MELBOURNE, Fla. - [PDF Bracket | MBB Tournament Page] - No. 1 Nova Southeastern University will take on No. 2 Florida Southern College in the 2025 Sunshine State Conference Men's Basketball Tournament championship. Game time is slated for Sunday, March 9th, at 1:00 PM in the Rick Case Arena at the Don Taft University Center on NSU's Campus.
The tournament championship will be live-streamed at no cost on the SSC
Digital Network. You can access the Sunshine State Conference Digital Network by visiting sunshinestateconference.tv or via Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku by searching "SSC Digital Network." Fans can find more information about the SSC Digital Network
here.
How They Got There:
NSU received the #1 seed following the program's fourth consecutive SSC regular-season title. They defeated #8 Barry by 37 points in the quarterfinals, tied for the third-largest win in SSC Tournament history. The Sharks were led by MJ Iraldi (Sr., G, West Deptford, NJ) who scored 23 points. He was one of six players to score in double figures. Alex Mangold (Gr., F, Cincinnati, Ohio) and Tommy Sala (Gr., F, Lakewood, Ohio) both scored 16 (
Box). In the semifinals, the Sharks defeated the University of Tampa 104-80. The victory was their 80th home win in a row, tying the NCAA DII record for most consecutive home wins. Ryker Cisarik (Fifth-Year, F, Highlands Ranch, Colo.) led all players with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Dallas Graziani (Jr., G, Pembroke Pines, Fla.) recorded a double-double, scoring 17 points and dishing out 12 assists. Tyler Eberhart (Gr., F, Springfield, Ohio) and Ross Reeves (Gr., G, Orem, Utah) both added 15 points. In all, six Sharks scored in double figures, as they shot 54.2% from the field (
Box).
Florida Southern took down #7 Rollins 90-69 in Lakeland. Jadin Booth (Gr., G, Omaha, Neb.) led all scorers with 24 points. Alex Steen (Jr., F, Panama City Beach, Fla.) added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Defensively, the Moccasins held the Tars to 23.1% from beyond the three-point line while forcing 11 turnovers (
Box). In the semifinals, the Mocs outlasted Lynn University by a final score of 88-83. Booth once again led the Mocs in scoring, putting up 25. Steen recorded his second consecutive double-double, as he scored 12 points and pulled down 16 rebounds. Five Moccasins scored in double figures, and the defense held the Fighting Knights to just 41.3% from the floor (
Box).
2024-25: Nova Southeastern won both meetings during the regular season. The Sharks defeated the Mocs 117-112 in Fort Lauderdale (Jan. 15) and 101-95 in Lakeland (Feb. 19)
Tournament History:
Nova Southeastern: 19-15 record - 3x champion, 2x runner up
Florida Southern: 81-22 record - 25x champion, 5x runner up
Tournament Series: FSC leads 4-1
Last Meeting: #1 NSU 92, #4 FSC 65 in the 2022 semifinals
NOTES: This is the first time that the top two seeds have advanced to the SSC Tournament final since 2020. That year, #1 Florida Southern defeated #2 Nova Southeastern 118-109. This is the sixth conference final appearance for the Sharks. They are the three-time defending SSC Tournament champions after defeating #7 Barry University 87-76 in last year's championship. The Sharks are playing for the title for the sixth consecutive year. NSU did not compete in the 2021 tournament due to COVID-19. The Moccasins are playing in their 31st conference championship. They have the most conference titles of any SSC team with 25. Their last conference title came in 2020.
Players to Watch:
NSU: Iraldi, the SSC Player of the Year, leads the conference with 24.0 points per game. He is one of two Sharks to be ranked in the top 10 in the league in scoring. The other is Cisarik who is averaging 18.2. Cisarik also leads the Sharks with 7.3 rebounds per game, and he leads the conference with a 60.9% field goal percentage. Graziani leads the SSC with 9.6 assists per game. The next highest average in the conference is 5.6. Graziani also leads the conference in steals with 2.6 per game. Iraldi ranks third, averaging 2.0 per contest.
FSC: The Moccasins are led by a pair of All-SSC First team selections in Booth and Steen. Steen was also named the SSC Defensive Player of the Year. Booth is averaging 21.0 points and 5.6 assists per game. Both marks rank second-best in the conference. Steen is averaging 18.8, which ranks fifth in the league. Steen is second in the conference in rebounds per game (10.7), third in field goal percentage (56.9%), and first in blocks (2.6). His teammate Peyton Gerald (Sr., F, Charlotte, N.C.) is second in the league in blocks per game, averaging 2.1.
Tournament Information:
The SSC champion will receive automatic qualification to the 2025 NCAA Division II Championships. Regional competition will take place at a non-predetermined site beginning on Friday, March 14th. Elite Eight play will occur from Tuesday, March 25th, to Saturday, March 29th, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. The NCAA will announce championship selections and seeding on Sunday, March 9th.
Please contact SSC Associate Commissioner
Robert Brennecke with any questions or media inquiries.
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