INDIANAPOLIS – The West Liberty men's basketball team has earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region and will open the 2022 Atlantic Regional Tournament on Saturday inside the Kovalchick Center on the campus of Indiana (Pa.) University.
The defending regional champion Hilltoppers (29-2) will face No. 7 seed West Virginia State (23-7) in Saturday's quarterfinal round. The Yellowjackets received an at-large bid after being upset by Alderson Broaddus in a Mountain East Conference Tournament quarterfinal.
Other matchups find PSAC Tournament champion and regional host Indiana, Pa. (29-2) tipping off as the No. 1 seed against CIAA Tournament champion Fayetteville State, N.C. (21-8). The other side of that bracket consists of two PSAC schools in No. 4 seed Mercyhurst (24-6) and No. 5 seed Millersville (25-6).
Fairmont State (23-7), which was routed by West Liberty, 117-96, in an MEC Tournament semifinal, was awarded the No. 6 seed and will face No. 3 seed California, Pa. (21-9) on the other side of the West Liberty/West Virginia State bracket.
Fresh off their fifth straight MEC championship and third MEC Tournament crown, the Hilltoppers have been a perennial NCAA Division II contender for well over a decade. This is their 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid – the longest active streak in the NCAA D2 ranks. West Liberty has advanced to nine of the last 11 "Sweet 16s," made six trips to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight National Championships and played in three Final Fours.
The Black and Gold have won six of the last 11 Atlantic Region championships and have compiled a sparkling 24-5 record in Atlantic Region Tournament play. West Liberty's 29-12 overall record in NCAA Tournament play ranks among the nation's best.
Saturday’s quarterfinal winners return to the Kovalchick Center on Sunday for the regional semifinals. The Atlantic Region championship game will be played on March 15.
Game times and ticket information for the 2022 Atlantic Regional will be announced later this week by the IUP athletic department. The 2022 NCAA Division II Elite Eight returns to the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. from March 22-26.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
NCAA Division II
Atlantic Region Tournament
(at Indiana, Pa.)
Saturday, March 12
Regional Quarterfinals
No. 3 California, Pa. (21-9) vs. No. 6 Fairmont State (23-7), tba
No. 2 WEST LIBERTY (29-2) vs. No. 7 W.Va. State (23-7), tba
No. 1 Indiana, Pa. (29-2) vs. No. 8 Fayetteville State (21-8), tba
No. 4 Mercyhurst (24-6) vs. No. 5 Millersville (25-6), tba
Sunday, March 13
Regional Semifinals
California/Fairmont winner vs. WEST LIBERTY/W.Va. State winner, tba
Indiana/Fayetteville State winner vs. Mercyhurst/Millersville winner, tba
Tuesday, March 15
Regional Championship
Sunday’s winners, tba