Men’s Basketball Draws Mount St. Mary’s In NCAA Tournament First Round
ALBANY, N.Y. – Earning No. 16 seeds, the University at Albany men’s basketball team will take on Mount St. Mary’s University in the NCAA Tournament First Round on Tuesday, March 18th at 6:40 p.m. in Dayton, Ohio. The game will air live on truTV.
Placed in the South Region bracket, the winner of Tuesday’s game will travel to Orlando, Fla. to face No. 1 overall seed Florida on Thursday, March 20th at 4:10 p.m.
Winning the America East Conference Championship for the second consecutive season, UAlbany will be making its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, dancing in 2006, 2007, and 2013. The last time UAlbany competed as a 16 seed was in 2006 when the Danes faced No. 1 UConn. UAlbany nearly pulled an upset, holding a double-digit lead in the second half, but eventually fell by a score of 72-59.
In 2007, the Great Danes were seeded 13th in the South Region and faced No. 4 Virginia. Playing in Columbus, Ohio, UAlbany was overcome, 84-57.
Last season, after becoming the first No. 4 seed in the America East Conference Tournament to win the championship, UAlbany earned a No. 15 seed and took on No. 2 Duke in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in Philadelphia. Battling the Blue Devils late into the second half, the Great Danes ultimately fell, 73-61.
This season, No. 4 UAlbany took down No. 5 UMBC, 86-56, in the America East Tournament quarterfinals before knocking off No. 1 Vermont, 67-58, in the semis. Then, in No. 2 Stony Brook’s home arena, the Great Danes clinched the automatic bid with a 69-60 triumph.
Mount St. Mary’s earned its spot in the Big Dance after defeating Robert Morris, 88-71, in the Northeast Conference Championship game. The Mountaineers were also the No. 4 seed in the NEC Tournament, and rallied to defeat St. Francis Brooklyn in the quarterfinal round before overcoming second-seeded Wagner on the road in the semifinals.
Winning six of their last seven games, UAlbany will look to capture the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory Tuesday at University of Dayton Arena.
