WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – For the first time since making the jump to Division I for the 1984-85 season, the University of Hartford men's basketball team has been invited to participate in a prestigious postseason tournament. The Hawks will host the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament on Tuesday, March 19 as announced by the committee on Tuesday afternoon, and have learned that they will play the Rider Broncs out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
“This is a historic day for our University and its men's basketball program,” said Director of Athletics Pat Meiser. “I am thrilled for our student-athletes, the coaches, our fans and everyone associated with program. It is a just reward for an outstanding season. I expect we will look back on this day as not a 'destination' but as 'the next step' for a maturing program. What Coach Gallagher has done in such a short time is remarkable.”
Hartford and Rider will meet on Tuesday for just the second time in both teams' DIvision I eras. The lone meeting between the two teams came on neutgral groudn on December 30, 2004 at the Oneida Bingo and Casino Classic in Green Bay, Wisc. THe Hawks coasted to a 68-57 win in that game.
Tickets for the 7:00 p.m. tip are available for purchase after 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday by contacting the Malcolm and Brenda Berman Athletics Ticket Office. The box office, located in the Reich Family Pavilion (Sports Center), can also be reached by calling 860-768-HAWK or tickets can be purchased online via www.HartfordHawksTickets.com. The Box Office will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Ticket prices are: general admission ($5), gallery seating ($12), lower chair back ($15), courtside ($20) and VIP ($30).
“This is an exciting time for both our basketball program and our University,” exclaimed third-year head coach John Gallagher. “To accept the first invitation to the postseason in the Hartford's Division I history signifies the progress that our players have made in the short time they have been here. This is a great honor and we look forward to representing the University of Hartford at the national level next week.”
This year will mark the fifth Annual CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The first four tournaments were a major success, rewarding deserving programs from 23 Division I conferences. Criteria for selection include, but are not limited to, win-loss record, strength of schedule, strength of conference and final 10 games. Participating teams must have at least .500 record.
The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament was created in 2009. What began as a 16-team event quickly expanded to 24 teams in 2011 and is now a 32-team postseason event, with invitations extended only to teams outside of the BCS power conferences.
Last season, Mercer became the third team in four years to win the CIT Championship on the road, defeating Utah State to capture the 2012 title. Santa Clara captured the 2011 CIT, winning at Iona to finish with 24 wins, the most in over 40 years. Missouri State (2010) and Old Dominion (2009) were the first two teams to take home the CIT title.
After matching the program record for regular season wins (17), the Hawks, who boast one of the youngest rosters in the nation with six sophomores and four freshmen, fell short of making their third-straight semifinal round appearance in the America East Championship last weekend in Albany, suffering a 69-62 loss as the third-seed to the sixth-seeded UMBC Retrievers.
The 17 victories are one shy of matching the program record, which was established in the 2007-08 season. Hartford, which posted a 10-win season in league play for the first time in five years, was just as successful in its non-conference slate, posting a winning record for just the fourth time in its 28-years as a member of NCAA Division I men's basketball. The above .500 record (7-6) was the Hawks' best mark in non-league games since 1996-97.
Piloted by third-year head coach John Gallagher, who was recently tabbed the America East Coach of the Year by CollegeInsider.com, the Hawks have earned several signature wins in 2013, snapping an 11-year drought at Boston University early in America East play. After completing the first season sweep of the Terriers since 1999, the Hawks ended a nine-game losing streak to Stony Brook last month before snapping a 15-game skid at Vermont early month.
Sophomore Mark Nwakamma also grabbed postseason hardware for Hartford, as he was named to the America East First Team All-Conference. The first-team honor is the first of its kind for Hartford since Joe Zeglinski earned the accolade following the conclusion of the 2007-08 regular season. A three-time America East Player of the Week in 2012-13, Nwakamma led Hartford in scoring with 14.6 points per game.
