Empire 8 race tighter than ever

Hat Trick was at the Ithaca-Stevens Institute of Technology double header last night and let me tell you, it was exciting basketball. Lots of running, lots of scoring, the way basketball should be played. The Bombers won both contests, which was particularly important on the men’s side.

On the women’s side, the Ducks had already clinched the top seed in the Empire 8 tournament heading into last night’s game. The men’s team, however, has put itself in the position of controlling its own destiny. If they win today against Nazareth College, they will host the tournament. If they lose, Stevens will host.

The Ducks concluded their regular season with last night’s loss. Stevens head coach Josh Loeffler told me after the game he won’t go crazy following today’s games.

“It’s an awful situation, let’s be real,” Loeffler said. “[Ithaca] Coach Mullins is a great guy. I’ve known [Ithaca Assistant Coach] Nevada Smith for a long time, but I have no choice but to root for Nazareth now. To be honest, I’m not going to look at scores at all tomorrow because I’ll just drive myself crazy.”

Loeffler went on to say he’ll check the final scores later in the night. As far as the rest of the tournament field is concerned, Nazareth has clinched a spot already. If they win today against the Bombers, they will lock up the No. 2 seed and Ithaca will fall to No. 3. St. John Fisher College clinches the fourth seed with a win against Hartwick College, while Utica College has to beat Alfred University and have the Cardinals lose to get in.

Check back later tonight after all the games are finished for a complete breakdown of the results and match ups.

Posted February 23, 2008 at 2:34 pm by Andrew | Share on Facebook
Categories: basketball, empire 8, ithaca

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