No. 13 St. Mary’s Called Upon To Host NCAA Sectional
St. Mary's City, Md. - St. Mary's College of Maryland was selected by the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee to serve as one of the four sectional host sites this Friday-Saturday, March 12-13 as 16 teams (from the original field of 61) still remain on the quest for the right to claim the 2010 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship title.
Joining No. 13 St. Mary's (26-3) for this weekend's action will be DeSales University, No. 18 Franklin & Marshall College, and No. 16 Randolph-Macon College. DeSales will take on Randolph-Macon in the first sectional semifinal on Friday night at 6:00 pm in the Michael P. O'Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena. St. Mary's will then square off against Franklin & Marshall for the second time this season in Friday's second sectional semifinal at 8:00 pm. Friday night's winners will meet in the sectional final the next night at 7:00 pm.
The winners from each of the four sectionals will then advance to the "Final Four" next weekend in Salem, Va. at the Salem Civic Center.
ST. MARY'S: Playing in their second NCAA tournament, this marks the second time that the Seahawks have advanced to the "Sweet 16." St. Mary's punched its sectional ticket with their down-to-the-wire 72-69 victory over No. 11 Virginia Wesleyan College this past Saturday in front of an electric crowd of 870. The 2010 Capital Athletic Conference champions, SMCM entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in the final NCAA Division III Middle Atlantic Region poll. The Seahawks now own a 4-1 record in tournament action after posting a 2-1 mark in its first tournament appearance back in 2008.
DESALES: The Bulldogs (24-5), ranked fifth in the Middle Atlantic Region, are playing in their third NCAA tournament, having earned berths in 1996 and 2009. The two-time defending Freedom Conference champions, DeSales advanced to this weekend's action with a dominating 82-49 win over Albertus Magnus College in the second round. This is DU's second consecutive trip to the sectionals as the Bulldogs dropped a 70-60 decision to Franklin & Marshall in the "Elite 8" last season and boast a 5-2 mark.
FRANKLIN & MARSHALL: The Diplomats (25-4) are coming off a fourth-place finish at last year's NCAA Championship as F&M is playing in its 21st NCAA tournament with a 38-25 record. The 2010 Centennial Conference champions, the Diplomats have registered five top four finishes at the NCAA Championship, including a second-place finish in 1991. F&M, fourth in the Middle Atlantic Region, finds itself in the sectional after posting a 73-64 triumph over U.S. Merchant Marine Academy this past Saturday.
RANDOLPH-MACON: In its 10th trip to the NCAA tournament and first since 2006, the Yellow Jackets (24-6) are advancing to the program's fourth "Sweet 16" appearance. Randolph-Macon, ranked fourth in the final NCAA Division III South Region poll, notched a 70-60 victory over Clark (Mass.) University in second round action to make it to this weekend's games. The Yellow Jackets own a 7-9.
TICKETS: Ticket prices are as follows: $7.00 - Adults and $4.00 - Senior Citizens (55 and up), Students, Children (3-18). Ticket sales will begin Tuesday, March 9 at 8:30 am and will continue until Thursday at 12:00 pm. Tickets may be purchased at the concession stand (near the Welcome Desk) in the O'Brien Athletics & Recreation Center. After 12:00 pm on Thursday, tickets will only be sold at the games on Friday, March 12, beginning at 4:30 pm at the entrance of the arena. Sales for Saturday's sectional final will not be allowed until the winners are known on Friday evening. Advanced sales for Saturday will begin at the conclusion of each contest Friday evening.
