West Babylon, N.Y. - It took until the thrilling end of the regular season on Sunday afternoon, but the bracket for the ECC Men's Basketball Championship is now set.
Tournament action begins on Wednesday, March 4 with the first round taking place at on-campus sites. The University of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. will host the semifinals and finals of the tournament at the UDC Sports Complex on Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8.
For the second time in three seasons, Bridgeport enters the tournament as the top seed after claiming the league's regular season championship. The Purple Knights were nearly unbeaten in ECC play, compiling a 15-1 record (23-3 overall). Bridgeport is currently the No. 1 team in the latest NCAA East Region rankings and is ranked in both the NABC (No. 16) and D2SIDA (No. 12) Top 25 poll, as well.
The Purple Knights, who are attempting to win an ECC title for the fifth time, receive a bye to the semifinals of the tournament in our nation's capital. Bridgeport awaits the winner of the matchup between No. 4 Molloy and No. 5 New York Tech.
Molloy (8-8, 11-16 ECC) is back in the bracket for the fourth straight season and 13th time in 14 seasons as they look to defend their ECC title.
Tech (7-21, 6-10 ECC) is back in the tournament for the first time since 2015. They clinched their appearance with a thrilling overtime victory over Daemen on the final day of the regular season. The Bears have never won an ECC title. Only once have they even made the final, coming in the 2002 season.
Molloy and New York Tech split their season series. Both games were decided by just two points. Molloy won the previous contest on their home court with a buzzer-beater.
On the other side of the bracket, St. Thomas Aquinas (23-5, 13-3 ECC) earns the No. 2 seed. This marks the sixth straight season the Spartans have earned a bye. In search of their fourth ECC title in five seasons, St. Thomas Aquinas enters the tournament joining Bridgeport as a ranked team in each of the Division II national polls (No. 17 D2SIDA/No. 12 NABC).
The Spartans, who are also ranked No. 2 in the latest NCAA East Region poll, will take on the winner of No. 6 Queens (8-18, 6-10 ECC) and No. 3 Daemen (23-7, 12-4 ECC).
Daemen earns a spot in the tournament for the fifth year in a row. Like Bridgeport and St. Thomas Aquinas, Daemen is also listed in the NCAA East Region rankings, coming in at No. 7 in the latest poll. The Wildcats will attempt to win their first-ever ECC Championship. Their lone appearance in the tournament final came the last time the tournament was held in Washington, D.C. in 2016.
Queens is back in the tournament for the first time since 2017. The Knights have twice won an ECC title, with the last coming during the 2005 season.
Daemen swept the season series between the two teams, winning by margins of eight and 10 points.
Follow Live
Each game of the championship will be broadcast live. The First Round and Semifinal contests will be broadcast on the ECC Network at www.eccsportsnetwork.com. The games will also be available on the ECC Network app. Download the ECC Network app on any Apple or Android mobile devices or on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku OTT streaming devices. In addition, the semifinal games from Washington will be syndicated to watch live on the ECC Facebook and Twitter pages.
The championship final will stream live on www.espn.com and the ESPN app as part of the NCAA Division II Showcase.
Twitter updates will also be available throughout the tournament, follow @ECCSports. To see highlights during the semifinal contests, follow @ECCSportsNet on Twitter. Tournament recaps, live stats, box scores, and all other pertinent tournament information will also be available on at the tournament central web pages.
2020 East Coast Conference Men's Basketball Championship
First Round – Wednesday, March 4 at campus sites
7:00 p.m. - No. 6 Queens at No. 3 Daemen
7:30 p.m. - No. 5 New York Tech at No. 4 Molloy
Semifinals – Saturday, March 7 at UDC
5:00 p.m. - NYT/MOL vs. No. 1 Bridgeport
7:30 p.m. - QC/DAE vs. No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas
Final – Sunday, March 8 at UDC
2:35 p.m. - Semifinal winner vs. Semifinal winner
