No. 14 St. Mary’s to Host NCAA First and Second Rounds
St. Mary's City, Md. - The NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee announced today the field of 61 teams for the 2010 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship which begins Thursday, March 4 with three two-team, first-round games. No. 14 St. Mary's College of Maryland was selected as one of 13 sites hosting four teams for first- and second-round competition Friday-Saturday, March 5-6.
Joining St. Mary's (24-3) this weekend for first- and second-round competition will be Purchase College, Richard Stockton College, and Virginia Wesleyan College. Friday night's first game will pit Richard Stockton against No. 11 Virginia Wesleyan at 6:00 pm in the Michael P. O'Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena. St. Mary's will take on Purchase in Friday's final game at 8:00 pm. The winners from Friday night will meet in the second round on Saturday at 7:00 pm.
TICKETS: Ticket prices for this weekend's action are as follows: $6 - Adults, $3 - Senior Citizens, Students, and Children (3 and older).
The Seahawks, ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Middle Atlantic Regional poll, are making only their second trip to the NCAA tournament after clinching the 2010 Capital Athletic Conference championship title with an 80-76 victory over Wesley College on February 27. The Seahawks posted a 2-1 record in NCAA tournament action in 2008, advancing to the Sweet 16 in their first-ever trip to the big dance.
The rookie in this weekend's foursome, Purchase (17-8) is making its first-ever tournament appearance after knocking off top-seeded The College of Westbury, 92-79, in the Skyline Conference championship game for the Skyline's automatic bid on February 27. The Panthers enter Friday's contest on a six-game win streak.
Virginia Wesleyan (22-5) is entering into its 10th NCAA tournament with an at-large bid and boasts a 13-10 tournament record. The Marlins were knocked out in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference semifinals by eventual ODAC champion, Guilford College, by a 78-62 decision on February 27. For the Marlins, this is their sixth consecutive trip to the big dance after claiming the national title in 2006 with a 59-56 win over Wittenberg University. The following year, Virginia Wesleyan finished as the 2007 national runner-up, falling 80-67 to Amherst College in the title game. In 2009, VWC did not get past the first round, dropping a 72-66 decision to Widener University.
The senior member of this weekend's quad is the 2009 NCAA runner-up, Richard Stockton (20-7), who will be making its 13th overall (and third straight) tournament appearance. Last season, the Ospreys dropped a 61-52 decision to two-time defending national champion, Washington University-St. Louis, in the national championship game. RSC received an at-large bid after suffering a 70-58 setback at the hands of William Paterson University in the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship game on February 27, denying RSC its third consecutive NJAC title. In 1987, the Ospreys finished fourth at the NCAA tournament.
