PITTSBURGH – Nova Southeastern University Men's Basketball has advanced to its fourth consecutive NCAA DII National Semifinal.

The No. 1-seeded NSU defeated the No. 8-seeded Black Hills State, 76-66, in Wednesday's National Quarterfinal to kick off the 2026 Elite Eight, avenging NSU's loss to the Yellow Jackets in the same round four years ago. The Sharks now advance to Friday night's National Semifinal to take on the five-seed Lander.

NSU advanced after dispatching BHSU after getting four of the five Yellow Jacket starters in foul trouble and converted 23 times at the charity stripe to help the Sharks move forward in the bracket. Nova Southeastern was led by Ross Reeves, who scored 31, just five shy of his career high.

The Bearcats advanced to take on the Sharks after defeating the four-seed Daemen, 77-74, after a missed half-court heave to force overtime by Daemen gave Lander the win. Greyson Pritzl led the way with 20 points, helping Lander's hot second half, where it hit over 50% of its shots to overcome, what at one point, was a ten-point deficit.

This is the first Final Four in Lander's program history.

The Sharks advance to their fourth-straight Final Four and seek to advance to their fourth-straight National Championship Game with a victory.

The game will be the first-ever meeting between the Sharks and Bearcats, but NSU holds a 3-2 record against current members of the Peach Belt Conference.

The Champions of the Southeast Region, Lander, enter the Final Four on a 14-game winning streak after dispatching Daemen in the National Quarterfinals. The Bearcats got to Pittsburgh after winning the Southeast Region Tournament as a two-seed.

Lander made quick work of Lincoln Memorial, Columbus State, and Lenoir-Rhyne in the Sweet 16 to advance to its second Elite Eight in school history.

The Bearcats' offense runs through true freshman Jacob Daniels. The St. Petersburg, Fla. native leads Lander in points, averaging 13.7 per game, and ranks ninth nationally in assists. Lander is perfectly balanced on both sides of the ball, ranking in the top five in both team shooting percentage and shooting percentage against.

The Sharks can excel with physical gameplay against the 'Cats as Lander ranks close to last nationally in offensive rebounds and free throw percentage. If NSU can crash the glass when on defense, it could wind up hurting Lander enough to push the Sharks ahead.

However, that didn't seem to be much of a problem for Lander in its quarterfinal; it took down ten offensive boards and shot 80% from the charity stripe in the win over Daemen.

The Final Four tips off on Friday with three-seed Gannon taking on seven-seed Oklahoma Baptist at 6 p.m. Nova Southeastern, if it wins, would play the winner of that game in the National Championship Game in Indianapolis on April 5.

NSU and Lander tip off on Friday at 8:30 p.m. The game is available to watch on ESPN+ with a subscription.

Tickets are on sale now available HERE. Stay tuned to the Sharks' run for its fourth straight National Championship Game appearance in Pittsburgh by following along on X and Instagram @NSU_MBasketball or by logging online to NSUSharks.com.

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