KEENE, N.H. – The Keene State College men's basketball team is off to a familiar place – the NCAA tournament. The Owls will open their 10th appearance and fourth consecutive trip to March Madness with a first round game against Clark University today (Friday, March 7) at Ray Oosting Gymnasium on the campus of Trinity College at 4:40 p.m.
KSC (22-5), receiving votes in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, qualified for the national tournament after becoming the first team in Little East Conference history to win four consecutive league tournament championships, posting an 80-67 blowout of Western Connecticut State University in which they led by as many as 31 points last Saturday. The Owls have lost just twice – both by one point – in the calendar year and have won by over 14 points per game on the season overall. Two-time All-American and LEC tournament Most Outstanding Player
Octavio Brito leads the Owls at 22.2 points per game, shooting nearly 53 percent from the floor and 38 percent from three.
Mason Jean Baptiste (10.8) and
Wesley Odiase (10.2), who poured in 20 points in KSC's title game victory, are also averaging double-figures while
Mitch Shettles (41 percent) and
Spencer Aronson (40 percent) are lighting it up from distance. The Owls are 18-1 when making 10 or more threes in a game on the season.
Clark (18-9) reached the NCAA tournament after notching an upset 75-60 road win over the Worcester Polytechnic Institute last weekend in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference championship, turning the tables after losing twice to the Engineers in the regular season. The Cougars have won four straight and are 13-4 since a 5-5 start that included dropping three of their first four. In the NEWMAC title game, Quentin Pridgen poured in 23 points on 6-of-7 shooting from three while Bruce Saintilus and Isaiah Taylor each added 14 – mostly from the free throw line, where they were 13-for-15 to offset a 7-for-28 mark from the field. Clark led by one at the break before expanding their lead to 55-41 with 10:36 left, eventually pulling away once more after WPI got to within three (60-57) with 5:42 to go. On the season, Saintilus has led the way, averaging 16.9 points per game on 46 percent from the field including a 41 percent (45-111) mark from three. Kekoa McArdle (11.7 ppg, 55 pct. FG) and Isaiah Taylor (11.5 ppg, 38.7 pct. FG) are also averaging double-figures. Jordan Richard is shooting 45 percent (61-135) from three. The Cougars have only been outrebounded in five of their 27 games this season. They are 6-6 away from the Kneller Athletic Center in Worcester.
It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2003, when Clark won 79-68 at Spaulding Gymnasium.
The winner of Friday afternoon's first round game will take on either nationally-No. 4 ranked Trinity College (Conn.) or Neumann University in the second round on Saturday, March 8 at 7:10 p.m. The host Bantams will take on the Knights in the first round at 7:10 on Friday. Trinity won the NESCAC with an impressive road victory over top-ranked and undefeated Wesleyan University (Conn.), while Neumann beat Marymount University (who KSC beat at home in last year's first round) 83-77 in overtime to win the Atlantic East Conference.
KSC and Trinity are each making their 10th NCAA tournament appearances and Clark their 17th, though 15 of those came in 2003 or earlier. Neumann is making their fourth appearance. The Owls have made the Sweet 16 in 2007, 2016, 2023, and 2024, and the Elite Eight in 2004 and 2017.
