MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Following a 74-71 comeback victory over Rochester in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament, the Nichols men's basketball team is set to play No. 25 Middlebury on Saturday evening with a berth to the Sweet Sixteen on the line.
Nichols erased a 20-point first-half deficit on Friday to survive and advance against Rochester.
Jakigh Dottin sunk two late free throws to give the Bison the lead, and
Matthew Alectus blocked two Rochester shots with under 20 seconds left to seal the victory.
Middlebury rolled past Worcester State in the second game of the night at Pepin Gymnasium by the score of 76-51. Senior Alex Sobel had 18 points, 10 rebounds, and six blocks to pace the Panthers. Noah Osher and Sam Stevens also scored in double figures for Middlebury.
Friday night marked Middlebury's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the 2019-2020 season when they knocked off Westfield State before losing to Brockport in the second round. The Panthers have spent the entire season inside the D3Hoops.com top 25 after winning 19 games in the regular season. A member of the New England Small Collegiate Athletic Conference (NESCAC), Middlebury was knocked off by Tufts in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. The Panthers started the season 5-0 before losing at Rochester on December 4. The team headed into NESCAC play with a 10-1 record, dropping their first conference game to Hamilton before winning their next six. On January 16 the Panthers traveled to No. 4 Keene State and left with an 86-82 victory. The team finished the season with a 19-5 (7-3 NESCAC) regular season record.
The two teams met previously this season, with the Panthers coming away with the 91-80 win at the Rick Martin/Hampton Inn Tournament at Westfield State. Four Bison scored in double-digits that game, led by
Tavon Jones' 22 points. Sobel, Stevens, and Osher all poured in 20 or more points in the win, with Sobel grabbing 15 boards for the double-double. Middlebury dominated the glass in that game, out-rebounding the Bison 54-30. Both teams are much different from when they played back in November, as Nichols has ripped off 18 straight wins, a program record whihc was previously 17 during the 2018-19 season, after their 6-5 start to the season, while Middlebury has gone through their tough NESCAC schedule.
This is just the third all-time meeting between the two teams, with each team picking up a victory. Nichols knocked out the Panthers in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Division III Tournament thanks to Marcos Echevarria and DeAnte Bruton's 46 combined points. Middlebury picked up their only win in the series earlier this season, as previously mentioned.
The winner will advance to the Sweet Sixteen which is set to be played on Friday, March 10.
