INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (February 28, 2022) – After winning the program's second MAC Freedom title Sunday, the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team will head to Alliance, Ohio for the opening round of the 2022 NCAA Division III Tournament, taking on No. 11 University of Mount Union, the hosts of the four-team first and second-round pod.
"It's going to be a really fun week as participating in the NCAA Tournament is a great experience," head coach
Bobby Hurley said. "Mount Union looks to be a really talented team, but our guys will be ready to compete on Friday."
Stevens will be making its fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament after defeating Lycoming 71-68 Sunday afternoon. Graduate student
Alec DiPietrantonio recorded his 13th double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds and was named the MAC Freedom Tournament's Most Valuable Player. The Ducks are 2-3 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and are making consecutive appearances in the national tournament for the first time in program history (the 2021 tournament did not take place).
Mount Union, ranked 11th in the D3Hoops.com Week 12 poll, received one of 20 at-large bids (Pool "C") to the tournament and is also making its fourth all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Purple Raiders join Stevens in earning back-to-back bids for the first time in program history. Mount Union needed an at-large bid after falling to No. 2 Marietta 63-61 in the Ohio Athletic Conference Championship Saturday evening.
Offensively, Mount Union (23-4) is led by Christian Parker, who leads the team with 19.4 points per game, even though the sophomore forward has only started five games. Parker also leads the team with 8.7 rebounds per game and is ranked 15th in the country with a 62.2 field-goal percentage. As a team, the Purple Raiders rank 10th in Division III in shooting (49.4) and 23rd in field-goal percentage defense (39.2%). They're also fourth in blocks per game (5.8). The teams share one common opponent in Lycoming - the Ducks defeated the Warriors three times this season, while Mount Union scored a 107-61 victory on Dec. 30 in the Purple Raiders' annual Holiday Classic.
The Purple Raiders are 6-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and have advanced to the third round in each of their last three appearances. It will be the first meeting between the teams.
On the other side of the bracket, No. 22 Williams (17-4) will take on Neumann (21-7). The Ephs also received an at-large bid to the tournament after falling in overtime to No. 11 Wesleyan 78-75 Sunday in the New England Small College Athletic Conference Championship. The Ephs are making their 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They'll face Neumann, winners of the Atlantic East Conference, who will play on the national stage for the third time in program history and first since 2017. The Ephs are 50-16 all-time in the tournament, while the Knights are still in search of their first win. Both programs have played NCAA Tournament games at Mount Union previously.
Both first-round games will be played on Friday, Mar. 4 at the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex. Williams and Neumann kick things off first, tipping off at 3:20, with the Ducks and the Purple Raiders scheduled to follow at 5:50 p.m. The winners of Friday's game will meet Saturday evening, with the contest also set for a 5:50 p.m. tip.
Tickets will be available online only and there will not be any cash sales on site. Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.
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