MELBOURNE, Fla. - [PDF Bracket | MBB Tournament Page] - The opening round of the Sunshine State Conference Men's Basketball Championship will tip-off on Tuesday, February 28th. All games throughout the tournament will be hosted on campus sites and broadcast on the
SSC Digital Network by member institutions.
Nova Southeastern University earns the No. 1 seed in the postseason tournament after winning a third SSC regular season title following a second consecutive 20-0 record in league play. NSU remains the only MBB team to finish undefeated in SSC play (20-0) since the league expanded beyond six teams in 1981-82. The Sharks also remain the only team in SSC history to finish the regular season undefeated (26-0).
Saint Leo University (No. 2), Florida Southern College (No. 3), and Florida Tech (No. 4) will also host a quarterfinal game in the 2022 championship. Palm Beach Atlantic University (No. 5), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (No. 6), Rollins College (No. 7), and Barry University (No. 8) round out this year's tournament field. Head-to-head results were used to break the tie in the standings between SLU and FSC and the three-way tie between PBA, ERAU, and Rollins.
QUARTERFINALS AT A GLANCE...
#1 NSU vs. #8 Barry - 7:30 PM [Watch Live | Live Stats]
2022-23: NSU swept the season series with a 108-92 victory in Miami Shores (Jan. 7th) and a 90-71 win in Fort Lauderdale (Feb. 15)
Tournament History:
Nova Southeastern: 11-15 record - 1x champion, 2x runner up
Barry: 23-30 record - 8x runner up
Tournament Series: Tied 2-2
Last Meeting: #1 NSU 98, #3 BU 85 in the 2022 final
NOTES: The Nova Southeastern Sharks are the only undefeated team in Division I or Division II this season. They are ranked No. 1 in the country and received 14 of the 16 first-place votes in the latest NABC Coaches Poll. The Sharks won their first SSC Tournament title last season, defeating Barry in the championship game. The Buccaneers' trip to the final last season was their first since 2018. That year, as the top seed, they lost 96-71 to second-seeded Eckerd. The Bucs have made four finals since 2015, but they have never won a title.
Players to Watch:
NSU: RJ Sunahara (R-Jr., F, Bay Village, Ohio) leads the Sharks in points per game (19.6). He is one of two Sharks in the top 10 in the SSC in scoring. The other is Will Yoakum (Gr., G/F, Delaware, Ohio) who is averaging 18.4 points per game. Sunahara and Yoakum are ranked second and third in the SSC, respectively, in field goal percentage. Sunahara leads the conference in blocked shots per game (1.6). Dallas Graziani (R-Fr., G, Pembroke Pines, Fla.) is second in the conference with 6.4 assists per game. He leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.8) and is third in the league in steals per game (2.1). Teammate Kobe Rodgers (So., G, Cincinnati, Ohio) leads the conference in steals, averaging 2.6 per game.
Barry: Jaron Williams (Sr., F, Rock Hill, S.C.) leads the Buccaneers in points per game (15.0). Williams is sixth in the league in field goal percentage, shooting 54.5% from the floor. His teammate, Malik Stanley (So., G, Indianapolis, IN) ranks 23rd in the conference with 13.3 points per game. He is ninth in the conference with 3.3 assists per game. James Montgomery (Jr., F, East Rockaway, NY) is 10th in the league in rebounds power game (5.9), and he has the third-most offensive boards (65) in the SSC. Nick Anderson (So., G, Schererville, Ind.) leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage (44.6%).
#2 Saint Leo vs. #7 Rollins - 7:00 PM [Watch Live | Live Stats]
2022-23: The two teams split the regular season series. Rollins won the first matchup in Saint Leo 98-95 (Jan. 18) while Saint Leo won 89-75 in Winter Park (Feb. 15).
Tournament History:
Saint Leo: 16-33 record - 1x champion, 2x runner up
Rollins: 36-36 record - 5x champion, 7x runner up
Tournament Series: Rollins leads 6-1
Last Meeting: #5 RC 62, #1 SLU 53 in the 2013 quarterfinals
NOTES: Saint Leo won their first and only SSC Conference Tournament championship in 2021 when they were the #2 seed. They defeated Florida Southern 83-70 in the final. Rollins won their fifth championship in 2017, when, as the #3 seed, they defeated #4 PBA in the final 71-70. This season, despite being the #2 seed in the conference tournament, the Lions are actually the fourth-highest-ranked team from the SSC in the NCAA South regional ranking. They are currently ranked ninth in the region.
Players to Watch:
SLU: Marty Jackson (Fifth-Year, F, Kansas City, Mo.) and Kanon Koster (R-Jr., G, Kearney, Neb.) lead the Lions in scoring, and they are ranked eighth and ninth, respectively, in the SSC in points per game. Both players are in the top 10 in the league in field goal percentage. Jackson is fifth (57.4%) and Koster is eighth (52.9%). Jackson is also fourth in the league in blocks per game (1.1) and ninth in rebounds per game (6.0).
RC: Hutton Yenor (Gr., G, Orlando, Fla.) leads the Tars in quite a few statistical categories. He is third in the conference in points per game (20.1), 16th in rebounds per game (5.5), and second in the league in steals per game (2.4). Mattheus Silveira (Gr., C, Tres Pontas, Brazil) leads the conference in field goal percentage (62.1%), and he is seventh in the league in blocks per game (1.0). Kyle Marion (Sr., G, Jacksonville, Fla.) is fourth in the league in assists per game (4.1).
#3 FSC vs. #6 ERAU - 7:00 PM [Watch Live | Live Stats]
2022-23: The two teams split the regular season series, with each team winning on their home court. The Eagles won the first matchup 106-95 (Jan. 7). The Mocs won the second meeting 98-75 (Feb. 18).
Tournament History:
Florida Southern: 79-20 record - 25x champion, 5x runner up
Embry-Riddle: 2-2 record
Tournament Series: Florida Southern leads 1-0
Last Meeting: #1 FSC 80, #5 ERAU 77 in the 2020 semifinals
NOTES: The Florida Southern Mocs have won the most SSC conference tournaments. Their 25 titles are 20 more than the teams with the next most titles. Their last title came in 2020 when they defeated Nova Southeastern 118-109 in the final. The Eagles have made the SSC Tournament twice, and they have won one game in each of their appearances. They have yet to make it to a tournament final.
Players to Watch:
FSC: Jadin Booth (R-So., G, Omaha, Neb.) leads the SSC in points per game (22.0), and he is also sixth in the league in assists per game (4.0). He is second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (41.6%) and has made the most three balls per game (3.5). E.J. Dambreville (R-Sr., G, Dorchester, Mass.) is second in the SSC in rebounds per game (10.0), and he is 10th in the league with 18.0 points per game. Luke Anderson (R-So., F, Lakeland, Fla.) is fifth in the conference in blocked shots per game (1.1).
ERAU: The Eagles are led in points per game by Malcolm Whitlow (Jr., G, Lincoln, Neb.) and Chris Murray (Sr., F, Miami, Fla.). Whitlow is averaging 17.6 points per game, and Murray is averaging 16.7. Murray is fifth in the conference in rebounds per game (7.6) and fourth in field goal percentage. His teammate Michael McCalister (So., G/F, Ocoee, Fla.) is sixth in the league in rebounds per game.
#4 Florida Tech vs. #5 PBA - 7:00 PM [Watch Live | Live Stats]
2022-23: Palm Beach Atlantic swept the season series. They won 79-70 in West Palm Beach (Jan. 7) and 80-77 in Melbourne (Feb. 11).
Tournament History:
Florida Tech: 11-33 record, 3x runner up
Palm Beach Atlantic: 3-6 record, 1x runner up
Tournament Series: First Meeting
NOTES: Florida Tech’s last tournament win came in 2021 when they won their quarterfinals matchup 90-84 over Tampa. They have finished as the runner-up three times, but they have not made the finals since 2000. In 2017, the Sailfish advanced to the finals but lost 71-70 to #3 Rollins. They have won only one game in the tournament since then. It came in 2020 when they defeated Saint Leo 96-69 in the quarterfinals.
Players to Watch:
Florida Tech: The Panthers’ offense is led by Sean Houpt (Sr., G, Danville, Ill.) who is second in the SSC in points per game (20.3), and Sesan Russell (Sr., G, London, England) who is averaging 19.2 points per game. Russel leads the SSC in assists per game (7.3) while Houpt is second in the league in three-point field goals made per game (3.1). Niall Harris (Dr., G, Leicester, England) is seventh in the league in rebounds per game (6.8) and fifth in steals per game (1.8). Elias Martin (Jr., F, Green Cove Springs, Fla.) is second in the conference in blocked shots per game (1.5).
PBA: Jalen Cooper (So., G/F, Holiday, Fla.) is the leading scorer for the Sailfish. He is averaging 17.0 points per game. He is also third in the conference in blocked shots per game (1.4), fourth in the conference in rebounds per game (8.5), and ninth in field goal percentage (52.5%). Will Lee (So., G, Woodside, N.Y.) is fifth in the league in assists per game (4.1), and he is the team’s second-leading scorer averaging 16.2 points per game.
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COMPLETE TOURNAMENT HISTORY]
Following Tuesday's quarterfinal round, the tournament semifinals will be held on Thursday, March 2nd, and the championship final will be played Sunday, March 5th. The SSC champion will receive automatic qualification to the 2023 NCAA Division II Championships. Regional competition will take place at a non-predetermined site beginning on Friday, March 10th. Elite Eight play will take place from Tuesday, March 21st to Saturday, March 25th. The NCAA will announce championship selections and seeding on Sunday, March 5th,
here
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