FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – In a Sunshine State Conference showdown with a spot in the Sweet Sixteen on the line, the top-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks Men's Basketball team faces a familiar opponent in the NCAA South Region Tournament semifinals, as NSU hosts fifth-seeded Embry-Riddle Eagles at the Rick Case Arena on Sunday evening.
The Sharks have won each of the last eight meetings with the Eagles, dating back to January 2022. Nova Southeastern and Embry-Riddle previously met in the NCAA Tournament in the 2022 NCAA South Region championship, where NSU defeated Embry-Riddle 71-68 to advance to the Elite Eight.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
No. 1 Nova Southeastern | 28-2
The Sharks began the NCAA Tournament against the eighth-seeded Benedict Tigers, earning a 115-95 win and scoring the most points in the first round of the NCAA Division II tournament. Nova Southeastern closed the first half with a "blackout" run, outscoring Benedict 27-0 over a five-minute stretch and put the game out of reach.
Shane Hunter,
GianFranco Grafals, and
Isaiah Fuller combined to score 55 points in the win, while
Alex Mangold added a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
The victory marked Nova Southeastern's 62
nd consecutive win at the Rick Case Arena and seventh straight NCAA Tournament victory.
In both match-ups against the Eagles during the 2023-24 season, Hunter has averaged 20 points and 6.5 rebounds. Hunter scored 21 points, grabbing six rebounds, adding a block and a steal the last time the Sunshine State Conference foes faced off at the Rick Case Arena.
Embry-Riddle | 22-9
In the final game of the opening round on Saturday night, Malcolm Whitlow led the Eagles to a dominant 104-78 victory over the fourth-seeded Alabama-Huntsville Chargers. Whitlow stole the show from the opening tip-off, tying an Embry-Riddle program record with 11 three-pointers, including making each of his first seven, and broke the Eagles record for points in a postseason game with 35. Cameron Shockley-Okeke set a season-high with 22 points, adding another five three-pointers for the Eagles.
In the first Sunshine State Conference match-up between the Sharks and Eagles, Whitlow scored 18 points (7-10 FG/3-5 3PT) but NSU held him to just eight points in the second game of the season, limiting him to 3-13 from the field.
Tip-off for round three between the No. 1 Nova Southeastern Men's Basketball team and the Embry-Riddle Eagles is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Rick Case Arena on Sunday evening. To purchase tickets, click
here. To stay up-to-date on the Sharks throughout their NCAA Tournament run, be sure to follow on Instagram and X at NSU_MBasketball.
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