BENNINGTON, Vt. — The brackets for the 2016 National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division III Men's Basketball Championship were announced Monday afternoon, revealing that Southern Vermont College will be heading to Medford, Mass. in the outskirts of Boston to take on the hosting Tufts University Jumbos on Friday, March 4 for a first-round matchup.
SVC and Tufts will play in the second game of the evening with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m. The winner of Friday's game will take on the victor of Franklin & Marshall University against Skidmore College, a first-round game scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. Friday's winners will then face off at 7 p.m. Saturday evening at Tuft's Cousens Gymnasium.
"We're excited to travel to Boston and play a great team like Tufts," said third-year SVC head coach Dan Engelstad. "We knew that no matter who we faced in the first round was going to be a good team. They have shown to be one of the top teams in the country this year, and we look forward to the challenge."
Southern Vermont makes it into the national dance for just the second time in team history, earning an automatic bid after winning its first-ever New England Collegiate Conference Championship over this past weekend. The Mountaineers are 1-1 all-time in NCAA games as SVC went to the tournament in 2003, defeating Lasell College 63-60 in the opening round before getting bounced by Amherst College with an 84-60 loss; that year's team made it to the NCAA's with a Great Northeast Athletic Conference postseason title.
SVC brings a 24-3 overall record and 16 game winning streak into the tourney, having now won 23 of its last 24 contests. Friday will mark the first-ever matchup between the Mountaineers and the Jumbos in any sport. TU enters the tournament with an overall record of 20-6, receiving an at-large bid to the dance after falling to Amherst College in the New England Small College Athletic Conference semifinals on Saturday. The Jumbos were ranked 18th in last week's D3hoops.com national Top 25 poll.
Tickets for Friday night's game can be purchased at the door. Admission will be $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.
To view the complete DIII men's bracket, visit: http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/basketball-men/d3.