Overview
The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Champions Caldwell University men's basketball team as the #8 seed in the 2023 NCAA Division II Championship East Region faces the region's top seed and host Saint Anselm College in the opening round on Saturday, March 11 at 5 pm. The 2023 NCAA D2 Men's Basketball East Region will be hosted by Saint Anselm at the Stoutenburgh Gymnasium on the campus of Saint Anselm.
 
Multimedia
Live stats and video will be available for Saturday's game. All links will be available on the Tournament Central page at https://saintanselmhawks.com/sports/2023/3/6/2023-ncaa-division-ii-basketball-east-region-tournament-central.aspx
Live stats: https://saintanselmhawks.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Video: https://ne10now.tv/saintanselmhawks/
 
Spectator Information
Individual game tickets will be sold at the door: adults will be charged $10 while students, senior citizens, and attendees under the age of 18 earn admittance for $5. Session passes can be purchased for $25 each and will only be sold in advance using the following link: https://saintanselmhawks.com/tickets
 
Scouting the Cougars (21-9, 14-4 CACC)
The Cougars enter the NCAA D2 Tournament with a 21-9 overall record and captured the CACC automatic bid to the tournament after winning the conference title last weekend. This is the Cougars third trip to the NCAA D2 Tournament after earning bids in 2007 and 2021. CACC Rookie of the Year and freshman Darnell Evans (Deer Park, N.Y.) leads the Cougars with 19.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game with 35 three-pointers. Sophomore Mark Heber (Paterson, N.J.) is posting 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest, while connecting on a team-best 58 three-pointers. Sophomore Derrick Bueno (Palisades Park, N.J.) is averaging 10.5 points and 5.3 boards per game, while sophomore Jarnel Rancy (Middle Island, N.Y.) is contributing 6.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 4.3 blocks per game.
 
Scouting the Hawks (22-7, 15-5 NE-10)
The Hawks enter Saturday's match-up with a 22-7 record and finished 15-5 in the Northeast-10 Conference during the regular season. Saint Anselm went 3-0 in the NE-10 Tournament, capturing their tenth title in program history to secure the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA D2 Tournament. Tyler Arbuckle leads the Hawks with 17.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while draining 59 three-pointers. Miles Tention is averaging 15.5 points, 2.9 boards and 4.2 assists per contest, while connecting on a team-best 74 three-pointers. Owen McGlashan is posting 12.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, while Zac Taylor is contributing 10.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
 
Postseason Awards
The Cougars took home several postseason awards as Evans was named the CACC Rookie of the Year and was a CACC First Team All-Conference selection. Rancy was selected as the CACC Defensive Player of the Year and earned CACC Third Team honors. Heber earned CACC Third Team recognition.
 
Johnson Coaching File
Caldwell's head coach Dean Johnson is currently in his first season leading the Cougars. Johnson led the Cougars to 21 victories this season and the top overall seed in the CACC, earning CACC Coach of the Year honors. He guided the Cougars to its first North Division title in the NCAA era (2002-present) and second CACC Tournament Title.
 
Next Up
The winner of this quarterfinal match up will advance to the NCAA D2 East Region semifinals against the winner of the #4 University of New Haven and #5 Pace University on Sunday, March 12.
 
Caldwell Cougars Online
For more information regarding Caldwell Athletics log on to CaldwellAthletics.com or follow Caldwell Athletics on Twitter @CaldwellCougars, on Instagram @CaldwellAthletics and Like Caldwell University Athletics on Facebook. For updates on the Caldwell Men's Basketball team, follow @CaldwellUMBB on Twitter and @CaldwellCougars_mbb on Instagram.