Release courtesy of USCAA
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – The 2016 USCAA Basketball National Championships field was finalized earlier today during a live radio show on WHKT in Portsmouth, Virginia. For an eighth year, the tournament returns to Uniontown, located in the Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania. The field features 34 teams in four divisions playing 39 games from March 1st-5th. Tournament games are played on the campus of Penn State Fayette.
The defending Men's Division II National Champion, Berkeley College-New York, takes the top spot in the 2016 bracket after finishing the regular season with just one loss. Berkeley's top contenders in their quest to repeat will be Central Penn College, the second seed, and third seeded Penn State Mont Alto. The Penn State Mont Alto Lions entered last year's field as the ninth seed and ended up finishing as the runner-up in a close contest against Berkeley. The fourth seed in the field will be the Warren Wilson Owls. In one of the more interesting notes in this year's tournament, Owls coach Anthony Barringer was one of the leaders of Warren Wilson's 2013 USCAA Men's Division II National Championship team. Rounding out the field in Men's Division II will be Yankee Conference Champion University of Maine-Machias, Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte, Penn State Fayette, College of St. Joseph's-Vermont, University of Maine-Presque Isle, and Central Maine Community College.
The Women's Division II bracket will be led by a familiar team. College of St. Joseph's-Vermont takes the top spot for a second straight year. The Fighting Saints were the runner-up in the field in 2015 and have been impressive through the regular season with a 28-1 record. Following College of St. Joseph's-Vermont in the field is Penn State Hazleton. A tournament participant last season, the Lions have secured their highest seed in the tournament in school history. Following Penn State Hazleton will be the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The last team in the top half of the Women's Division II bracket will be University of Maine-Augusta, who are coming off a tough loss to College of St. Joseph's-Vermont in the Yankee Conference Championship game. Completing the bracket will be defending USCAA National Champion Penn State Beaver, Southern Maine Community College, University of Cincinnati-Clermont, and host Penn State Fayette.
Play begins on March 2nd with championship games being held on March 5th. A complete list of teams and seeds is below.
If you would like more information on USCAA basketball or the 2016 USCAA Basketball National Championships please visit the Tournament Website.
Men's Division II Tournament Participants
#1: Berkley College-NY (Knights)
#2: Central Penn College (Knights)
#3: Penn State Mont Alto (Lions
#4: Warren Wilson College (Owls)
#5: University of Maine-Machias (Clippers)
#6: Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte (Wildcats)
#7: Penn State Fayette (Lions)
#8: College of St. Joseph's-Vermont (Fighting Saints)
#9: University of Maine-Presque Isle (Owls)
#10: Central Maine Community College (Mustangs)
Link to Men's Division II Bracket
Women's Division II Tournament Participants
#1: College of St. Joseph's-Vermont (Fighting Saints)
#2: Penn State Hazleton (Lions)
#3: Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (Panthers)
#4: University of Maine-Augusta (Moose)
#5: Penn State Beaver (Lions)
#6: Southern Maine Community College (Seawolves)
#7: University of Cincinnati-Clermont (Cougars)
#8: Penn State Fayette (Lions)
