Stage Set For GNAC Men’s Basketball Championship Rematch

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team, through all its success this season (24 straight wins, 17th ranked in the country, undefeated in conference play) is just 40 minutes away from finishing the job, as they host intrastate rival Albertus Magnus College (AMC), in a rematch of the 2019 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship game, on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. 

The matchup has had many monikers, from the 'Connecticut Clash' to the 'Battle of the Birds'. Regardless of how you spin it or who you root for, the state, and more importantly, Division III College Basketball is in for a treat. Here is everything you need to know before tipoff.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Saint Joseph (25-2, 11-0 GNAC) earned the top seed in the GNAC Tournament and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs with their unblemished conference run, becoming the second program in GNAC men's basketball history to do it (Albertus Magnus – 2012, 2015). USJ has won 24 straight games, marking the second-longest winning streak in the nation only to Swarthmore and Yeshiva (25), while USJ ranks 17th in the country. Saint Joseph is in the tops in the nation in several statistical categories, including first in scoring margin (winning by an average of nearly 20 points per game), third in rebound margin (grabbing nearly 12 more rebounds per game than opponents), third in field goal percentage (shooting nearly 52% from the field), and seventh in defensive rebounds per game (nearly 32 per contest). Additionally, junior forward Jordan Powell (Middletown, Conn.) is second in the nation in field goal percentage, shooting better than 70% from the floor.

The Blue Jays knocked off eighth-seeded Regis, 97-75, in the quarterfinals, before pulling ahead in a true test of toughness with fourth-seeded Anna Maria in the semis, 94-79, earning the right to host their first-ever GNAC Championship, in just the second season in program history.

Albertus Magnus (22-4, 9-2 GNAC) earned the two-seed in the GNAC Tournament. It marks the first time since 2013 that the Falcons did not get the top-seed and will not be hosting the title game. AMC is not currently in the top 25 national rankings, but was for several weeks during the first half of the season. Albertus is also among the nation's leaders in several statistics, including fourth in offensive rebounds per game (better than 16 per game), fifth in free throws made, and sixth in free throws attempted (475-693, 69%). Both teams sit eighth and ninth in the country in points per game respectively (Albertus 91.2 PPG, USJ 90.5 PPG).

The Falcons were tested in the early rounds, defeating #7 Suffolk, 82-79, in the quarterfinals, and #6 Lasell, 95-94, in the semifinals. Albertus Magnus is playing in their ninth consecutive GNAC Championship game, having won it seven of the last 10 seasons (and eight overall, most all-time), including over USJ last year, 81-77.

WHO TO WATCH

USJ- Sophomore guard Delshawn Jackson Jr. (Hartford, Conn.) has had a star-studded sophomore season, averaging a career-high 21 points (3rd GNAC) on 47% shooting. He is the Blue Jays top three-point shooter with an uncanny ability to hit clutch shots at just the right time. 'DJ' was sensational last time out against Albertus, tying a school record with 36 points on 10-of-20 from the floor and 13-of-15 from the foul line. The Blue Jays blew out the Falcons on the road, 98-79. If Saint Joseph wants to hoist the trophy at day's end, DJ, who is 10 points away from scoring 1,000 points already for his career, will need to be spectacular one more time.

AMC- Sophomore forward Terry Dawkins (Bronx N.Y.), who leads the Falcons at 26 minutes per game, is averaging nearly 13 points and seven rebounds per contest on the year. He was all but missing though in the regular-season meeting vs. USJ on January 29, scoring just two points on 0-of-5 shooting with four fouls. The Blue Jays won, 98-79. Dawkins played a much smaller role in the championship run last season, but the Falcons will need contributions inside and out from Dawkins to compliment their guard play if they want to make it back-to-back GNAC titles.

WHERE TO WATCH

The game is being held inside the O'Connell Athletic Center, on the campus of the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Conn. Gym doors open at 12:00 p.m., one hour prior to tip-off. The gym capacity is approximately 342 people. Tickets are SOLD OUT. There are other ways to watch/follow the GNAC Championship game though:

A TALE OF TWO COACHES

The Blue Jays are coached by three-time NCAA Division I National Champion and Basketball Hall of Famer, Jim Calhoun, who made his return to the hardwood in 2018-2019 after a near six-year absence. In a coaching career spanning more than four decades, Calhoun led the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies to basketball supremacy with National Titles in 1999, 2004 and 2011. Calhoun currently sits at 914 career wins, as he continues to chase second-place Jim Boeheim in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball All-time Wins List:

Mike Krzyzewski- 1,155

Jim Boeheim- 962

Jim Calhoun- 914

The Falcons are coached by Mitch Oliver, who has won over 250 career games in his stat-stuffed tenure. Oliver's first season was his only losing record ever, with GNAC Championships in 2010, 2012-2015, 2017 and 2019. Oliver is 7-2 all-time in the GNAC title game and is in his 13th season.

BLUE JAY ARCHIVE

The Blue Jays are in their second men's basketball season and will play in their second straight title game. A win would give USJ its eighth GNAC Championship in school history:

The Falcons have set the bar for GNAC Men's Basketball since its inception in 1995, winning eight GNAC Championships in 24 seasons (No other team has more than two). They have also appeared in the title game four other times and lost, for a total GNAC Championship game record of 8-4.

The Blue Jays are 7-3 all-time in GNAC title games as a whole, and look to make it two in a row after softball defeated Simmons last May.

BOTTOM LINE

The Blue Jays are a different team this year. They have broken records and made headlines. They have also won games convincingly, after finishing 3-8 in games decided by single digits in 2018-19. The GNAC Championship runs through We-Ha in 2020, and with both teams flourishing on high-octane offense and an unprecedented level of intensity, this year's rematch could go down as one of the great GNAC titles games of all-time, regardless of which Connecticut Bird flies highest on Sunday.

UP NEXT
The stage is set for a GNAC Championship rematch. The Blue Jays will host second-seeded Albertus Magnus, the defending GNAC champs (and winners of seven of the last 10) in the title game on Sunday, March 1 at 1:00 p.m. in the O'Connell Center. Tickets are sold out, but the game can be watched for free by clicking here. The winner earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

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