March 9, 2008

BRYANT MEN FACE CW POST SATURDAY IN NCAA
Men Open Regional Saturday vs. CW Post at Waltham, MA

Cecil Gresham (slamming one home vs. Syracuse) and the Bulldogs take on CW Post in the first round of the NCAA tournament Saturday at Bentley.  The Bulldogs are the No. 5 seed of the tournament.  Times will be announced this week. (Greg Wall photo)

SMITHFIELD, RI - The Bulldogs are headed back to the Big Dance once again. The Bulldogs were among the 64 teams selected Sunday evening to participate in the 2008 NCAA Division II Championships.  The Bulldogs, seeded as the No. 5 team in the region, will face fourth-seed C.W. Post this Saturday at Bentley's Dana Center in Waltham, MA.  Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m.

Bentley is the top seed of the Northeast Regional and will face No. 8 seed Merrimack College in the first round Saturday at 6:00 pm.  Bryant will face the winner of the Bentley - Merrimack game on Sunday evening at 7:30 pm.  The championship game will take place Tuesday evening.

This is the fifth-straight appearance in the NCAA tournament for the Bulldogs under coach Max Good and the seventh all-time for Bryant University which has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in three of the last four NCAA tournaments, including the memorable run to the 2005 NCAA Championship game at the Elite Eight.

In 2004, Bryant fell to UMass Lowell in the NCAA Regional Championship at the buzzer, but a year later in 2005, the Bulldogs captured the Northeast Regional title defeating Bentley at the Dana Center for the school's first regional title and trip to the Elite Eight.  Last year, Bryant fell to top-seed Bentley in the Northeast Regional Championship.

Bryant and C.W. Post met in the 2004 NCAA regional in Lowell, MA with the Bulldogs coming out on top 65-63.  The Bulldogs and Pioneers did not meet this season in the regular season but met last year in Brookville, NY with Bryant winning, 75-60 behind a career-high 30 points from Jon Ezeokoli (South Orange, NJ). Ezeokoli leads the team this year with 14.3 ppg while sophomore Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, CT) is next with 12.2 ppg and 4.4 rebounds per contest. 

This is the final appearance in the Division II regional for Bryant as the school will move up to Division I in 2008-09.

NCAA Division II Men's Northeast Regional
March 15-18 @ Waltham, MA

Saturday, March 15
No. 3 Saint Rose (22-7) vs. No. 6 Philadelphia (22-10), 12 pm
No. 2 Assumption (22-10) vs. No. 7 Holy Family (21-9), 2:30 pm
No. 1 Bentley (30-0) vs. No. 8 Merrimack (17-11), 6 pm
No. 4 C.W. Post (26-4) vs. No. 5 Bryant (17-12), 8:30 pm

Sunday, March 16
Assumption/Holy Family winner vs. Saint Rose / Philadelphia winner, 5:00 pm
Bentley /Merrimack winner vs. Bryant/CW Post winner, 7:30 pm

Tuesday, March. 18
Regional Championship

Seeds
1. Bentley (30-0)
2. Assumption (22-10)
3. St. Rose (22-7)
4. CW Post (26-4)
5. BRYANT (17-12)
6. Philadelphia (22-10)
7. Holy Family (21-9)
8. Merrimack (17-11)