Swarthmore men's hoops gets Whitworth in D3 Tourney 'Sweet 16'

Swarthmore senior forward Nate Shafer had 14 points and 20 rebounds in the Garnet's second round win over Ithaca.
Photo credit Swarthmore College Athletics
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Swarthmore College men's basketball team has advanced to the 'Sweet 16' of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Garnet will take on Whitworth University on Saturday at Tarble Pavilion.

The 28-1 Garnet, who have been ranked No. 1 in the country throughout the season, took care of Brooklyn (85-51 win) and Ithaca (86-78 win) in the first two rounds last weekend. 

Head coach Landry Kosmalski reflected on the first weekend of action for his team.

"And (forward Zac) O'Dell had 13 (rebounds)," Kosmalski said. "So 33 rebounds from our two seniors. About what you would hope and expect this time of year, those guys playing for their basketball lives and both of them stepped up in a big way."

Whitworth is 23-6 in the season. The Pirates defeated LeTourneau and Texas-Dallas in the first two rounds to get here.

"Very talented offensively," Kosmalski said of the Pirates. "They've kind of changed their defenses a little bit here coming into the tournament. So going to figure out what they're going to bring and be prepared for all of it."

While the game will be played at Swarthmore, because of concerns about the COVID-19 virus, no fans will be permitted to attend the game.

Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. on Saturday.

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Follow Matt on Twitter @Mattleon1060.