FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The second-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks Men's Basketball team finds themselves on the cusp of history, as NSU enters Thursday nights Sunshine State Conference tournament semifinal contest against the fifth-seeded Tampa Spartans one win shy from tying the NCAA Division II record for consecutive home court victories (80).
The Sharks, led by newly minted Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year Jim Crutchfield, opened tournament play with a resounding 116-79 victory over the eighth-seeded Barry Buccaneers on Tuesday night. MJ Iraldi, the third NSU Men's Basketball player to earn Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year, was named the NABC/D2 CIDA shortly before tip-off and followed by leading the Sharks with 23 points in just 18 minutes of action.
No. 2 Nova Southeastern (28-1, 19-1 SSC) | Sunshine State Conference regular season champions
Last Game: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 116, Barry 79 (SSC Quarterfinals)
Since Crutchfield took over the NSU Men's Basketball program, the Sharks are 15-0 against the Tampa Spartans and Thursday night's semifinal will be the first SSC tournament games between the two programs since the 2019 tournament.
The Sharks brought in the new year with a dominant 114-88 victory over Tampa the last time the teams played in the Rick Case Arena on January 1. All five NSU starters scored in double figures, led by 25 points from Iraldi, while Dallas Graziani, a first-team All-Sunshine State Conference honoree, added 22 points, 11 assists and six steals. Ross Reeves (22), Ryker Cisarik (17), and Tyler Eberhart (12) all scored in double figures in the victory.
In the second matchup of the regular season, NSU defeated Tampa 100-66, as the Sharks earned their 20th victory on the campaign. Cisarik led the way in the win, scoring 27 points, adding nine rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Cisarik, selected to the All-SSC second and all-defensive teams, led NSU averaging 22 points, 8.5 rebounds, two blocks and 1.5 steals in the regular season victories over Tampa. Additionally, Graziani averaged a double-double in both games against the Spartans, totaling 28 points and 21 assists.
Tampa Spartans (20-9, 11-9 SSC)
Last Game: Tampa 90, Embry-Riddle 73 (SSC Quarterfinals)
In his second year leading the Spartans, Head Coach Linc Darner guided Tampa to the Sunshine State Conference tournament for the first time in his tenure and the first SSC tournament appearance for the Spartans program since 2022.
Tampa was the only visiting team to pull off a victory in the quarterfinal round, defeating the fourth-seeded Embry-Riddle Eagles 90-73 on Tuesday evening at the ICI Center in Daytona Beach.
Tampa's Tyson Leitao and Bryan Williams earned All-Sunshine State Conference recognition, with Leitao being named to the second-team and Williams garnering third-team recognition. Leitao, the Spartan's leading scorer, was a presence in the paint throughout the regular season for the Spartans, finishing second in the SSC in double-doubles (15) and rebounds (323), while leading the league in rebounds-per-game (11.1). Leitao was instrumental in Tampa finishing second in the SSC in rebounds-per-game (42.8), as the Spartans narrowly edged the Sharks in the category (42.8). Williams finished fourth on the Spartans in points, appearing in just 20 games on the season, and averaged 16.4 points-per-game for UT.
It's the Sharks, it's the Spartans, it's the Sunshine State Conference tournament semifinals. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Rick Case Arena and Shark fans, be sure to Turn Up the Tank! To stay up-to-date on Sharks Men's Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram & X at NSU_MBasketball. To support the Men's Basketball program, click here.
