MIDDLETOWN, CT – For the fourth time in program history, the Wesleyan Cardinals are going to the NCAA tournament. The Cardinals make the tournament for the third time in the past five seasons (no tournament due to canceled 2020-21 season), and host for the second time ever (2018). Silloway Gymnasium will serve as the location for regional first round action this weekend in games between Wesleyan (24-3) and Husson (15-9) at 7:40 pm and Nichols (25-3) and RPI (21-5) at 5:40 pm Friday, as well as the 2
nd round game between the winners Saturday at 7:40 pm.
Wesleyan has earned the luxury of continuing their record-breaking season in their home gym for the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament after finishing with a 24-3 record (12-2 at home) and a NESCAC Tournament Championship. The Cardinals extended their win streak to eight heading into the Big Dance, making them the hottest team in their region.
Wesleyan managed to make it to the dance by gaining an automatic bid by virtue of winning the NESCAC Tournament. The Cardinals were safely in the field regardless as they finished 8
th nationally in the most recent rankings, their highest ranking in school history. The Cardinals were able to defeat ninth-seeded Colby by double figures, before engaging in two consecutive thrillers in the semifinals (vs. Trinity 70-67) and championship (vs. Williams 78-75 OT) that they won by a combined six points.
Wesleyan brings three All-NESCAC award winners with them into the big dance. Head Coach
Joe Reilly took home the Coach of the Year award in the NESCAC after leading his squad to multiple records on way to a 24-win season and berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Sam Peek '22, a three-level scorer who averaged a team-leading 18 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game.
Jordan James '22, a 6-foot 7-inch shot blocker who was 2
nd in the NESCAC with 2.2 bpg. James has also had his offense come alive in the past seven contests averaging 17.4 ppg on 75.7% shooting from the floor.
The supporting cast is made up of 1,000+ point scorer in
Antone Walker '22 (9 ppg),
Gabe Ravetz '23 (10.9 ppg),
Preston Maccoux '23 (10.3 ppg, 6 rpg), and a rising freshman point guard in
Nicky Johnson '25 (10.5 ppg, 4.8 apg) who has been electric since entering the starting lineup for the Cards in early December.
The Cardinals have one of the most explosive offenses in all of Division III basketball, scoring a staggering 85 points per contest which ranks in the top 20 nationally. Silloway Gymnasium nets may get worn out as they will have to deal with another high-powered offense Friday in Nichols. The Bison score the 6
th most points per game in the nation at 89.3, 3
rd most among NCAA Tournament teams. Husson also scores the ball at a high clip, ranking in the top 100 at 80.1 points per game, while RPI prefers a more defensive game only scoring 70.5 ppg which barely cracks the top 300.
SCOUTING HUSSON (15-9)
Husson University (15-9) makes the NCAA Tournament by obtaining the auto-bid from the North Atlantic Conference. Husson entered their conference tournament 12-9 overall and losers of two of their last three, however they pulled off three straight wins to earn themselves a spot in the NCAA Tournament. This is their 9
th conference title in the past 23 seasons, earning them the most titles in their conference's history. After making quick work of lower seeded Northern Vermont-Lyndon 89-66 in the quarterfinals, they had some thrilling games of their own in the semifinals and finals. They defeated UMaine-Farmington thanks to a J Thomas buzzer-beating three-pointer (64-63), then came back from 11 down at one point to upset 2
nd seeded SUNY Poly 57-53 and claim the NAC title. They are led by a trio of experienced guards. D.J Bussey leads them in scoring at 16.8 ppg, the 6'1 senior is also a sniper from beyond the arc shooting 46.6% on over seven attempts per game. Justin Thompson works as the foil to Bussey, as he does nearly all of his damage from inside the painted area. The 6'4 graduate student uses his big frame to get to the basket, shooting 43.4% from the field for 13.3 ppg. The third guard, Justice Kendall is a mix of the two. The 6'0 guard averages 15.1 ppg (50.3% FG) while shooting 31.7% from three-point land on just over three attempts per contest.
SCOUTING NICHOLS (25-3)
Nichols College (25-3) put together a spectacular 2021-22 campaign, finishing with 25 wins and the automatic bid from the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Nichols had all three of their losses come in conference play, going 15-3 in the CCC. When the conference tournament came, they had to face off against one of those three teams that beat them in 9
th seeded Wentworth. They defeated them 93-86 in the quarterfinals, avenging a 16-point loss to the Leopards back in December. Up next was another team they lost to in 4
th seeded Suffolk. The Bison squeaked out a one-point victory to return to the conference championship. There they would face 2
nd seeded Salve Regina who held them to a season-low 60 points in the championship game, however Nichols held on to win 60-55 securing a bid in the NCAA Tournament. The Bison are a high-powered offense, scoring nearly 90 ppg (89.3 ppg) which is good for 3
rd among NCAA Tournament teams. Just like the Cardinals, they have five double-digit scorers. Junior Jakigh Dottin leads the way for this team with 19.8 ppg, including two 35+ point performances. The Bison pair him with two 6'5 shooters in Jaekwon Spencer (37.5% 3pt) and Matthew Alectus (40% 3pt). Lastly, in the middle is 6'8 graduate student Matt Morrow (13.3 ppg) who brings down 9.5 rebounds a game which ranks top 60 in the country.
SCOUTING RPI (21-5)
RPI (21-5) is the only team in this region who made the NCAA tournament without winning their conference tournament. RPI was the favorite coming into the Liberty League conference tournament, however they were upset in the semifinals by 5
th seeded Skidmore College 70-53. Skidmore would end up losing to Vassar in the championship, giving the conference multiple teams in the NCAA Tournament. RPI's leading scorer, Patrick Mahoney (15.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg), has been out since early February so the team has relied on the play of Mason Memmelaar. The 6'6 forward currently leads the team in scoring (14.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg) while doing most of his work in the paint. Jonny Angbazo is Memmelaar's running mate, scoring 13.2 ppg while also bringing down 5.3 rebounds. RPI plays a completely different style of basketball then the high scoring Cardinals (85 ppg), Bison (89.3 ppg), or even Eagles (80.1 ppg) do, scoring only 70.5 ppg (281
st in d3) and taking only 448 3pt attempts (362
nd in d3). They rely on their No.1 ranked scoring defense in the country, which holds opponents to only 57.5 ppg. Something is going to have to give when these fast-paced high-powered offenses face off against RPI's slowed down grind it out style Friday and possibly Saturday night.
