NEWARK, NJ – The field is rugged as Rutgers-Newark gets ready to travel to Middlebury College in Vermont to compete in the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship.
Tickets went on sale at midnight for the two-day, four-team tournament. See link below for all tournament information!
NCAA Regional Information Website
R-N NCAA Men's Basketball Quick Facts
NCAA Regional Probable Starters
The Loughran Years At Rutgers-Newark
The Scarlet Raiders (20-7) are in the tournament for the first time in program history, continuing the development and growth of the program initiated by head coach Joe Loughran nine years ago. It’s the unprecedented sixth consecutive season in post-season play.
The Raiders take on Little East Conference champion Rhode Island College (20-7) on Friday at 6 p.m. in Middlebury’s Pepin Gym before Middlebury (24-3) squares off against The Commonwealth Coast Conference tournament winner Gordon College (24-4) in the nightcap. The regional final will be played at 7 p.m. on Saturday with the winner advancing to the section championship.
Six seniors have keyed Rutgers-Newark's surge to success highlighted by second team All-NJAC selections
James Johnson and
Deshawn Singleton. But the Raiders have won on hard-nosed defense and a tremendous balance on the offensive end orchestrated by senior point guard
Tim Smith.
Johnson (14.7 points per game) and Singleton (11.7 ppg) join
Phil Barnes (9.1 ppg, 7.3 rebounds per game), Smith (9.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.8 assists per game),
Ryan Gillens (5.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and
De'Vion Manning (4.0 ppg, 1.2 apg) in probably the most potent senior class in Raider basketball history.
Sophomore guard
Greg Moore joins Johnson, Smith and Manning to stretch defenses with outstanding long-range shooting. Freshman point guard
Al-Don Muhammad, this week’s New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week, has developed into a physical presence on both ends of the floor while sophomore forward
Ralph Jones gives Rutgers-Newark intensity and rebounding off the bench.
Senior guard Jake Grimes paces a high-powered Anchorman offense which has averaged 76.9 points per game. Rhode Island College is making its fourth straight NCAA appearance and has made the big dance six times.
Host Middlebury is making its third straight trip to the D-III playoffs. They are keyed by senior guard Tim Edwards – who averages 5.2 assists, 2.1 steals, 8.6 points and 7.0 rebounds – and 6-foot-8 sophomore forward Ryan Sharry. Sharry scores 13.2 points per game and teams with 6-foot-10 junior Andrew Locke to give the Panthers – runners-up in the New England Small College Athletic Conference – an imposing front line.
Gordon, which is making its second NCAA trip (2006), also features height along the baseline with three players checking in at 6-foot-7 or better. But it’s 6-foot-1 senior guard Aaron Trigg who makes the Fighting Scots go. Trigg is averaging 17.5 points and 3.3 assists per game.
The Raiders depart The Golden Dome via bus on Thursday morning – travelling to where the program has never gone before.