The Continentals are one of 25 teams returning from last year's tournament, in which they made it to the round of sixteen. This trip to the NCAA tournament marks the fifth consecutive year Hamilton has qualified for NCAA postseason play.
"We're obviously happy to be in the NCAA tournament again," stated Tom Murphy, head coach of the Continentals, adding, "we're looking forward to this. It's the start of a new season and everyone is 0-0. We have a good chance to win a few games and go on a roll."
The Continentals were one of the first teams in the nation to get the invitation to the NCAA tournament by way of finishing first in the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA) with a 9-3 record.
Should the Continentals defeat Rochester Thursday, they will face the number one seed St. John Fisher (24-1) on its home court Saturday, March 6. New England Small College Athletic Conference opponents Trinity College (20-3) and Connecticut College (24-0) also are in Hamilton's the Northeast Region and could be possible third- and fourth-round opponents, but Murphy is cautious about looking too far ahead.
"We've played Trinity and Connecticut tough this season (74-78 loss to Trinity and 76-89 loss to Connecticut) and I would like our chances against them," Murphy claimed. "But we need to take care of business in our bracket first."
Senior front court players Michael Schantz (Sharon, MA/Sharon) and Jon Schmiegel (Wantagh, NY/Calhoun) continue to lead the Continentals.
Schantz, a legitimate All-American candidate, leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 26.3 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. He is one of only two players in the nation to be ranked in the top ten in both categories (eighth in scoring, second in rebounding). Currently standing at 2,117 points and 1,132 rebounds, Schantz is only the second player in Continentals history to score at least 2,000 points and grab at least 1,000 rebounds.
Schmiegel averages 12.2 rebounds and 17.8 rebounds from his center position, and is fourth in the nation for rebounding. Perhaps his best game of the season was a 35 point, 17 rebound effort to lead the Continentals to a come-from-behind win at Union January 23, giving coach Murphy his 500th career win.
The Continentals outside threat is led by sophomore guard Jim McCarthy (Jamaica Plain, MA/Brookline) who leads the NESCAC in three-point field goal percentage and is ranked seventh in the nation, converting 51.5% (34-66) of his three-point efforts.
The NCAA Division III tournament feature 48 of the best basketball teams in the nation. All games, except the finals, will be played on the campuses of competing institutions. The semifinals and final will be held March 19-20 in the Salem Civic Center, Salem, VA.
