STANDISH, Maine – Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) champion Saint Joseph's College (20-8, 12-0 GNAC) will face New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) champion Babson College (21-6, 13-3 NEWMAC) in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament at Ray Oosting Gymnasium on the campus of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, on Friday at 4:30 PM.

GAME INFORMATION:

$15 – For Adults
$10 – For Students
Purchase tickets online HERE
Live Video: https://www.ncaa.com/champs-pass/?C=..%2Fd3mensbasketball
Live Stats: https://bantamsports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Postgame Press Conference: https://youtube.com/@bantamsports

ADDRESS [CAMPUS MAP]

Ray Oosting Gymnasium/Stan Ogrodnik Court
Trinity College
300 Summit St.
Hartford, CT 06106

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Saint Joseph's College: Led by fifth-year head coach Tyler Ackley, Saint Joseph's posted a 20-8 overall record and went a perfect 12-0 in GNAC play this winter. As the top seed in the GNAC Tournament, the Monks defeated #8 Norwich University, 85-62, in the quarterfinals and advanced to the conference championship for the sixth time in program history with a 69-61 semifinal victory over #5 Emmanuel College. In last Sunday's title game at the Harold Alfond Center, Saint Joseph's rolled past #2 University of Saint Joseph, 92-58, to claim its second straight GNAC title and third conference crown overall.

Babson College: Head coach Stephen Brennan, now in his 31st season, guided the Beavers to a 21-6 overall record and a 13-3 mark in NEWMAC play this season. The #2 seed in the NEWMAC Tournament, Babson received a first-round bye before defeating #3 Salve Regina University, 78-58, in the semifinals and #4 Wheaton College, 81-56, in the championship game on Sunday to capture its third NEWMAC title in the last four years.

WHAT'S NEXT:

The winner of Friday's second game between Keuka College and Trinity College will face either Saint Joseph's or Babson in a second-round matchup at Oosting Gymnasium on Saturday at 7:00 PM.

SEASON AT A GLANCE:

Saint Joseph's College:

• The Monks enter the NCAA Tournament riding a 17-game winning streak, the third-longest active run in NCAA Division III, and closed the regular season with 26 straight GNAC victories, the longest active conference winning streak in the country.
• Nationally, Saint Joseph's ranks fourth in rebound margin (9.8), fifth in assists per game (19.6), 11th in rebounds per game (43.5), 13th in offensive rebounds per game (15.2), 23rd in three-pointers per game (10.1), and 27th in scoring offense (85.6).
• Saint Joseph's is 9-7 and averaging 88.1 points per game away from the Harold Alfond Center this season.
• Four Monks are averaging at least 13.9 points per game.
• SJC has made 10 or more three-pointers in 14 games this season, including 20 in victories over Old Westbury and Colby-Sawyer.
• Five members of the program earned GNAC postseason honors this season:
  • Junior guard Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine) was named GNAC Player of the Year and First Team All-GNAC
  • Senior forward Wani Donato (Portland, Maine) was selected as GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-GNAC
  • Freshman guard Davis Mann (Falmouth, Maine) was chosen as GNAC Rookie of the Year
  • Senior forward John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) earned Second Team All-GNAC honors
  • Tyler Ackley was named GNAC Coach of the Year.

Babson College:

• Babson has won nine straight games and 15 of its last 16 overall following an 81-56 win over Wheaton in last Sunday's NEWMAC final.
• The Beavers are averaging 77.1 points per game and own a 9-4 record away from Staake Gymnasium.
• Babson ranks sixth in Division III in three-point percentage (37.9), 19th in three-pointers per game (10.6), and 31st in scoring defense (66.7 PPG allowed).
• Four Babson players are averaging at least 7.4 points per game.
• The Beavers are 9-1 when shooting better than 50 percent from the field and 18-3 when shooting at least 40 percent.
• Three players earned NEWMAC postseason honors for Babson this season:
  • Senior Timmy O'Toole (Milton, Mass.) was named NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-NEWMAC
  • Freshman Thomas Ferdinando (Andover, Mass.) was selected as NEWMAC Rookie of the Year and First Team All-NEWMAC
  • Sophomore Timmy Mulvey (Reading, Mass.) earned First Team All-NEWMAC recognition

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Saint Joseph's:

• (#10) Remijo Wani – 23.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.1 APG; 49.4% FG, 41.0% 3FG, 75.0% FT. The two-time GNAC Player of the Year and First Team All-GNAC selection became the 15th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points earlier this season. In 79 career games, he has totaled 1,351 points, 468 rebounds, 218 assists, and 107 steals and currently ranks among the program leaders in scoring average, free-throw percentage, three-pointers made, and total points.
• (#12) Wani Donato – 15.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.8 APG; 57.0% FG. Donato reached the 1,000-point mark earlier this season and earned GNAC Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight year to go along with First Team All-GNAC recognition. In 111 career games, he has totaled 1,237 points, 637 rebounds, 264 assists, 119 blocks, and 119 steals and is one of only two players in program history with at least 1,200 points, 600 rebounds, and 250 assists while shooting 50.0% or better from the field.
• (#24) John Paul Frazier – 15.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.3 APG; 44.3% FG, 40.0% 3PT, 70.8% FT. A Second Team All-GNAC pick and three-time all-conference honoree, Frazier ranks among the program's all-time leaders in three-pointers made (1st), three-point attempts (2nd), three-point percentage (4th), points (13th), blocks (16th), and scoring average (17th).
• (#0) Davis Mann – 13.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.7 APG; 45.5% FG, 30.3% 3PT, 86.2% FT. The 2026 GNAC Rookie of the Year and a six-time GNAC Rookie of the Week honoree, Mann owns the highest free-throw percentage by a freshman in program history.

Babson College:

• (#24) Thomas Ferdinando (Andover, Mass.) – 17.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.7 APG; 45.2% FG, 43.2% 3FG, 87.0% FT. He leads the Beavers in scoring average, total points (460), field goals made (157), and three-point percentage, and was named NEWMAC Rookie of the Year and First Team All-NEWMAC.
• (#31) Timmy Mulvey (Reading, Mass.) – 16.1 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.4 APG; 46.8% FG, 42.9% 3FG, 92.3% FT. Mulvey ranks second in Division III in three-pointers made (94) and third in three-pointers made per game (3.48), earning First Team All-NEWMAC honors.
• (#34) Timmy O'Toole – 9.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.7 APG; 58.0% FG, 68.6% FT. O'Toole ranks fifth in NCAA Division III in offensive rebounds per game (4.19) and was selected as the NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-Conference pick.

ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:

Saint Joseph's College: Tyler Ackley – 5th season (86-53, .619)

Earlier this week, Ackley was named GNAC Coach of the Year for the second straight season, becoming the first Saint Joseph's men's basketball coach to earn the honor in back-to-back years and completing the Monks' sweep of the conference's major awards in 2026.

Ackley guided Saint Joseph's through injuries and a challenging early-season slate that ranked as the 13th-toughest in NCAA Division III at Christmastime. After opening the season 3-8, the Monks defeated Ithaca College on January 3 in the Stevens Holiday Tournament and have not lost since, reeling off 17 consecutive victories. With the GNAC championship win over USJ, Saint Joseph's extended its home winning streak against conference opponents to 24 games. The Monks also closed the regular season with 26 consecutive GNAC victories, the longest active conference winning streak in the country.

Ackley's 86 victories are the second-most by an SJC men's basketball coach through five seasons, trailing only Rick Simonds' 89 from 1980-84.

Babson College: Stephen Brennan – 31st season (518-314, .623)

Babson head coach Stephen Brennan, now in his 31st season, is preparing to guide the Beavers into the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time in his career. A nine-time coach of the year honoree, Brennan has built one of Division III's most consistent programs and has led the Green and White to 20 or more wins nine times.

In NCAA Tournament play, Brennan owns a 15-10 career record, with 13 of those victories coming since 2015. He also ranks ninth among active Division III coaches with 518 career wins.

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

The Monks and Beavers have never met in a men's basketball game.

COMMON FOES:

Babson and Saint Joseph's shared five common opponents during the 2025-26 season: GNAC members University of Saint Joseph, Albertus Magnus, and Lasell, along with NEWMAC foes WPI and Clark. Babson went 4-3 against those teams, while the Monks were 4-2.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

Saint Joseph's:

The Monks are making their third NCAA Tournament appearance and seeking their first national tournament victory after losses to Salem State in 2003 and Redlands last March.

Babson:

After missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 last season, Babson is back in the field for the 14th time in program history and the ninth time since 2014. The Beavers captured the program's first NCAA Division III national championship in 2017 with a 79-78 victory over Augustana (Ill.), two years after reaching the national semifinals for the first time in program history in 2015.

Babson also advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2002 and 2016 and fell to eventual national champion Randolph-Macon in the second round of the 2022 tournament. Overall, the Green and White are 5-6 all-time in NCAA first-round games and dropped a 74-63 decision at ninth-ranked Oswego in their opening game of the 2024 championship.