, March 5.
Men’s Basketball
For the third straight season, St. Thomas Aquinas (23-5, 15-3 ECC) has won the ECC Regular Season Championship to earn the top seed in the men's bracket. The Spartans, who are the reigning ECC Champions and have advanced to the conference's championship game for three straight seasons, enter the tournament on a roll having won 13 of their past 14 contests.
As the top seed, St. Thomas Aquinas earns a bye into the semifinals of the tournament. They await the winner of the first round matchup between No. 4 Daemen (18-8, 12-6 ECC) and No. 5 District of Columbia (14-12, 11-7 ECC). After advancing to the tournament's championship game a season ago, Daemen earns their second straight ECC Championship bid and will host a tournament game for the first time in program history. UDC is also making their second straight appearance and third since joining the ECC in 2011-12. The two teams split their season series with each winning on their home courts.
After missing the tournament for the first time since 2005-2006 a year ago, Molloy (17-10, 13-5 ECC) had a bounce back season to claim the No. 2 seed and a first round bye.
In the semifinals, Molloy will play the winner of the No. 3 Bridgeport (17-11, 12-6 ECC) vs. No. 6 Queens (13-12, 10-8 ECC) matchup. Bridgeport will attempt to win their fourth ECC title in the past five seasons while Queens is back in the field for the first time since the 2013-14 season. The two teams split their season series with Queens winning the previous matchup in Bridgeport's Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium.
Women’s Basketball
On the women’s side, Queens earned their first ECC Regular Season Championship since 2009 with a nearly flawless 17-1 record in conference play (24-3 overall). As the top seed the Knights, who are seeking their third straight ECC Championship, earn a bye into the semifinals.
Queens' semifinal opponent will be either No. 4 seed Roberts Wesleyan (17-11, 11-7 ECC) or No. 5 seed NYIT (16-10, 10-8 ECC). Roberts is making their third straight appearance in the ECC Championship, while NYIT is back in the tournament for the sixth straight year. This is the second straight season the two schools have met in postseason play, as Roberts defeated NYIT in last year's ECC Championship semifinals. This year, Roberts swept the season series and has now won four straight in the series.
Joining Queens with a first round bye is Molloy (20-8, 12-6 ECC). The Lions are back in the bracket for the second straight year in search of their first ECC title since the 2009-2010 season.
The Lions will take on either No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas (18-10, 12-6 ECC) or No. 6 Bridgeport (15-13, 9-9 ECC). St. Thomas Aquinas is in the tournament field for the third straight season and secured their first home playoff game since the 2011-12 season. With their appearance, Bridgeport ends a three year postseason drought. The two teams split their matchups in 2016-17 with the home team winning each contest.
All games during the championship will be broadcast live. The quarterfinal match-ups will be available on the ECC website and host institution's websites. The semi-finals and finals will be broadcast by Pack Network on the ECC's YouTube page. To read Twitter updates throughout the tournament, follow us @ECCsports. Tournament recaps, highlights, interviews, and box scores will also be available on www.eccsports.org at the tournament specific web pages.
2017 East Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Championship
Quarterfinals – Wednesday, March 1 at campus sites
7:00 p.m. - No. 5 Dist. Columbia at No. 4 Daemen
7:00 p.m. - No. 6 Queens at No. 3 Bridgeport
Semifinals – Saturday, March 4 at Bridgeport
5:00 p.m. - UDC/DAE vs. No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas
7:30 p.m. - QC/UB vs. No. 2 Molloy
Final – Sunday, March 5 at Bridgeport
2:30 p.m. - Semifinal winner vs. Semifinal winner
2017 East Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Championship
Quarterfinals – Wednesday, March 1 at campus sites
7:00 p.m. - No. 5 NYIT at No. 4 Roberts Wesleyan
7:00 p.m. - No. 6 Bridgeport at No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas
Semifinals – Saturday, March 4 at Bridgeport
12:00 p.m. - NYIT/RWC vs. No. 1 Queens
2:30 p.m. - UB/STAC vs. No. 2 Molloy
Final – Sunday, March 5 at Bridgeport
12:00 p.m. - Semifinal winner vs. Semifinal winner
