Men's Basketball | 2/18/2024 1:47:51 PM
The 2023-24 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Championship begins on Tuesday, Feb. 20 with first round action before semifinal action takes place at top-seed Utica University and No. 2 seed Nazareth University on Thursday, Feb. 22 and championship action takes place on Saturday, Feb. 24 at the site of the highest remaining seed.
No. 3 seed St. John Fisher University will host No. 6 Houghton University, while No. 4 seed Keuka College will host No. 5 Alfred University in the opening round Tuesday evening. The winner of Keuka vs. Alfred will head to top-seed Utica in one semifinal Thursday, while the winner of St. John Fisher vs. Houghton will take on No. 2 Nazareth in Thursday’s second semifinal. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2024 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship, which begins March 1-2.
2023-24 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament Participants
No. 1 – Utica (15-1 E8, 22-3 Overall)
No. 2 – Nazareth (14-2, E8, 18-7 Overall)
No. 3 – St. John Fisher (13-3 E8, 17-8 Overall)
No. 4 – Keuka (9-7 E8, 11-12 Overall)
No. 5 – Alfred (8-8 E8, 11-14 Overall)
No. 6 – Houghton (5-11 E8, 7-18 Overall)
The 2023-24 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X and Instagram (@Empire8) and
www.empire8.com.
2023-24 Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship Schedule
Tuesday, February 20 – First Round (at Higher Seed)
No. 6 Houghton at No. 3 St. John Fisher – 6 p.m.
No. 5 Alfred at No. 4 Keuka – 7 p.m.
Thursday, February 22 – Semifinals (at Higher Seed)
Winner of Alfred/Keuka vs. No. 1 Utica - 7 p.m.
Winner of St. John Fisher/Houghton at No. 2 Nazareth – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 24 - Championship Final (at Highest Remaining Seed)
Winner of Semifinal No. 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal No. 2 - TBA
Utica is looking to win its second Empire 8 title in the last four seasons and make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. The Pioneers enter the tournament with a 22-3 overall record and finished 15-1 in league play. Utica is 32-2 in E8 play over the last two seasons. The Pioneers are out-scoring opponents by 10.8 points per contest, tied for the top spot in the league. Three players are averaging in double figures, while the Pioneers are shooting 49.5 percent from the floor as a team. Justice Brantley, an All-E8 first team pick in 2022-23 is enjoying another tremendous season for the Pioneers, with a team-best 16.9 points per game, which is also sixth in the league. He is also averaging 5.9 boards per game and leads the team in steals. Damien Call is shooting an Empire 8 best 60.2 percent from the floor and is averaging 7.6 boards per game, which is third in the league. Call is averaging 14.3 points and has a team-high 66 assists. Thomas Morreale, the 2019-20 E8 Rookie of the Year and four-time All-E8 selection, is averaging 9.1 points and is averaging a block per game. Hagen Foley is shooting 64 percent from the floor and nearly 60 percent from 3-point range. Griffin Barasa and Luke Bourgault are also integral contributors for a deep Pioneers team. The Pioneers are in the tournament for the fifth straight season.
Nazareth, the 2022 E8 Champion, is attempting to win fifth its fifth league championship in program history. The Golden Flyers enter the tournament with an 18-7 overall record, having finished 14-2 in league play. Nazareth is out-scoring its opponents by an average of 11 points per game in 2023-24 and are shooting 48.8 percent from the floor as a team. Graduate student Logan Blankenburg is fifth in the E8 in scoring, averaging 17.7 points per game, while, shooting 52.1 percent from floor, fourth best in the league. He leads the E8 in 3-point shooting percentage (44.5 percent) and is also fourth with 7.6 caroms per contest. Jordan Haggard is right behind, shooting 53.1 percent from the floor (third in the E8), while averaging 13.3 points per game. Jaylen Savage, the 2023 E8 Rookie of the Year, is averaging 13.1 points, while Luke Insley leads the Empire 8 and is among the national leaders with 6.2 assists per game. Jack Broderick, Tyler Putney and Solomon McFarlane all play a key role for the Golden Flyers, who have played in four of the last E8 Championship games.
Defending E8 Champion St. John Fisher enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed after finishing 13-3 in league play. The Cardinals, who are 17-8 overall, will attempt to win their 11th E8 title in program history and third in five seasons. St. John Fisher is out-scoring its opponents by an average of 8.5 points per game in 2023-24, while shooting a league-best 49.5 percent from the floor as a team. In addition, the Cardinals are out-rebounding its opponents 41.9-32.5 this season. Fifth-year Daniel Cook, the three-time reigning E8 Player of the Year and 2023 All-American, is enjoying another banner season, among the league leaders with 20.6 points (first), 9.4 rebounds (second), 3.1 assists (fifth), 2.0 blocks (second) and 1.5 steals per game (first), while shooting 54.6 percent from the floor (second best). Brendan McRoy is averaging 11.4 points per game, while while Jack Foley, Connor Recore and Brad Fowler and Connor Williams all play key roles on the scoresheet and on the glass. Fowler is shooting nearly 70 percent from the floor.
Keuka earned the No. 4 seed after finishing 9-7 in league play, while earning the right to host its first E8 men’s basketball postseason game. Keuka is out-scoring its opponents 76.6-73.2. Devin Milton broke Keuka’s all-time career scoring record on Feb. 16, entering the tourney with 1,557 career points. He is fourth in the E8, averaging 18.7 points and third, averaging 2.0 steals per contest. Christian Sage has enjoyed a breakout season for the Wolves, averaging 15.6 points and just under three assists per game, while shooting an Empire 8-best 85 percent from the foul line. Mason VanDeMortel is a long range specialist, having draining 55 shots from 3-point range. Keuka leads the Empire 8, averaging 9.0 made 3-pointers per game.
Alfred enters the Empire 8 Tournament as the No. 5 seed, finishing 8-8 in conference play. Seven of their league games were decided by five points or less. The Saxons hold a 37.0-35.4 edge on the boards. Tyler Hind has come on late in the season to lead the Saxons in scoring, averaging 13.6 games per game. Adam Enders is averaging 12.5 points per game on the strength of 62 made 3-pointers. Franlys Valenzuela leads the E8, averaging 11.2 boards per game to go along with just over 10 points per game is shooting 50.3 percent from the field, while Oscar Wolter is averaging 9.9 points and 5.5 caroms per game.
Houghton has advanced to the Empire 8 Championship Tournament for the first time in program history. The No. 6 Highlanders clinched a postseason berth on the final day of the season. Jajuan Preaster leads the Highlanders and is third in the league in scoring, averaging 19.0 points per game, while shooting 49 percent from the floor. He is also averaging 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists (third in the E8). Preston Thomas is second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.7 points, while knocking a league-high 70 shots from 3-point range. Trey Flatt is second in the league with 96 assists and 3.8 assists per contest and leads the Empire 8 with 55 steals and 2.2 steals per game. Houghton is averaging 75.6 points per game this season.
St. John Fisher swept the regular season series versus Houghton, winning by scores of 84-73 on Jan 12 and 98-87 on Feb. 8. The No. 2 seed Golden Flyers won both matchups versus both Houghton, while Nazareth and St. John Fisher split the season, each winning on its own home court.
Alfred and Keuka are meeting for the second time in four days. Keuka outlasted Alfred, 44-41 at home in the regular season finale on Feb. 16, while Alfred earned a 54-53 win on its home court on Jan. 19. The winner would advance to play top-seed Utica on Thursday. The Pioneers won both matchups versus Keuka and swept Alfred earlier this season.
St. John Fisher is the defending Empire 8 Championship after becoming the first No. 4 seed to win a league title since 2012. The Cardinals defeated Hartwick College, Utica and Nazareth to claim their tenth E8 crown.
Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$4.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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