GENEVA, N.Y.—Hobart College will host the semifinals and championship of the Liberty League Men's Basketball Tournament in Bristol Gymnasium this weekend. This will be the sixth time the Statesmen have hosted the tournament since the conference first sponsored a tournament in 2000.
The top-seeded Statesmen (21-4) will take on No. 5 seed Skidmore (14-11) in the first semifinal at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24. No. 2 seed Union (16-8) will face No. 3 seed RIT (14-12) in the second semifinal at 4:30 p.m. The championship game will tip off at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25.
Spectators are asked to use one of the following campus parking lots: Barn Lot, Medbury North Lot, Odell's South Lot or Scandling Center Lot. There will be no spectator parking in the Bristol Gym or Winn-Seeley parking lots.
Admission for all three games is free. Fans can also follow the action online with
All-Access Video and
Live Stats.
As the top two seeds, Hobart and Union received byes to the semifinals. Skidmore advanced to the semifinals with a 68-62 win over fourth-seeded Ithaca last night. RIT earned its spot in the semifinals with a 68-63 win over sixth-seeded Vassar.
The past seven Liberty League Tournament championships have been claimed by either the Statesmen (2013, 2014), the Thoroughbreds (2011, 2012, 2015, 2016) or the Dutchmen (2017). Each of the past five tournament titles have been won by the tournament host.
Hobart, which is No. 1 in the NCAA's latest East Region rankings, won the Liberty League regular season title with a 16-2 record, four games clear of the runner-up. In the heart of the conference schedule, the Statesmen put together a program record 15-game winning streak. They are seeking their fourth conference tournament crown (2001, 2013, 2014).
Fourth-year Head Coach
Tim Sweeney (67-36) manages a lineup that features four players averaging 12 or more points per game. Junior
Colin Dougherty leads the offense with 16.9 ppg. Classmate
Jamal Lucas adds 15.4 ppg as well as team-highs of 5.6 rpg and 2.2 spg. Sophomore
Tucker Lescoe is the team's top long-range marksman. He's averaging 12.6 ppg with a team-high 67 3-pointers. First-year
Dan Masino contributes 12.0 ppg and a team-high 3.1 apg.
Union is the defending league champion, defeating the Statesmen 71-67 in the 2017 title game in Schenectady. The Dutchmen also have three league titles to their credit, capturing the 2002 and 2005 championships. Union is the only league team to beat Hobart this season.
Led by fifth-year Head Coach Chris Murphy (66-60), the Dutchmen have three players averaging double digits led by senior guard Kevin Weckworth's 21.7 ppg. Senior Greg King adds 13.3 ppg and a team-high 7.8 rpg and junior Kevin McNoble chips in 10.4 ppg and a team best 3.5 apg.
RIT joined the Liberty League prior to the 2011-12 season and is seeking its first championship. The Tigers are led by Bob McVean, who is in his 35th season as head coach at RIT. Including five seasons as the bench boss at Eisenhower College, he brings a 567-452 record into the weekend. Troy Pierre-Louis leads the team in scoring (15.4 ppg) and assists (3.8 apg). Anthony Lewis averages 13.3 ppg and Robert Aguilera adds 11.3 ppg and a team-leading 8.8 rpg.
Skidmore has four Liberty League championships to its credit (2011, 2012, 2015, 2016). Head Coach Joe Burke is in his eighth season, sporting a record of 141-76. Junior Edvinus Rupkus paces the Thoroughbreds, averaging 22.5 ppg and 6.8 rpg. Junior Dakpe Yiljep and first-year Noah Meren contribute 13.7 ppg and 10.2 ppg, respectively.
The winner of the Liberty League Tournament will receive an automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship. The full 64-team bracket (43 automatic qualifiers and 21 at-large bids) will be announced on Monday, Feb. 26.
