February 23, 2009

2008-2009 GNAC Men's Basketball Tournament

The 2008-2009 GNAC Men's Basketball Playoff pairings are now available. The reigning 2008 GNAC tournament champions Lasell College Lasers are seeded first with a 14-4 GNAC record and 17-8 record overall.

The Lasers clinched first place in the conference and the regular-season title when they defended their home court last Tuesday against second-place Emerson (17-8, 13-5) by a 79-68 margin. Emerson, the defending regular-season champion, clinched 2nd place with a road win over 6th place Rivier (14-11, 9-9) 64-55.

Saint Joe’s of Maine (18-7, 12-6) finished the regular season on Saturday with a 81-74 win over the top-seeded Lasers, moving the Monks into a tie for 3rd place in the rankings with Emmanuel College (15-10, 12-6) who defeated Suffolk (3-22, 2-16) 82-75. The Monks edged out the Saints for 3rd place with two victories over Emmanuel in regular season play.

Rounding out the final four spots in the GNAC tournament are Johnson and Wales (10-15, 9-9), Rivier, Albertus Magnus (13-12, 9-9), and Norwich (7-18, 6-12), seeded 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th respectively.


2009 GNAC Men’s Basketball Bracket

2009 GNAC Men's Basketball Playoff Schedule:

Tuesday, Feb. 24 – Quarterfinal Round
Game 1:    #8 Norwich (59) at #1 Lasell (67), 7 p.m.
Game 2:    #5 JWU (86) at #4 Emmanuel (90), 8 p.m.
Game 3:     #6 Rivier(67) at #3 St. Joe’s of Maine (85), 7 p.m.
Game 4:     #7 Albertus (78) at #2 Emerson (50), 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 26 - Semifinal Round
Game 5: #4 Emmanuel at #1 Lasell
Game 6: #7 Albertus at #3 St. Joe's of Maine

Saturday, Feb. 28 - Championship at Highest Remaining Seed