Endicott Athletics and Recreation

    • NCAA TOURNAMENT: No. 11 Men's Basketball Squares Off Against Neumann This Friday

    NCAA TOURNAMENT: No. 11 Men's Basketball Squares Off Against Neumann This Friday
    March 5, 2026

    TOURNAMENT CENTRAL PAGE

    BEVERLY, Mass.  — The No. 11 nationally ranked Endicott men's basketball team hosts an NCAA Tournament first round pod with Cortland, Franklin & Marshall, and Neumann this coming weekend. Endicott is the top seed in the pod, while Franklin & Marshall is the second seed, Cortland is the third seed, and Neumann is the fourth seed. Here's your inside look at this weekend's contests from MacDonald Gymnasium.

    SCOUTING ENDICOTT

    • The Gulls are one of just two teams in the nation with 26 wins this season.
    • They hold the 11th best scoring margin (14.3), the 26th highest scoring offense (85.6 points), and rank 30th in turnover margin (3.7). 
    • The Blue and Green are led by 2x Conference of New England (CNE) Player of the Year Marcus Montagnino (Gloucester, Mass.) and First Team All-CNE forward Elijah Kinney (Nashville, Tenn.). Both Montagnino and Kinney ranked among the top 32 scorers in Division III (29th and 32nd, respectively).
    • The CNE champs currently hold a 20-game win streak (program record), 26 wins (program record), and were the first team in conference history to feature a perfect 16-0 in-conference record and win the championship.

    SCOUTING NEUMANN

    • Neumann qualified for the NCAA Tournament after it won the Atlantic East Conference's (AEC) automatic qualifier.
    • The Knights knocked off Gwynedd Mercy, 66-65, in the AEC Championship this past Saturday, 2/28.
    • Four members of the Knights average more than 14 points per game. Jayson Love (Philadelphia, Pa.) averages 14.6, Bryan Etienne (Coral Springs, Fla.) averages 15.2, DJ Earl (Middletwon, Del.) averages 18.0, and Donte Dupriest (Philadelphia, Pa.) averages 19.8.
    • Dupriest earned Atlantic East Player of the Year honors for the second straight season, while Earl accompanied him on the All-AEC First Team.

    SCOUTING FRANKLIN & MARSHALL

    • Franklin & Marshall earned the fourth seed in the Centennial Conference with a 22-5 (10-3) record this season.
    • The Diplomats fell in the Centennial Conference Semifinals to top seed Gettysburg, 69-45.
    • Kevin Nowoswiat (West Chester, Pa.) was named to the All-Centennial Conference First Team after leading the team in scoring (16.2 points per game).
    • The Diplomats' best D3hoops.com national ranking this season was in Week 9 (No. 19).

    SCOUTING CORTLAND

    • SUNY Cortland was ranked No. 23 in the latest D3hoops.com National Poll.
    • Head Coach Maurice Kearney has brought the Red Dragons to the tournament in two of his three seasons at the helm.
    • Aaron Coston (Kerhonkson, N.Y.) and Kendall Arcuri (Staten Island, N.Y.) were each named first team All-SUNYAC for the third straight year.
    • Cortland's four losses this season are by a combined 19 points.

    WHAT'S NEXT

    The Cortland vs. Franklin & Marshall game tips off at 4 PM on Friday, while the Endicott vs. Neumann game is planned to tipoff at 6:30 PM.

    The winners of Friday's matchups will face off on Saturday at 6:30 PM. 

    For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

    (Photo Credit - Cat Scarantino '26)