PITTSBURGH, Pa. – For the second consecutive year, La Roche men's basketball earned its place in the NCAA DIII Men's Basketball Tournament, capturing the AMCC Championship this past Saturday.

The Redhawks enter the tournament with a 17-10 overall record and drew the top seed in the tournament, the #1 nationally ranked Hampdon-Sydney Tigers.

Hampdon-Sydney enters the NCAA Tournament with a 26-2 record and finished 14-2 in the ODAC, with its losses coming to nationally ranked opponents, #8 Randolph-Macon (48-46) and #11 Guilford (80-71).

The Tigers finished with victories over two former #1 teams, John Carroll and Christopher Newport and #25 Swarthmore

La Roche played three top 25 opponents in the non-conference, including Case Western Reserve, Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Calvin, while also squaring off against Carnegie Mellon, a tournament at-large selection.

GAME NOTES
 
PRESSURE AND MORE PRESSURE: The Redhawks finished the season second in the AMCC in total defense, allowing 72.1 points per game. The Tigers only averaged 74.1, so La Roche needs to pressure Hampden-Sydney to go under the season average.
 
SUFFOCATE THE SHOOTERS: The Tigers enter the tournament shooting 45.9% from the floor and 37.2% behind the arc. The Redhawks only allowed the opposition to shoot 43.2% from the floor and 31.2% from deep, so clamping down the scorers will be key.
 
GIMME THREE: La Roche shot 33.2% from behind the arc and had three players, Jerique Walker (44.2%), Bryce Epps (41.3%) and Michael Brooks (41%) shoot over 40%. The Tigers allowed teams to hit 33% from beyond the perimeter, which can open up the opportunity for the Redhawks shooters, who hit 23 shots from deep in the AMCC Tournament
 
MAKE HISTORY: La Roche is looking to pull through and win an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in school history.