The USCAA announced its selections for the 2019-2020 USCAA Division II National Men's Basketball Tournament on Monday morning, and Berkeley College's men's basketball team learned that it will be the No. 7 overall seed when it begins its quest for a fifth consecutive National title in the last six seasons. The National tournament begins on Sunday, March 8th, and will be hosted by Penn State Fayette. All games will take place in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
The Knights (17-8 Overall) received an automatic bid to this year's tournament by winning the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title back in the middle of February, defeating SUNY-ESF and Albany College of Pharmacy in doing so. Berkeley has won 11 consecutive contests, and will next play on Sunday, March 8 at 2:00pm, when the Knights take on Penn State Greater Allegheny in a rematch of the 2016-2017 USCAA Division II men's semifinals (won by Berkeley, 74-60).
Should the Knights advance in the play-in game, they'll lock horns with National rival Central Penn in the quarterfinals on Monday, March 9, at 6:00pm. The semifinals are set for 5:00pm on Tuesday, March 10, with the title game taking place Wednesday evening, March 11, at 7:00pm.
Following the announcement of the tournament bracket, Head Coach Jonathan Pena spoke about his team's trajectory as tournament play nears.
"Our team navigated through some adversity that we faced in the first half of the season, and I feel as though we did a great job of resetting our focus, working diligently, and using teamwork to put together a long streak," Pena said. "After capturing our sixth consecutive Regional title, we are eager to get to Uniontown and give it our best. There are plenty of tremendous teams in our bracket, so between that and having to win games on four consecutive days, we know this isn't going to be easy. Hopefully, we'll return to New York early Thursday with the trophy. We're excited."
To follow the Knights in their quest for a fifth National Championship in the last six years, visit the USCAA website – www.theUSCAA.com. Live statistics and live video streaming will be available for select games. Recaps of all Berkeley College contests will be available on the Knights' athletics website at www.berkeleycollegeknights.com
