MBB: Monks To Face Babson In First Round Of NCAA Tournament

Release Courtesy of Saint Joseph's (Maine) Athletic Communications

STANDISH, Maine - The NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee announced today the 64-team field for the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship, and Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Champion Saint Joseph's College (20-8) will face Babson College, the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Champion, in a first-round contest on Friday at 4:30 PM at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

Led by fifth-year Head Coach Tyler Ackley, Saint Joseph's — the top seed in the conference tournament — earned the GNAC's automatic NCAA Tournament berth with a 92-58 victory over #2 University of Saint Joseph in the GNAC Championship at the Harold Alfond Center on Sunday. The title is the program's second straight and third overall, and it sends the Monks — winners of 17 consecutive games — to the NCAA Tournament for the second-consecutive year and third time in program history.

Babson College (21-6) enters the tournament on a nine-game winning streak and has won 15 of its last 16 games dating back to January 10. The Beavers secured the NEWMAC title with an 81-56 victory over Wheaton and will make their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last six seasons. Babson is making its 14th NCAA Tournament appearance overall and 12th under 31st-year head coach Stephen Brennan.

Friday's other first-round matchup at Trinity features No. 2 Trinity (25-2), the defending NCAA Division III national champion, against Empire 8 Champion Keuka College (15-13) at 7:00 PM. The Bantams captured their second consecutive NESCAC title and are making their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance, while the Wolves are set for their NCAA Tournament debut.

First round winners will meet in the second round on Saturday at 7:00 PM.

Friday's NCAA Tournament game will mark the first-ever meeting between the Saint Joseph's and Babson men's basketball programs.

Automatic qualification (AQ) is awarded to 43 conference champions. The remaining 21 spots are selected from teams in conferences with automatic bids that did not win their league's AQ. Teams are geographically paired whenever possible.

Sixteen sites will host four teams each for first- and second-round competition on March 6-7. Second-round winners will advance to one of eight third-round sites on March 13-14, with both weekends played on the campuses of competing institutions. The tournament then shifts to the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for the quarterfinals on March 19 and semifinals on March 21. Semifinal winners advance to the championship game, which will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on April 5.

ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

Stay up to date with all the latest news from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC)!
'Follow' us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram, and 'Like' us on Facebook!

- #theGNAC -