Manhattan to Face Louisville in the NCAA Championship
MAAC Sports
EDISON, N.J. – Manhattan College earned a No. 13 seed in the 2014 NCAA Men’s Division I Championship. The 2014 MAAC Champions will take on the No. 4 seed University of Louisville in the second round of the NCAA Championship at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. on Thursday, March 20.
Ranked second heading into the MAAC Championship, Manhattan finished the season with a final record of 25-7. The Jaspers defeated Iona 71-68 to earn the MAAC’s automatic qualifier, advancing them to NCAA Tournament. The selection marks the seventh NCAA appearance for the Jaspers and first time since 2004, when Manhattan advanced to the round of 32 as a No. 12 seed. The Jaspers have won the first-round game in two of their last three appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
The Jaspers have a 10-1 record since the beginning of February and rank second in the nation in wins at road/neutral sites, just one behind undefeated Wichita State.
Manhattan is led by George Beamon, the 2014 MAAC Championship Most Outstanding Player and All-MAAC Championship team members Rhamel Brown and Emmy Andujar. Beamon leads the team in scoring average with 19.2 points per game and Brown ranks first in the MAAC and third nationally in blocks for the Jaspers with his 3.7 blocks per game.
Louisville, the 2013 NCAA Champions, earned the No. 4 seed after winning the American Athletic Conference championship over Connecticut yesterday. The Cardinals under thirteenth-year head coach Rick Pitino finished the season with a 29-5 record and are currently No. 5 in the AP/USA Today national top-25 poll.
Lousiville is led by the AAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player Russ Smith who averaged 25.7 points through three games including a tournament-best 42 in the semifinals against Houston.
The winner will take on No. 5 Saint Louis / No. 12 North Carolina State/Xavier on Saturday, March 22.
Single-session tickets for Manhattan's game on Thursday are available for $85 and can be purchased in advanced through the Manhattan College ticket office.
To purchase tickets through Manhattan College, email gojaspers@manhattan.edu with the number of tickets you are requesting. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and will be available at the will call location of Manhattan's future game site