PITT-GREENSBURG TO FACE OHIO WESLEYAN IN NCAA TOURNAMENT; BEHREND TO HOST ECAC MATCHUP
After claiming the 2016 AMCC Men's Basketball Championship, the Pitt-Greensburg Bobcats received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
After claiming the 2016 AMCC Men's Basketball Championship, the Pitt-Greensburg Bobcats received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Pitt-Greensburg will travel to Ohio Wesleyan University in a first-round contest at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Branch Rickey Arena on the Ohio Wesleyan campus.
Pitt-Greensburg (19-9) defeated Hilbert, 76-74, in the AMCC title tilt for UPG's first conference championship since the 1999-2000 season. The Bobcats went 13-5 in the AMCC during regular-season play, finishing third in the conference standings. Pitt-Greensburg is making its first-ever NCAA Division III playoff appearance.
Ohio Wesleyan (23-4) was an at-large selection to the NCAA Division III tournament. The Battling Bishops shared the North Coast Athletic Conference championship with a 15-3 record, Ohio Wesleyan's second consecutive NCAC title. Ohio Wesleyan advanced to the semifinals of the NCAC tournament, falling to Denison by a score of 95-85. Ohio Wesleyan was ranked No. 10 in the final regular-season D3hoops.com poll. Ohio Wesleyan is making its fifth consecutive Division III playoff appearance and its seventh overall NCAA Division III appearance. The Battling Bishops won the NCAA Division III national championship in 1988.
Ohio Wesleyan and Pitt-Greensburg have met once on the hardwood, with Ohio Wesleyan winning by a 90-50 score during the 2012-13 season.
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The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team claimed the No. 3 seed for the 2016 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) South Region Tournament. The Lions (20-5) will host No. 6 Grove City (18-8) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Junker Center.
The winner between Behrend and the Wolverines will advance to the semifinal round Saturday at the site of the highest remaining seed left in the tournament.
The Lions will be making their 14th appearance in the ECAC tournament, last capturing the South Region title in 2010. Behrend recently finished second in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) regular season and received a first-round bye in the conference playoffs.
The Lions were upset by No. 3 Pitt-Greensburg in overtime in the semifinals, 67-64. The No. 2 seed Grove City in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) also fell in their conference tournament. They lost to seventh-seeded Westminster 59-57 in a quarterfinal matchup.
Behrend and Grove City will be meeting for the first time since the 2006-07 season where the Lions snagged a 76-46 victory.