Men's Basketball Set For NCAA Division III Championship Showdown With No. 17 Rochester
The Matchup: Elms College Blazers (20-7 overall) vs. University of Rochester Yellowjackets (20-5 overall)
Date: Friday, March 4
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Site: Ithaca College (Ithaca, N.Y.)
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Setting The Scene: Elms has earned the New England Collegiate Conference's (NECC) first-ever automatic qualifier to return to the dance for the sixth time in seven years. Elms defeated Becker College (23-4) 79-65 in the NECC Championship tournament title game to claim its third consecutive NECC championship and its seventh straight league title overall as the Blazers won four North Atlantic Conference (NAC) tournament championships from 2004-08 prior to joining the NECC. Elms' 20 wins this season also marks the seventh straight campaign of 20 or more wins under 10th-year head coach Ed Silva. No. 17 Rochester earned a Pool A bid by winning the University Athletic Association (UAA) title with a 12-2 record in conference play. The Yellowjackets have won 11 of their last 12 games heading into Friday's contest against Elms.
Scouting The Opposition: Rochester is a team rich in NCAA Division III Championship history. The Yellowjackets, who enter this year's postseason having won 11 of their last 12, were NCAA national champions in 1989-90, and have since been national runners-up twice (1991-92 and 2004-05). Rochester is 25-11 in NCAA Division III Championship play with its most recent appearance occuring during the 2007-08 season. The Yellowjackets earned a trip to the Sweet 16 before losing to the Coast Guard Academy. Rochester is led by John DiBartolomeo (Westport, Conn.) who averages 17.6 points per game. Nate Novosel (Lexington, Ky.) follows with a 13.7 points-per-game average, while Rob Reid (Mount Airy, N.C.) leads the team in rebounding with 152 boards (6.3 per game).
Standing On Top Of The NECC: The road back to the NCAA championship tournament went through Leicester, Mass. and No. 23 Becker, as the Hawks tallied a perfect 14-0 mark in NECC play during the regular season to earn the top seed in the tournament. Elms finished its regular season conference slate 11-3 and downed Becker, 79-65 in the title game to capture the league's first automatic qualifier and punch its ticket to the NCAA postseason. The Blazers' win was also its third straight over Becker with the NECC championship on the line.
Conference Accolades: Following the 2010-11 season, Elms had three players named all-conference including senior forwards Edgar Martinez (Springfield, Mass.) and Juan Alverio (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) who garnered All-NECC Second Team honors. Sophomore guard Brittain Purcelle (Tarrytown, N.Y.) was named Honorable Mention All-NECC.
A Look At What's Next: Ithaca (20-6) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (19-8) will square off in the other game in the Ithaca "pod." Tip-off for that contest is slated for 7:30 p.m. The winners will play on Saturday, March 5 for the right to advance to the Sectionals scheduled for March 11-12.
