WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — The NCAA Atlantic Regional men’s basketball finalists meet Tuesday night with a spot to the Division II Elite 8 on the line.
Top seed West Liberty (29-4) and No. 2 Gannon (27-6) face off at 7 p.m. inside ASRC, West Liberty’s on-campus athletic facility. The Hilltoppers and Golden Knights are two of the top seven scoring teams in Division II, and the teams are squaring off in the NCAA Tournament again after Gannon defeated WLU in the second round in 2024.
Both teams recorded 20-plus-point wins in Sunday’s second round, with Gannon defeated Virginia State, 92-66, and West Liberty ousting Fayetteville State, 89-69. The Golden Knights enter Tuesday night’s game at ASRC on an 11-game winning streak, and have won 16 consecutive games when scoring 90 points or more.
Gannon is led by a pair of All-PSAC first team selections: Ernest Shelton and Tasman Goodrick. Shelton is a 6-foot-5 sophomore who averaged a team-high 17.3 points per game this season, while Goodrick is a 6-9 sophomore who averages a double-double (15.6 points and 10.6 rebounds). Pace Prosser, a freshman who was a second team all-conference pick, averages 14.2 points per game and has dished out 147 assists this season.
The Golden Knights’ last loss when scoring at least 90 points came in the 2024-25 season opening, a 122-99 defeat at the hands of Nova Southeastern. Gannon reached the NCAA D2 Quarterfinals last season.
Tuesday night represents West Liberty’s 11th appearance in a regional final, all of which have come in the last 15 seasons. The Hilltoppers have won seven regional titles and are 18-1 at ASRC in the NCAA Tournament. With a win against Gannon, WLU will reach its seventh 30-win season in program history.
West Liberty’s at-large selection set an NCAA Division II record with 16 consecutive tournament appearances, breaking the record held by Assumption (1963-1977). The Hilltoppers have won seven regional titles: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2021, and 2023. WLU leads the MEC in scoring, margin of victory, 3-pointers, turnovers forced, turnover margin, assist-to-turnover ratio, assists, and steals.
Last Friday, West Liberty’s Kyler D’Augustino was voted onto the D2CCA All-Atlantic Region team.
2025 NCAA Atlantic Regional Men’s Basketball Tournament
First Round (Saturday, March 15)
Virginia State 80, West Chester 64
Gannon 99, East Stroudsburg 74
Fayetteville State 74, Fairmont State 67
West Liberty 91, Bluefield State 84
Second Round (Sunday, March 16)
Gannon 92, Virginia State 66
West Liberty 89, Fayetteville State 69
Atlantic Region Championship (Tuesday, March 18)
7:00 p.m. — (1) West Liberty vs. (2) Gannon)