LATHAM, N.Y. - The Penn State Harrisburg men’s basketball team heads to the NCAA Championship for the second time in the past three years and have drawn an Opening Round matchup against host Tufts University (20-5). That game will take place on Friday in Medford, Mass.

Joining those two teams in the pod are Catholic University (19-7) and Western Connecticut (21-6). The winner of both of the First Round contests will then square off on Saturday at a time still to be determined.

Find the full tournament bracket here: NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Penn State Harrisburg (18-10) battled their way from the four-seed to capture their first conference title since the 2023 season. The Lions upset top-seeded Lancaster Bible College in the semifinals before taking down #3 Cairn University, 72-71, in the Championship Final.

Harrisburg has cleaned the glass all throughout the season as their +7.9 rebound margin ranks 21st in the country and their offensive rebounds per game (15.4) ranks 10th in the nation. Anchoring those efforts is Tournament Most Valuable Player, Jordan Spencer, whose 3.41 offensive boards per game rank 31st.

Ball security has been the name of the game for Andre Thomas this season as his +3.42 assist/turnover ratio ranks fourth among all players in Division III. This season he has dished out 106 dimes.

Tufts earned their way to the Big Dance via an At-Large Selection. The Jumbos were ousted in this New England Small Colleges Athletic Conference (NESCAC) semifinals as they fell to No. 3 Trinity. Currently, Tufts is ranked No. 9 in the country and pride themselves on paint presence as their 5.9 blocks per game ranks third in the nation.

 

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The United East boasts 14 NCAA Division III full member institutions which include: Cairn University, Cedar Crest College, Gallaudet University, Keystone College, Lancaster Bible College, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Brandywine, Penn State Harrisburg, St. Mary's College of Maryland, University of Valley Forge, and Wilson College. For more information, please visit gounitedeast.com.