Indianapolis – For the first time since 2009 the East Coast Conference will have multiple men's basketball teams competing in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. ECC Champion, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Regular Season Champion, Bridgeport, were both included in the bracket of 64 teams that will compete for the Division II National Championship.
St. Thomas Aquinas earned the conference's automatic berth after winning their third straight ECC Championship on Sunday with an 82-65 win over Bridgeport. The win moved the Spartans' record to 26-6 on the season and clinched a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
St. Thomas Aquinas, the defending East Region Champion, earned the No. 2 seed in the East Region bracket. The Spartans opening round opponent is No. 7 Bloomfield of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). The two matched up earlier this season with the Spartans coming away with an 83-79 overtime victory on Bloomfield's home court.
After having a 16 game winning streak snapped in the final of the ECC Championship on Sunday, Bridgeport still earns an at-large berth and the No. 3 seed. The Purple Knights will be making their 22nd appearance in the tournament and 10th in the 18 year career of head coach, Mike Ruane.
Bridgeport will take on No. 6 Merrimack in the opening round. The two played in November, also on a neutral court, with the Purple Knights emerging victorious by a 98-79 margin.
Le Moyne earns the top seed for the second straight season and will host the regional at Ted Grant Court on their campus in Syracuse, N.Y. Le Moyne, who was the champion of the NE10 will take on No. 8 seed and CACC Champion, Jefferson..
The matchup in the East Region bracket will feature NE10 members, No 4 Saint Anselm and No. 5 Saint Rose.
St. Thomas Aquinas holds a 4-2 record against teams in the East Region bracket this season. They finished 1-2 with their three matchups with Bridgeport, while also picking up victories over Le Moyne, Bloomfield, and Jefferson.
Bridgeport also enjoyed success against fellow East Regional participants with a 4-3 record. They beat STAC in the teams' two regular season matchups and also defeated Merrimack and Bloomfield. Their losses came against STAC in the conference final, Jefferson, and Saint Anselm.
The tournament gets under way on Saturday, March 10. The semifinals take place the following day, Sunday, March 11, and after a day off, the championship game will be on Tuesday, March 13.
To view the full 64 team bracket, click here.
2018 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball East Regional
Quarterfinals - Saturday, March 10
No. 1 Le Moyne (24-6) vs. No. 8 Jefferson (21-13)
No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas (26-6) vs. No. 7 Bloomfield (22-7)
No. 3 Bridgeport (25-5) vs. No. 6 Merrimack (19-11)
No. 4 Saint Anselm (22-8) vs. No. 5 Saint Rose (20-9)
Semifinals – Sunday, March 11
No. 3-No. 6 winner vs. No. 2-No. 7 winner
No. 1-No. 8 winner vs. No. 4-No. 5 winner
Championship – Tuesday, March 13
