ARLINGTON – Marymount men's basketball kicks off the NCAA Tournament at Keene State for the first round. They will play the host school at 6:15 PM tomorrow, Mar. 1. Eastern will play TCNJ in the other matchup at the site. The winners of both contests will play each other Saturday, Mar. 2 at 6:15 PM ET.  
  
SCOUTING THE SAINTS 

• The Saints enter the NCAA Tournament winning eight of their last 10 matchups, including the Atlantic East Tournament.  
• Marymount won their second straight Atlantic East Conference Championship, taking down the Griffins of Gwynedd Mercy in Converse Family Fieldhouse 83-72. 
• Marymount finished their conference slate with a final record of 10-2, their same split as the 2022-23 season.  
• On Tuesday, CJ Highsmith Jr. Was name Defensive Player of the Year by the Atlantic East Conference alongside head coach Chris Rogers and staff earning Coaching Staff of the Year. 
• Montell Cooper was name First Team All-AEC, with teammate Marcus Stubbs picking up Second Team honors.  
• Through 22 games, Cooper is averaging 14.8 points per game, his best mark since his first season as a Saint, while also averaging 5.5 boards per game and 3.9 assists per game.  
• Stubbs, starting all 28 games this season, averaged 13.1 points per game, with 3.8 rebounds per game and 1.9 assists per game, respectively.  
• Stubbs and Wyatt Hockenberry both surpassed the 1,000 point milestone during the season, with Hockenberry picking it up on January 31st, and Stubbs earning it on his senior day, Feb. 16.  
• The Saints come into the First Round scoring an average of 74.2 points per game, allowing just 67.8 for a 6.4 positive margin.  

SCOUTING THE REGION 

• Keene State (24-3) took the Little East Championship, beating Western Connecticut 84-68. 
• The Owls ran through the tournament as the #1 seed, winning the Championship inside of Spaulding Gymnasium.  
• Eastern (20-7) won the MAC Commonwealth Tournament, taking down Widener 98-69.  
• The final member of the pod, The College of New Jersey, won the NJAC Tournament, beating the #1 seed Rowan in the semifinals, and the #2 seed Stockton in the Championship game.  
• Framingham State is making the program's third appearance in the field of 64 in four years and the first since 2022 after defeating Bridgewater State 74-62 in Saturday's MASCAC title game. 

ABOUT THE CHAMPIONSHIP 

• Forty-two conferences were awarded automatic qualification for the 2024 championship. 22 teams earned at-large bids.  
• Sixteen first/second-round sites will be conducted March 1-2. Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites March 8-9. 
• Winners of the four sectional sites will advance to the national semifinals/final site on March 14 and 16. The semifinals/final will be played at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind.
• Ticket prices for the opening weekend are $15 for adults (18+), $10 for seniors 61 and over, students and children ages two and up. 

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