West Babylon, N.Y. – It took until the final day of the regular season but the brackets for the East Coast Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are now set.
Tournament action begins on Wednesday, March 6 with the first round on campus sites. The University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Conn. will host the semifinals and finals of both tournaments in Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium on Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10.
Men's Basketball
For the second time since joining the conference, Daemen has won the league's Regular Season Championship. Unlike the previous time the Wildcats accomplished the feat, they will be the top seed in the conference championship (Daemen was ineligible to compete in ECC and NCAA Championships when they previously won in 2014). Daemen finished the regular season with a 24-4 (16-2 ECC) mark to claim the No. 1 seed. The Wildcats, who earn a bye into the semifinals, enter the tournament ranked in the top-25 in both national polls (No. 19 D2SIDA/No. 22 NABC). In addition, Daemen is also ranked No. 2 in the latest NCAA East Region poll.
The Wildcats await the winner of Wednesday's first round contest featuring No. 4 Bridgeport (16-12, 11-7 ECC) and No. 5 Roberts Wesleyan (14-12, 10-8 ECC).
After clinching the No. 4 seed, Bridgeport will have home court throughout the tournament should they advance as they also serve as the hosts of the semifinals and finals. The Purple Knights, who have won four ECC Championships, are looking to cut down the nets for the first time since 2015. Roberts Wesleyan is back in the bracket for the second consecutive season. The Redhawks are in search of their first-ever ECC Championship victory after a loss in the first appearance a year ago.
Bridgeport swept the season series with Roberts, winning 90-73 in the previous matchup in Hubbell Gymnasium on January 18.
St. Thomas Aquinas (23-5, 15-3 ECC) will attempt to win their fourth straight ECC Championship as the No. 2 seed. The Spartans join Daemen in the semifinals with a first round bye, making this the fifth straight season that they have earned a bye.
The Spartans, who are also ranked No. 6 in the latest NCAA East Region poll and receiving votes in both national polls, will take on the winner of No. 6 District of Columbia (15-13, 8-10 ECC) and No. 3 Molloy (18-9, 14-4 ECC).
Molloy is back in the tournament for the third straight year and for the 12th time in 13 seasons. By earning the No. 3 seed, the Lions will host a first round contest for the first time since the 2014 season. UDC is back in the tournament for the third time in four years. Like Roberts Wesleyan, the Firebirds are in search of their first-ever ECC Championship victory after losing their first game in each of their three previous appearances.
Molloy swept the season series between the two teams, including by a 78-72 margin just last week on their home court in Quealy Gymnasium.
The official bracket for the ECC Men's Basketball Championship. More details will be available on https://t.co/S3hhj0e4Up later this evening. pic.twitter.com/385vx03uGc
— East Coast Conference (@ECCSports) March 4, 2019
Women's Basketball
On the women's side, St. Thomas Aquinas won its first ECC Regular Season title since 2011 to capture the tournament's No. 1 seed. The defending ECC Champions were nearly perfect in league play with a 17-1 record (26-3 overall). The Spartans, winners of 10 straight entering the tournament, are currently ranked No. 5 in the NCAA East Region poll.
St. Thomas Aquinas' semifinal opponent will be either No. 4 LIU Post (17-11, 10-8 ECC) or No. 5 Roberts Wesleyan (14-14, 10-8 ECC). The Pioneers are looking for their third-ever conference title (2001, 2011) in their final appearance in the ECC Championship. Roberts is back in the bracket for the fifth straight season. The Redhawks have played in the first round in each of the five seasons, but this will be the first time they hit the road for the opening round.
The Pioneers and Redhawks split the season series with each team winning on their home court.
After being selected at No. 8 in the conference preseason poll, Daemen was the surprise team of the year by finishing with an 18-9 overall, 15-3 ECC record to earn the No. 2 seed in the bracket. The Wildcats, who are back in the bracket for the second straight season, are in search of their first tournament victory since joining the ECC.
Daemen will take on either No. 3 NYIT (20-8, 12-6 ECC) or No. 6 Bridgeport (12-16, 8-10 ECC) in the semifinals. NYIT is back in the tournament for an ECC-high eighth straight season. The Bears have advanced to the final of the ECC Championship in four of the past six seasons but are still in search of their first-ever ECC title. Bridgeport is back in the tournament for the second time in three seasons after missing out a year ago. The Purple Knights are in search of their first conference championship since 2005.
NYIT swept the season series between the two schools. Both matchups were tight with NYIT winning by eight and five points, respectively.
The official bracket for the ECC Women's Basketball Championship. More details will be available on https://t.co/S3hhj0e4Up later this evening. pic.twitter.com/H5PwbyslgR
— East Coast Conference (@ECCSports) March 4, 2019
Follow Live
Each game of the championship will be broadcast live on the ECC Network website. 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 and final games from Bridgeport will be syndicated to watch live on the ECC Facebook and Twitter pages.
Twitter updates will also be available throughout the tournament, follow @ECCSports. To see highlights during the semifinal and final 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.
2019 East Coast Conference Men's Basketball Championship (click for tournament central)
First Round – Wednesday, March 6 at campus sites
7:00 p.m. - No. 5 Roberts Wesleyan at No. 4 Bridgeport
7:00 p.m. - No. 6 Dist. Columbia at No. 3 Molloy
Semifinals – Saturday, March 9 at Bridgeport
5:00 p.m. - RWC/UB vs. No. 1 Daemen
7:30 p.m. - UDC/MOL vs. No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas
Final – Sunday, March 10 at Bridgeport
2:30 p.m. - Semifinal winner vs. Semifinal winner
2019 East Coast Conference Women's Basketball Championship (click for tournament central)
First Round – Wednesday, March 6 at campus sites
7:00 p.m. - No. 5 Roberts Wesleyan at No. 4 LIU Post
7:30 p.m. - No. 6 Bridgeport at No. 3 NYIT
Semifinals – Saturday, March 9 at Bridgeport
12:00 p.m. - RWC/LIUP vs. No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas
2:30 p.m. - UB/NYIT vs. No. 2 Daemen
Final – Sunday, March 10 at Bridgeport
12:00 p.m. - Semifinal winner vs. Semifinal winner
