2023 NCAA DIVISION III MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
INDIANAPOLIS | The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) released the 64-team field for its 2023 Division III Men's Basketball Championship Monday afternoon, and Farmingdale State College -- winners of this season's Skyline Conference Championship -- will begin its seventh trip to "the dance" Friday (March 3) at 4:50 p.m., when they face Christopher Newport University, ranked No. 2 in Monday's D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, Friday at 4:50 p.m. at Kirby Field House in Hampden Sydney, Va.
Also in FSC's (21-7) four-team pod is host and 20th-ranked Hampden-Sydney University, who will square off Friday at 7:20 p.m. against Emory University. Friday's two winners will face off in second-round play at Kirby, Saturday at 7:20 p.m.
This marks the Rams' seventh appearance in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship, including six automatic bids as the Skyline champion (2006, '08, '12, '17, '19 and '23) and one at-large selection (2009). FSC owns a 5-6 record in tourney contests, including a run to the national quarterfinals in 2009, a 2-4 mark against host institutions and 3-2 ledger in neutral-site competitions.
The 2022-23 Farmingdale State outfit, coached by 10th-year bench boss Brendan Twomey (165-104 [.613] overall; 152-91 [.626] at FSC), is led by senior swingman Nick Hurowitz (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.), who topped his team in numerous statistical categories and enters tourney play with top-10 Skyline ranks in free-throw percentage (first, .846), field-goal percentage (fourth, .457), scoring (seventh, 14.8 ppg) and rebounding (eighth, 7.3 rpg). Hurowitz's free-throw percentage is the No. 52 mark in Division III, while his eight double-doubles on the season (including a 15-point, 10-carom effort in the Skyline final against Manhattanville, Feb. 25) are tied for 81st nationally.
Senior guard Corey Powell (Valley Stream, N.Y.) was named the Most Outstanding Player of last week's Skyline Conference Championship enters the championship with a 12.2 points per outing average that ranks No. 14 in Skyline. The Dec. 20 Skyline Player of the Week scored a team-best 16 points in the conference final versus Manhattanville, and regularly guards the opposition's top perimeter threat. Powell has collected 50 assists, 14 steals and as many blocked shots thus far on the season.
Junior point guard Jevon Santos (Elmont, N.Y.) directs an offense that led the Skyline with a 78.3 points per game average (No. 77 nationally), and ranks nationally in assists (116, 55th), assists per game (4.3, 70th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.93, 81st), with the latter mark leading the Skyline. He swiped 49 steals (No. 100 in Division III) over his 27 games played, and his 1.81 steals per outing were the top mark in the Skyline.
In addition to posting the 36th-best scoring margin (plus-10.9) in Division III, Farmingdale State's team effort on defense has been the hallmark of its campaign to date. The Rams hold top-20 national rankings in rebounds per game (fifth, 45.22), field-goal percentage defense (15th, .380) and rebounding margin (19th, plus-8.1), and are 42nd on the perimeter in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.300). FSC's 21 victories to-date are the most in a season during Twomey's tutelage.
Christopher Newport (24-3) will be making its 26th appearance in the NCAA Championship after winning the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference title Saturday against the University of Mary Washington. Head coach John Krikorian's Captains have three players averaging double digits in scoring, including Jahn Hines (17.2 ppg, 73 asst., team-high 27 steals), Trey Barber (12.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.73 blocks/gm. - No. 12 nationally) and Matthew Brodie (11.5 ppg, .400 3FG pct.).
Hampden-Sydney (21-6) received an at-large bid to the Championship after dropping a 70-69 semifinal contest in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tourney to 13th-ranked Guilford. Head coach Caleb Kimbrough's Tigers receive 14.8 points and 8.8 boards per outing from Davidson Hubbard (24 blk.), while Ryan Clements (69 asst.) and Adam Brazil (91 asst., 38 steals, .457 3FG pct.) average 11.4 and 11.2, respectively.
Emory (17-8) earned an at-large bid after registering an 8-6 mark in the University Athletic Association. Head coach Jason Zimmerman's Eagles are led by Benjamin Pearce's 18.0 points and 4.6 assists per night, with Mason Johnson (25 blk.) checking in with a 13.6 per-game average.
Ticket information and live links will be updated on this release as details become available.
Farmingdale State College all-time results in NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship
- March 2, 2006: Farmingdale State 93, at Ursinus 82
- March 4, 2006: at Virginia Wesleyan 71, Farmingdale State 63
- March 7, 2008: Penn St.-Behrend 83, Farmingdale State 62 (at Rochester)
- March 6, 2009: Farmingdale State 90, Univ. of New England 63 (at Rhode Island College)
- March 7, 2009: Farmingdale State 67, MIT 61 (at Rhode Island College)
- March 13, 2009: Farmingdale State 84, Bridgewater State 64 (at Stockton)
- March 14, 2009: at Stockton 103, Farmingdale State 60
- March 2, 2012: Farmingdale State 98, at Hartwick 88
- March 3, 2012: MIT 83, Farmingdale State 63 (at Hartwick)
- March 3, 2017: at Middlebury 84, Farmingdale State 75
- March 1, 2019: at Rochester 85, Farmingdale State 68