PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Several local college basketball teams are preparing to play in the NCAA Division III Tournament, including many from the greater Philadelphia region.
Stockton and Rowan universities in South Jersey, as well as Swarthmore, Arcadia and Widener in the suburbs of Philadelphia, are set to tip off Friday night.
Coaches from the men’s and women’s teams share where they stand going into their respective tourneys.
Stockton Ospreys
Stockton University, out of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, earned an at-large berth into the field and will host La Roche Friday at 6:30 p.m. in the first round.
Head coach Scott Bittner said his 22-5 squad is still standing because of their talents.
“We shoot the ball really well,” he said. “We play a fun style of play. Our defense is a work in progress, and we’re hoping that we can become a little more detailed on that side of the ball to advance to a second weekend. And then, if we defend it and do everything like we know we’re capable of, than the third weekend.”
Last season, Stockton won two games in the NCAA Tournament.
Swarthmore Garnet
Swarthmore College earned an automatic bid into the field by winning the Centennial Conference tournament. The Garnet are 24-3.
“We’re kind of jelling at the right time,” said head coach Landry Kosmalski. “I think coaches can tell you, you work on it the whole year and you don’t know if it’s ever going to get there, but I think we’re hitting our stride. Everybody’s getting on the same page.”
Swarthmore will host SUNY Delhi in the first round Friday at 7:10 p.m.
Swarthmore, appearing in their sixth straight NCAA Tournament, is one of the top programs in Division III.
Arcadia Knights
Arcadia University in Montgomery County earned an automatic berth by winning the MAC Freedom Conference Tournament, where they beat De Sales on the road in the final, 74-61.
Head coach Adam Van Zelst is thrilled that his team is still alive.
“It’s an awesome time of year, if you love basketball and you’re having a winning season and you’re able to participate in those type of games,” he said. “It’s an unbelievable experience and I think it’s unbelievable for our student athletes. It’s something that — they won a championship and no one can take that away from them, and they’ll remember that the rest of their life.”
Arcadia is 15-11 and the Knights will take on Case Western Reserve in the first round in Cleveland on Friday at 6:20 p.m.
The Knights are in the tournament for the first time since 2019.
Widener Pride
Widener University in Chester earned an automatic bid by winning the MAC Commonwealth conference tournament title, beating Alvernia for the title, 74-69.
The 19-8 Pride won the conference for the first time since 2009, so head coach Chris Carideo is thrilled to bring his team into the field.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done it, but I have done it in the past,” he said. “I really was really anxious for my team to experience it, my new coaches to experience it, and it’s everything I remember.
“The elation that you have and just watching your team play with greatness for that time, and then seeing them celebrate afterward — it’s why you do it.”
Widener will take on Tufts in the first round Friday at 3 p.m. in Keene, New Hampshire.
Rowan Profs
Rowan University earned an automatic berth into the field by winning the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament. The Profs will host Cal Lutheran in the first round Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Glassboro.
The 22-5 Rowan Profs can score the basketball, averaging almost 93 points a game under head coach Joe Crispin.
“For us, it is always, can we dictate tempo? Can we play the way we know how to play? Can we make it a scoring-oriented game? And if we can, usually we’re in a good spot,” he said.
Rowan is in the tourney for the second straight season. They lost last year in the first round to Susquehanna.
Rowan WBB
The Rowan women’s basketball team is the lone squad representing the greater Philadelphia region in the women’s Division III tourney.
They will take on Rhode Island College in the first round of the tournament Friday at 6 p.m. in Scranton.
The Profs earned an automatic berth into the tournament by winning the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament, beating New Jersey City University in the final 79-70.
Getting to the tournament is a big deal for the 20-8 Profs. They are in it for the first time since 2020.
Still, head coach Demetrius Poles said there is still a lot of work to do.
“I told my players at the beginning of the season, we want to make a run in the NCAA,” he said. “We just don’t want to just get there and be comfortable, just happy to be there. You want to win it all.”