The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team has earned the No. 1 seed at the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional for the first time in program history. With the field reduced to 48 teams from its usual 64, six teams will represent the East Region with STAC and ECC finalist No. 2  Daemen earning first round byes into the semi-finals on Sunday, March 14.

Quarter-final action is set for Saturday, March 13, with a quartet of teams from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) as #6 seed Nyack takes on #3 Bloomfield, and #5 Caldwell squares off with #4 Dominican, with times for all games to be determined. The regional champs will be crowned on Tuesday, March 16, and the winners from each of the eight regions will advance to the Elite Eight, to be held from March 24-27 in Evansville, Indiana.

STAC earned an NCAA bid for the sixth consecutive season and enters this year's field with a 6-3 record in NCAA East Region play, with a regional title and trip to the Elite Eight in 2017. Though the Spartans clinched the automatic bid with their fifth ECC Championship in six seasons, they were clearly the top choice with a 13-1 overall record, with no other team in the region having less than three losses, while Daemen moved into the No. 2 slot by virtue of their regular-season win at STAC and a trip to the ECC final.

Including last season's canceled championships, STAC has been the No. 2 seed two times, the No. 5 seed once, and the No. 6 slot twice in their previous appearances. The Spartans could well get their showdown against crosstown rival Dominican if they should beat Caldwell on Saturday, as the teams were slated to play in last season's aborted regional quarter-final. Nyack faces a tall order in its quarter-final opener, taking on Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) champ Bloomfield, with the winner meeting Daemen.

For additional details and more info, be sure to check stacathletics.com

2021 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament

East Region - at Albany Capital Center, Albany NY (hosted by College of Saint Rose)

Saturday, March 13 - Quarter-finals (Times To Be Announced)

 No. 6 Nyack (4-4) vs. No. 3 Bloomfield (6-3)

 No. 5 Caldwell (5-4) vs. No. 4 Dominican (4-3)

Sunday, March 14 - Semi-finals

Winner 6/3 vs No. 2 Daemen (8-5)

Winner 4/5 vs. No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (13-1)

Tuesday, March 16

Championship Game

Spartans at the NCAA Tournament (6-3 East, 6-4 Overall)

2020 at Bridgeport - #2 seed

Quarter-final – 3/14/20 #2 STAC vs #7 Dominican (canceled due to Covid)

2019 at St. Anselm - #6 seed

Quarter-final – 3/16/19 - #6 STAC 61, vs. #3 LeMoyne 59

Semi-final – 3/17/19 - #6 STAC 86, #7 Dominiican 83 (OT)

Final – 3/19/19 - #1 St. Anselm 74, #6 STAC 49

2018 at LeMoyne - #2 seed

Quarter-final – 3/10/18 - #7 Bloomfield 91, #2 STAC 78

2017 at LeMoyne - #5 seed

Quarter-final – 3/11/17 - #5 STAC 91, #4 St. Anselm 72

Semi-final – 3/12/17 - #5 STAC 73, #8 Merrimack 70

Final – 3/14/17 - #5 STAC 63, #3 Saint Rose 60 (East Region Champs)

Elite Eight quarter-final –3/22/17 -  Northwest Missouri St. 79, STAC 70

2016 at Holy Family - #6 seed

Quarter-final -3/12/16 -  #6 STAC 92, #3 Southern Connecticut 90

Semi-final – 3/13/16 - #2 St. Anselm 77, #6 STAC 73