Men's Basketball Set to Battle U. of Chicago in NCAA First Round
The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team will battle No. 4 University of Chicago on Friday, March 6 in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament hosted by the Maroons in Chicago, Illinois at the Ratner Athletics Center.
ERIE, Pa. - The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team will battle No. 4 University of Chicago on Friday, March 6 at 7:10 p.m. in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament hosted by the Maroons in Chicago, Illinois at the Ratner Athletics Center.
The second first round game will feature UW-Platteville vs. No. 20 Otterbein on Friday at 4:40 p.m.. The winners advance to the second round on Saturday at 7:10 p.m.
The Lions (21-6) earned an automatic bid by virtue of their 2026 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Tournament championship. The Lions defeated No. 4 Hilbert 75-55 in the semifinals and then downed No. 2 Pitt-Greensburg 66-61 in the title game behind a combined 41 points from Jacob Dunkle and Nate Edwards.
Chicago earned an at-large bid after finishing second in the University Athletic Association (UAA) with an 11-3 conference record and 21-4 overall mark.
UW-Platteville (18-9) and No. 20 Otterbein also received at-large bids. The Pioneers fell 66-56 to Wisconsin-Whitewater in the WIAC semifinals. The Cardinals (22-5) fell short in the OAC Championship game to Heidelberg (82-75).
This will be the Lions ninth trip to the NCAA Tournament and the first since the 2018-19 season. Behrend enters postseason on a seven-game winning streak.