FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The top-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks Men's Basketball team has grown accustomed to playing in the Sunshine State Conference Championship. Sunday afternoon will mark NSU's third consecutive trip to the SSC Final, as the Sharks look to become the first program since Florida Southern (2011-12 - 2014-15) to three-peat as the tournament champions of the league.
The Barry Buccaneers, entering the tournament as the seven-seed, are looking for the program's first SSC Tournament Championship. The Buccaneers have been the "Cinderella team" of the tournament, traveling on the road to upset second-seeded Florida Southern and followed with a dramatic, buzzer-beating win over third-seeded Embry-Riddle. Barry is the only Sunshine State Conference team to make the SSC Tournament Final as the seven seed, having accomplished the feat twice (2005-06/2023-24).
Nova Southeastern has won 13 consecutive games between the crosstown rivals, dating back to November 2018. In the Sunshine State Conference tournament, NSU last matched up with the Buccaneers in last season's quarterfinal round where the Sharks won 106-71. However, in the last match-up, Barry nearly upset the Sharks at the Rick Case Arena, but First-Team All-SSC honoree
Shane Hunter closed out the 88-80 victory by scoring the final 12 points for NSU.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
NO. 1 NOVA SOUTHEASTERN
NSU received the #1 seed following the program's fourth SSC regular-season title. They defeated #8 Eckerd 92-72 in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. The Sharks were led by
MJ Iraldi who scored 16 points and pulled down five rebounds in the win. He was one of five players to score in double figures. In all, 12 different Sharks scored points in the win. In the semifinals, the Sharks couldn't miss in their 124-89 win over #4 Lynn. They shot 57.7% from the field and 72.2% from three-point range.
Isaiah Fuller led the way with 17 points and five assists. He was one of seven Sharks to score in double figures.
Trey Doomes (Sr., G, Atlanta, Ga.) and
GianFranco Grafals each added 13 points. In all, 14 Sharks' players scored
8TH SEED BARRY
Barry managed to pull off the 107-89 upset victory over #2 Florida Southern. They led by three at halftime, and then they outscored the Mocs by 15 in the second half to advance to the quarterfinals. Gabe Hernandez led all scorers with 36 points on 13-17 shooting from the field. Nick Anderson scored 25 points and James Montgomery recorded a double-double by scoring 11 and pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds. In the semifinals, the Bucs won a thriller over #3 Embry-Riddle. Anderson hit a jumper with just one second remaining to give Barry the 73-71 win. He led the team with 20 points. Montgomery scored 19 and led the team with seven rebounds.
To purchase tickets for the Sunshine State Conference Tournament Championship, click
here. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. To stay up-to-date on the Sharks tournament run, be sure to follow on Instagram & X at NSU_MBasketball.
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