As many are preoccupied with the warm weather and change of season others are directing their attention to the world of college athletics. As everyone knows March is famous for the NCAA March Madness Tournament. Although the Division I college tournament usually gains greater televised attention, this year the Division III tournament was particularly exciting for Scranton fans. Scranton Men’s basketball captured its second straight and fourth Landmark Conference championship in the league’s five-year history.
For the 24th time in school history, Scranton went dancing once again this year in the NCAA March Madness Tournament. Exceeding their own expectations, the men’s team representing The U making it to the “Elite Eight” round this year. Traveling to Wayne, NJ for the first found of the tournament, the Royals defeated Messiah 70-76 in overtime. This win for the Royals left them “dancing” straight to the next round. Next the team took on Becker in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Royals sweet victory (69-41) moved them into the sweet sixteen.
The team (and their large fan base) traveled to Middlebury, VT to take on Middlebury College, ranked four in the tournament. Left in a nail-biter, the Royals came out on top defeating Middlebury on their own turf. This 58-55 win led the team into the “Elite Eight”. Scranton took on Cabrini with a final score of 78-58. Hanging in until the end the Royals played their best and still came back to the electric city winners!