INDIANA, Pa. — For the fourth time in the last five seasons the Atlantic Region will run through Indiana, Pa. and the Kovalchick Complex as the IUP men's basketball team was selected as the top seed and hosts for the regional tournament, part of the field of 64 announcement for the 2023 NCAA Division II Championships Sunday night.
The Crimson Hawks captured their fourth straight (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament championship following a 54-53 win against Mercyhurst on March 5 at Shippensburg. They enter the NCAA tournament with a 30-1 overall record.
First round games begin Saturday, March 11 with the semifinals following on Sunday, March 12. The regional championship is set for Tuesday, March 14 at the KCAC.
IUP opens the NCAA Tournament against No. 8 seed Winston-Salem State at 5:00 p.m., while other first round matchups on March 11 include No. 2 West Liberty and No. 7 Pitt-Johnstown (2:30 p.m.), No. 3 Mercyhurst vs. No. 6 East Stroudsburg (noon) and No. 4 Virginia Union vs. No. 5 Fairmont State (7:30 p.m.).
IUP has posted an unprecedented run of success over the last several seasons as the winningest program in the nation since 2019-20, going 91-6 overall and not counting the truncated 2020-21 season.
IUP is set for its 19th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, including its 12th in the last 14 full seasons under head coach
Joe Lombardi. IUP won the Atlantic Region last season, advancing to the NCAA DII Final Four with an overall mark of 33-3, tied for the best record in school history.
More information will follow on the Atlantic Region Championship in the coming days at IUPAthletics.com.
