STANDISH, Maine – #1 Saint Joseph's College (17-8, 12-0 GNAC) will host #8 Norwich University (10-15, 5-7 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday at 7:00 PM.

Having secured the top seed for the second consecutive season, the defending 2025 GNAC champions are aiming to repeat as conference titleholders for the first time since the Monks won six straight Western Maine Athletic Conference crowns from 1983-88.

OVERVIEW:

Wednesday night's winner advances to the semifinal round of the GNAC Tournament and will face the winner of another quarterfinal matchup: #4 Lasell University vs. #5 Emmanuel College on Friday (tip-off time TBD). The higher seed serves as host throughout tournament play.

The other side of the bracket features quarterfinal contests between #2 University of Saint Joseph and #7 Dean College, and #3 Albertus Magnus College and #6 Regis College.

The winner of the GNAC Championship game, scheduled for Sunday, March 1, earns an automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship, which begins on Friday, March 6.

BRACKETOLOGY:

Quarterfinals – Wednesday, Feb. 25

#1 Saint Joseph's College vs. #8 Norwich University, 7:00 PM
#2 University of Saint Joseph vs. #7 Dean College, 7:00 PM
#3 Albertus Magnus College vs. #6 Regis College, 7:00 PM
#4 Lasell University vs. #5 Emmanuel College, 7:00 PM

Semifinals – Friday, Feb. 27

Winner of #1/#8 vs. Winner of #4/#5, TBD
Winner of #2/#7 vs. Winner of #3/#6, TBD

Championship – Sunday, Mar. 1

Semifinal winners, TBD

SEASON AT A GLANCE:

Saint Joseph's:

• The Monks enter the tournament riding a 14-game winning streak, the third-longest current streak in NCAA Division III. Saint Joseph's also closed the regular season with 26 consecutive GNAC wins (last GNAC loss: 12/7/24 vs. USJ).
• Saint Joseph's has not lost to a conference opponent at home since Jan. 13, 2024 (Albertus Magnus), winning 21 straight home games against GNAC foes.
• The Monks rank sixth nationally in rebound margin (9.8), seventh in assists per game (19.3), 10th in offensive rebounds per game (15.48), 14th in rebounds per game (43.32), 23rd in three-pointers per game (10.2), and 25th in scoring offense (86.0).
• Saint Joseph's is 8-1 and averaging 82.3 points per game at home this winter.
• For the second consecutive season, four Saint Joseph's players are averaging at least 14.0 points per game.
• The Monks have made 10 or more three-pointers in 12 games this season, including 20 in wins over Old Westbury and Colby-Sawyer.

Norwich University:

• Norwich leads the GNAC in defensive rebounds per game (28.3) and opponents' assists per game (10.8) and ranks second in the conference in three-pointers per game (8.2), free throw percentage (72.1%), and three-point attempts (603).
• Norwich has been one of the GNAC's top defensive teams this season, allowing 70.0 points per game (second in the conference) while holding opponents to 41.4% shooting from the field (also second). The Cadets have limited nine opponents to under 40.0% shooting, going 6-3 in those games, and have held four teams below 30.0% — including Elms in their most recent outing, when the Blazers shot just 26.9%.
• The Cadets are 4-6 and averaging 67.8 points per game in road contests this season.
• Three Norwich players are averaging at least 10.0 points per game.
• The Cadets have made 10 or more three-pointers in six games this winter.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Saint Joseph's:

• (#10) Junior guard Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine), the 2025 GNAC Player of the Year, leads the conference in scoring average (23.0) and ranks fourth in field goals made (168), sixth in three-pointers made and total points (437), and eighth in three-point percentage (41.4%). Earlier this season, he became the 15th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points during his junior season.
• (#24) Senior guard John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) is averaging 15.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 45.2% (114-252) from the floor, 40.5% (68-168) from three-point range, and 71.7% (33-46) from the free throw line. He leads the GNAC in three-pointers made (68) and has totaled 1,423 career points while ranking second among all active NCAA Division III players with 307 career three-pointers.
• (#12) Senior forward Wani Donato (Portland, Maine) averages 15.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 56.7% (166-293) from the field, 33.3% (17-51) from three-point range, and 56.4% (44-78) at the line. He ranks third in the GNAC in blocked shots (34), fourth in field goal percentage, and sits among the conference leaders in steals (47) and assists (91). Donato scored his 1,000th career point earlier this season.
• (#0) Freshman guard Davis Mann (Falmouth, Maine), a six-time GNAC Rookie of the Week selection, is averaging 14.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting 46.2% (120-260) from the field, 30.8% (28-91) from three-point range, and 86.1% (68-79) from the free throw line. He leads the conference in free throw percentage and ranks fourth in offensive rebounds (63).

Norwich University:

• (#11) Senior guard Michel Ndayishimiye (Colchester, Vt.) is averaging 15.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 43.2% (153-354) from the field, 30.9% (42-136) from three-point range, and 75.9% (41-54) at the line. The former University of Vermont (DI) and University of Bridgeport (DII) transfer ranks fifth in the GNAC in defensive rebounds (143) and sits among the conference leaders in total rebounds (171) and total points (389).
• (#0) Senior forward Joe Joe DuBrul (Shelburne, Vt.) is averaging 15.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 40.3% (122-303) from the floor, 42.6% (58-136) from three-point range, and 74.2% (49-66) at the free throw line. The 6'7 forward leads the GNAC in three-point percentage and ranks fifth in three-pointers made (58).
• (#2) Freshman guard Jordan Ricketts (Stratford, Conn.) is averaging 10.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 46.7% (100-214) from the field, 30.8% (16-52) from three-point range, and 72.6% (45-62) at the line.

ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:

Saint Joseph's: Tyler Ackley – 5th season (83-53, .610)

Ackley guided Saint Joseph's to a standout 2024-25 season, leading the Monks to a 24-5 overall record and a 13-1 mark in GNAC play to earn the top seed in the conference tournament. Saint Joseph's went on to capture the program's second GNAC Championship, then returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009, falling to #11 University of Redlands in the opening round. For his efforts, Ackley garnered GNAC and Maine State Coach of the Year honors.

Named the fifth head coach in program history in September 2021, Ackley opened his tenure with a 9-18 debut season before elevating the program to a 15-12 mark in 2022-23 and then an 18-9 campaign in 2023-24. Prior to Saint Joseph's, Ackley spent four seasons at Colby College as The John "Swisher" Mitchell Assistant Coach, helping the Mules reach their first-ever NESCAC Championship game in 2020 and secure their first NCAA Tournament berth in 23 years.

Norwich University: Paul Booth – 33rd season (360-469, .434; 411-545, .430 overall)

Booth is in his 33rd season as Norwich's head coach and is the winningest coach in program history. Hired in 1993 after five seasons as the head coach at Thomas (Maine) College, Booth has built the Cadets into a consistent contender, highlighted by GNAC Championships in 2005 and 2006 and multiple stretches of sustained winning seasons. He reached his 400th career victory on Feb. 12, 2025, becoming one of a small group of active NCAA Division III coaches to hit that milestone.

THE LAST TIME WE MET – Saint Joseph's def. Norwich, 89-84 (Jan. 17, 2026, Northfield):

The teams last met on Jan. 17, 2026, when Saint Joseph's earned an 89-84 overtime win at Andrews Hall. The Monks led by 11 with four minutes left, but Norwich forced overtime on a buzzer-beating layup by Michel Ndayishimiye to tie it at 82. Norwich scored first in the extra session before Saint Joseph's closed on a 7-0 run to seal the win.

Ndayishimiye finished with 31 points (12-of-23 FG, 7-of-10 3FG), while Joe Joe DuBrul scored 21 and Jordan Ricketts added 20. Remijo Wani led Saint Joseph's with 26 points and six threes, Davis Mann had 16, and Wani Donato (13 points, 12 rebounds) and Tong Maiwen (13 points, 10 rebounds) posted double-doubles.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Including the overtime win in January, the Monks are 25-7 all-time versus Norwich University and have won four straight meetings.

GNAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

Saint Joseph's has qualified for the GNAC Tournament in all 18 seasons as a conference member and has won at least one postseason game in each of the last four years. The Monks are 19-15 all-time in GNAC Tournament play, with conference championships in 2009 and 2025, and runner-up finishes in 2011, 2014, and 2024.

Norwich is making its 17th GNAC Tournament appearance and owns a 16-16 (.500) all-time record, highlighted by back-to-back league titles in 2005 and 2006. The Cadets are aiming to reach the GNAC Semifinals for the first time since 2024, while Saint Joseph's has advanced to the semifinals in each of the last three seasons and enters this year's tournament as the defending GNAC champion.

Norwich and Saint Joseph's last met in the GNAC Tournament on Feb. 24, 2011, when the Monks posted a 72-56 semifinal win. Chris Petzy led Saint Joseph's with 21 points, while Zach O'Brien (16) and Julio Vazquez (11) also scored in double figures; Jaren Jeffcoat paced Norwich with 14 points.