ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments

The ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments are postseason college basketball tournaments organized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

Despite its name, the ECAC is not a traditional athletic conference, but rather a loosely organized sports federation for colleges and universities in the eastern United States. Among other things, it organizes end-of-season college basketball tournaments for member schools which are not members of a traditional conference, or which do not otherwise have access to such a tournament. At various times, it has organized end-of-season basketball tournaments at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, Division II, and Division III levels.

Division I

From 1975 to 1982, the ECAC organized annual regional end-of-season men's basketball tournaments for independent Division I ECAC member colleges and universities in the Northeastern United States. The winner of each regional tournament was declared the ECAC regional champion for the season and received an automatic bid in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.^[1]

Before 1975, the ECAC had not organized such tournaments for Division I schools; the NCAA Tournament invited only one team per Division I conference and accommodated independents with a limited number of at-large bids. In 1975, however, the NCAA Tournament‍ '​s field expanded to 32 teams, including the champions of end-of-season conference tournaments, who received automatic bids. Although a number of at-large bids still existed, the process for selecting the field for the 1975 NCAA Tournament included many second-place conference teams and threatened to exclude independent schools in the Northeastern United States, which had no end-of-season conference tournament to play in and therefore no automatic bids. With no conventional athletic conferences yet in existence in the Northeast, the ECAC began to organize its Division I basketball tournaments in 1975, allowing Northeastern independents to retain their independent status while still having an opportunity to play in an end-of-season tournament offering an automatic bid. The ECAC Division I tournaments thus assured that at least some Northeastern colleges and universities would receive NCAA Tournament bids.^[2][3]

In both 1975 and 1976, the ECAC organized four regional Division I tournaments: Metro (for the New York City area, New Jersey, and Connecticut); New England; South (for Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.); and Upstate (for Upstate New York). As Eastern independent colleges and universities began to join existing conferences or form new ones and play in their own end-of-season conference tournaments, the number of ECAC regional tournaments declined due to reduced demand for them. After the formation of the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League (which later became the Atlantic 10 Conference), the ECAC combined its Southern and Upstate Regions into a single "Southern" (later "Upstate-Southern" and "South-Upstate") Region and held only three regional tournaments in 1977, 1978, and 1979. After the teams that played in the New England region all joined the Big East Conference, the Atlantic 10 Conference, or the new ECAC North Conference (which later became the America East Conference), the ECAC also did away with its New England tournament, and in 1980 and 1981 it held only two tournaments, Metro and Southern. Many of the teams in the Metro Region then formed the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), and in 1982 the ECAC held two tournaments, reorganized as the Metro-South (composed of former Metro Region teams which had not joined the MAAC) and South tournaments.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

After the completion of the 1982 post-season, the remaining ECAC Metro-South Region teams formed the ECAC-Metro Conference (which later became the Northeast Conference), while the ECAC South Region teams formed the ECAC South Conference (which later became the Colonial Athletic Association). With all the former independents in the Northeastern United States having joined a traditional conference holding its own end-of-season tournament, and with the National Invitation Tournament providing a means of postseason tournament play for Division I teams not invited to the NCAA Tournament, the ECAC had no reason to continue its Division I basketball tournament series, and it ceased to organize such tournaments after 1982.^[7]

1975 tournaments

National rankings indicated.

Regional champions

Sources^[3]

Champions
Metro:: #20 Rutgers New England: Boston College Southern: Georgetown Upstate: Syracuse

Brackets

Sources^[3][8]
Metro

	Semifinals, March 6, 1975 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY					Finals, March 8, 1975 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
		St. John's	76
		Seton Hall	64
						St. John's		77
						#20 Rutgers		79
		Saint Peter's	63
		#20 Rutgers	80

New England

	Semifinals, March 6, 1975 Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA					Finals, March 8, 1975 Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA
		Connecticut	58
		Boston College	68
						Boston College		69
						Holy Cross		55
		Providence	55
		Holy Cross	62

Southern

	Semifinals, March 7, 1975 WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, WV					Finals, March 8, 1975 WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, WV
		George Washington	59
		Georgetown	66
						Georgetown		62
						West Virginia		61
		West Virginia	75
		Pittsburgh	73

Upstate

	Semifinals, March 7, 1975 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY					Finals, March 8, 1975 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY
		St. Bonaventure	78
		Fairfield	73
						Saint Bonaventure		81
						Syracuse		100
		Niagara	72
		Syracuse	90

1976 tournaments

National rankings indicated.
Sources^[4][9]

Regional champions

Champions
Metro:: #3 Rutgers New England: Connecticut Southern: Georgetown Upstate: Syracuse

Brackets

Metro

	Semifinals, March 4, 1976 Jadwin Gymnasium, Princeton, NJ					Finals, March 6, 1976 Jadwin Gymnasium, Princeton, NJ
		#14 St. John's	75
		St. Peter's	67
						#14 St. John's		67
						#3 Rutgers		70
		#3 Rutgers	104
		Long Island-Brooklyn	76

New England

	Semifinals, March 4, 1976 Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA					Finals, March 6, 1976 Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA
		Connecticut	73
		Massachusetts	69
						Connecticut		87
						Providence		73
		Providence	64
		Holy Cross	61

Southern

	Semifinals, March 5, 1976 WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, WV					Finals, March 7, 1976 WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, WV
		Georgetown	72
		Villanova	59
						Georgetown		68
						George Washington		63
		George Washington	99
		West Virginia	97

Upstate

	Semifinals, March 4, 1976 Manley Field House, Syracuse, NY					Finals, March 6, 1976 Manley Field House, Syracuse, NY
		St. Bonaventure	66
		Niagara	67
						Niagara		68
						Syracuse		77
		Manhattan	57
		Syracuse	83

1977 tournaments

National rankings indicated.

Regional champions

Sources^[10][11]

Champions
Metro:: St. John's New England: Holy Cross Southern: #13 Syracuse

Brackets

Source^[10][12]
Metro

	Semifinals, March 3, 1977 Held at home court of team listed second (see note)					Finals, March 5, 1977 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
		Manhattan	64
		St. John's	73
						St. John's		83
						Seton Hall		73
		Army	71
		Seton Hall	77

Note: The Manhattan-St. John‍ '​s semifinal game was held at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY. The Army-Seton Hall semifinal game took place at Walsh Gymnasium, South Orange, NJ.

New England

	Semifinals, March 3, 1977 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT					Finals, March 5, 1977 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
		Connecticut	77
		Holy Cross	89
						Holy Cross		68
						#8 Providence		67
		Fairfield	31
		#8 Providence	44

The 1977 New England Tournament‍ '​s semifinal games contrasted with one another greatly: Holy Cross, led by freshman guard Ronnie Perry, played a hard, physical game – with 45 free throws in the second half, 24 by Holy Cross and 21 by Connecticut – to defeat Connecticut 89-77, while Providence, led by senior guard Joe Hassett, found its offense lacking and used tough defensive play to overcome Fairfield 44-31. The much-anticipated championship game that followed – a rematch of the December 1976 Colonial Classic final played at the Boston Garden, in which Holy Cross had handed Providence one of only three losses the Friars suffered all season on a game-winning last-second shot by the Crusaders‍ '​ Chris Potter – was played before a sold-out crowd at the Hartford Civic Center and was one of the greatest games in the eight-season history of the ECAC Division I tournaments. With less than a minute to play and his team behind, Holy Cross‍ '​s Michael Vicens stole the ball along his own end line and raced down the court to score on a reverse dunk. This energized both the crowd and the Holy Cross players and swung the game‍ '​s momentum in favor of Holy Cross. The Crusaders got the ball with less than 10 seconds to go, and Potter scored on an 18-foot (5.5-meter) jumper with five seconds remaining to again give Holy Cross a win, 68-67. Holy Cross thus won an automatic bid to the 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and made its first appearance in that tournament since 1956. Providence also reached the NCAA Tournament via an at-large bid.^[13]

Southern

	Semifinals, February 28, 1977 Held at home court of team listed second (see note)					Finals, March 3, 1977 Old Dominion University Fieldhouse, Norfolk, VA
		St. Bonaventure	72
		#13 Syracuse	85
						#13 Syracuse		67
						Old Dominion		64
		Old Dominion	80
		Georgetown	58

Note: The St. Bonaventure-Syracuse semifinal game was held at Manley Field House, Syracuse, NY. The Old Dominion-Georgetown semifinal game took place at McDonough Gymnasium, Washington, DC.

1978 tournaments

National rankings indicated.

Regional champions

Sources^[14][15]

Champions
Metro:: St. John's New England: Rhode Island Upstate-Southern: St. Bonaventure

Brackets

^[14] Metro

	Semifinals, March 3, 1978 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY					Finals, March 5, 1978 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
		St. John's	83
		Iona	80
						St. John's		65
						Army		63
		Army	81
		Seton Hall	79

New England

	Semifinals, March 3, 1978 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI					Finals, March 5, 1978 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI
		#18 Providence	71
		Holy Cross	67
						#18 Providence		62
						Rhode Island		65
		Rhode Island	71
		Fairfield	69

Upstate-Southern

	Semifinals, March 2, 1978 See note for locations					Finals, March 5, 1978 Rochester Community War Memorial, Rochester, NY
		St. Bonaventure	70
		#14 Syracuse	69
						St. Bonaventure		63
						Virginia Commonwealth		61
		Virginia Commonwealth	88
		#17 Georgetown	75

Note: The St. Bonaventure-Syracuse semifinal game was held at the Rochester Community War Memorial, Rochester, NY. The Virginia Commonwealth-Georgetown game took place at McDonough Gymnasium, Washington, DC.

1979 tournaments

National rankings indicated.

Regional champions

Source^[5][16]

Champions
Metro:: Iona New England: Connecticut South-Upstate: #16 Georgetown

Brackets

Sources^[5][16]
Metro

	Semifinals, March 1, 1979 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY					Final, March 3, 1979 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
		Iona	80
		Seton Hall	73
						Iona		83
						St. John's		57
		St. John's	86
		Wagner	82

New England

	Semifinals, March 1, 1979 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI					Finals, March 3, 1979 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI
		Connecticut	91
		Boston College	74
						Connecticut		58
						Rhode Island		50
		Rhode Island	75
		Holy Cross	71

South-Upstate

	Semifinals, February 28, 1979 Cole Field House, College Park, MD					Finals, March 3, 1979 Cole Field House, College Park, MD
		#6 Syracuse	87
		St. Bonaventure	71
						#6 Syracuse		58
						#16 Georgetown		66
		#16 Georgetown	73
		Old Dominion	52

1980 tournaments

Regional champions

Source^[17]

Champions
Metro:: Iona South: Old Dominion

Brackets

Sources^[17][18]
Metro

	Quarterfinals, February 26, 1980 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY					Semifinals, February 28, 1980 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY					Finals, March 1, 1980 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
		Iona	69
		Fairleigh Dickinson	53
						Iona		76
						Siena		70
		Siena	80
		Long Island-Brooklyn	78
											Iona		64
											Saint Peter's		46
		Fordham	73
		Wagner	67
						Fordham		47
						Saint Peter's		64
		Saint Peter's	54
		Fairfield	42

South

	Quarterfinals, February 26, 1980 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA					Semifinals, February 28, 1980 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA					Finals, March 1, 1980 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
		Old Dominion	112
		Catholic	59
						Old Dominion		75
						William & Mary		59
		William & Mary	78
		Richmond	77
											Old Dominion		62
											Navy		51
		Saint Francis (Pa.)	58
		James Madison	54
						Saint Francis (Pa.)		62
						Navy		75
		Navy	51
		Baltimore	50

1981 tournaments

Regional champions

Source^[6]

Champions
Metro:: Long Island-Brooklyn South: James Madison

Brackets

Sources^[6][19]
Metro

	Quarterfinals, March 2, 1981 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY					Semifinals, March 5, 1981 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY					Finals, March 7, 1981 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
						6	Iona	41
	6	Iona	64			2	Saint Peter's	38
	3	Siena	48								6	Iona	72
											5	Long Island-Brooklyn	77
						5	Long Island-Brooklyn	85
	5	Long Island-Brooklyn	89			1	Fordham	78
	4	Wagner	78

South

	Quarterfinals, March 3, 1981 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA					Semifinals, March 5, 1981 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA					Finals, March 7, 1981 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
						3	William & Mary	42
	6	Robert Morris	50			2	James Madison	44
	3	William & Mary	73								2	James Madison	69
											5	Richmond	60
						5	Richmond	79
	5	Richmond	98			1	Old Dominion	77
	4	Saint Francis	78

1982 tournaments

Regional champions

Source^[7]

Champions
Metro-South:: Robert Morris South: Old Dominion

Brackets

Source^[7][20][21]
Metro-South

	Quarterfinals, March 3, 1982 Held at home court of team listed second					Semifinals, March 4, 1982 Held at home court of team listed second					Finals, March 6, 1982 Held at home court of team listed second
	1	Towson State	60
	8	Baltimore	64
						Baltimore		70
						Robert Morris		80
	5	Loyola Maryland	69
	4	Robert Morris	78
											Robert Morris		85
											Long Island-Brooklyn		84
	3	Siena	85
	6	Fairleigh Dickinson	81
						Siena		84
						Long Island-Brooklyn		94
	7	Saint Francis	53
	2	Long Island-Brooklyn	56

South

	Quarterfinals, March 4, 1982 Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, VA					Semifinals, March 5, 1982 Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, VA					Final, March 6, 1982 Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, VA
	5	Navy	55
	4	William & Mary	79
						4	William & Mary	49
						1	James Madison	64
											3	Old Dominion	58
	7	East Carolina	42								1	James Madison	57
	2	Richmond	49
						3	Old Dominion	77
						2	Richmond	69
	6	George Mason	62
	3	Old Dominion	70

Divisions II and III

Combined Division II/III tournaments

The ECAC organized combined Division II/Division III men's basketball tournaments annually from 1973 to 1980 as invitational events for ECAC teams not invited to the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament or – after it began in 1975 – the NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Tournament. From 1973 through 1975 and from 1977 through 1980, it held four regional tournaments – Metro (for the New York City area and New Jersey), New England, Southern (for schools south of New York and New Jersey), and Upstate (for Upstate New York) – each year, while in 1976 it held only three tournaments (Metro, New England, and Upstate).^[1]

After 1980, the ECAC divided the Division II and Division III competitions, placing the Division II competitions on hiatus until 1988 and beginning Division III-only tournaments in 1981.^[1]

Year	ECAC Division II/III Regional Champions[1]
1973	Metro:: Brooklyn New England: Tufts Southern: East Stroudsburg Upstate: Union
1974	Metro:: Trenton State New England: Brandeis Southern: Cheyney Upstate: Brockport State
1975	Metro:: Bridgeport New England: Quinnipiac Southern: Bloomsburg Upstate: Union
1976	Metro:: Upsala New England: Amherst Southern: No tournament Upstate: Hamilton
1977	Metro:: Kean New England: Quinnipiac Southern: Mansfield Upstate: Potsdam State
1978	Metro:: Trenton State New England: Quinnipiac Southern: Loyola Maryland Upstate: Albany
1979	Metro:: Monmouth New England: Sacred Heart Southern: East Stroudsburg Upstate: Hamilton
1980	Metro:: Monmouth New England: Saint Anselm Southern: Mansfield Upstate: Elmira

Division II tournaments

After 1980, the ECAC placed Division II end-of-season tournament competition on hiatus until 1988. From 1988 through 2005 it organized a single annual Division II men's basketball tournament as an invitational event for Division II ECAC teams not invited to that year‍ '​s NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament. No tournament took place in 2006, but the ECAC held it twice more, in 2007 and 2008. The Division II tournament again went on hiatus after 2008, thanks to various factors including an expansion of the NCAA Men's Division II Tournament field and a decline in the number of Division II men's basketball programs associated with the ECAC.^[1]

Year	ECAC Division II Champions[1]
1988	Dowling
1989	Merrimack
1990	Pace
1991	Pace
1992	Millersville
1993	Saint Rose
1994	Adelphi
1995	New York Tech
1996	Saint Michael's
1997	Massachusetts Lowell
1998	Merrimack
1999	Merrimack
2000	Saint Michael's
2001	Saint Rose
2002	Southampton
2003	Mansfield
2004	Felician
2005	Bridgeport
2006	no tournament
2007	Goldey–Beacom
2008	Saint Vincent

Division III tournaments

After its last combined Division II/III regional tournaments in 1980, the ECAC split Division II and Division III tournament competition. In 1981, it held its first Division III-only postseason regional invitational men's basketball tournaments for ECAC teams not invited to the NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Tournament, and these have occurred annually ever since. The ECAC organized these tournaments regionally, holding Metro (for the New York City area and New Jersey), New England, and Upstate (for Upstate New York) tournaments from 1981 to 1985 and adding a Southern tournament (for schools south of New York and New Jersey) in 1986. In 2013, the ECAC returned to a three-tournament structure, holding Metro, New England, and Southern regional tournaments, while in 2014 it had four tournaments (Metro, New England, Southeast, and Southwest).^[1][22] In 2015 it again resumed a three-tournament structure, with New England, Metro, and South tournaments.^[23]

Year	ECAC Division III Regional Champions[1][22]
1981	Metro:: Jersey City State New England: Massachusetts Maritime Upstate: Hamilton
1982	Metro:: New Jersey Tech New England: Tufts Upstate: Hamilton
1983	Metro:: Jersey City State New England: Rhode Island College Upstate: Hamilton
1984	Metro:: Moravian New England: Trinity Upstate: Hamilton
1985	Metro:: New Jersey Tech New England: Trinity Upstate: Fredonia State
1986	Metro:: Staten Island New England: Trinity Southern: Catholic Upstate: Hamilton
1987	Metro:: Old Westbury State New England: Williams Southern: Mary Washington Upstate: Hamilton
1988	Metro:: New Jersey Tech New England: Saint Anselm Southern: Frostburg State Upstate: Geneseo State
1989	Metro:: Kean New England: Trinity Southern: Ursinus Upstate: Albany
1990	Metro:: Stony Brook New England: Colby Southern: Allentown Upstate: Hamilton
1991	Metro:: Medgar Evers New England: Colby Southern: Lebanon Valley Upstate: Potsdam State
1992	Metro:: Glassboro State New England: Brandeis Southern: Dickinson Upstate: Hamilton
1993	Metro:: Jersey City State New England: Colby Southern: Lincoln Upstate: Rochester Tech
1994	Metro:: Jersey City State New England: Western Connecticut State Southern: Lincoln Upstate: Elmira
1995	Metro:: Kean New England: Amherst Southern: Alvernia Upstate: Fredonia State
1996	Metro:: Rutgers-Newark New England: Amherst Southern: Lincoln Upstate: Oneonta State
1997	Metro:: Drew New England: Eastern Nazarene Southern: Johns Hopkins Upstate: Nazareth
1998	Metro:: York (NY) New England: Colby–Sawyer Southern: Lebanon Valley Upstate: Plattsburgh State
1999	Metro:: Fairleigh Dickinson-Madison New England: Williams Southern: Penn State-Behrend Upstate: New Paltz State
2000	Metro:: Montclair State New England: Tufts Southern: King's (Pa.) Upstate: Ithaca
2001	Metro:: New Jersey City New England: Williams Southern: Lebanon Valley Upstate: Geneseo State
2002	Metro:: Ramapo New England: Massachusetts-Dartmouth Southern: Franklin & Marshall Upstate: St. Lawrence
2003	Metro:: Baruch New England: Babson Southern: Franklin & Marshall Upstate: Rochester Tech
2004	Metro:: Ramapo New England: Western Connecticut State Southern: Lebanon Valley Upstate: Geneseo State
2005	Metro:: Kean New England: Wheaton College Southern: Franklin & Marshall Upstate: Oswego State
2006	Metro:: New Jersey City New England: Wheaton College Southern: Albright Upstate: Ithaca
2007	Metro:: New York University New England: Western New England Southern: DeSales Upstate: Vassar
2008	Metro:: Stevens Tech New England: Newbury Southern: Carnegie Mellon Upstate: Brockport State
2009	Metro:: Lehman New England: Becker Southern: Washington & Jefferson Upstate: Hartwick
2010	Metro:: Baruch New England: Elms Southern: Penn State-Behrend Upstate: Ithaca
2011	Metro:: Stevens Tech New England: Brandeis Southern: Lebanon Valley Upstate: Hobart
2012	Metro:: Mount Saint Mary New England: Worcester Tech Southern: Alvernia Upstate: Cortland State
2013	Metro:: Old Westbury State New England: Eastern Connecticut State Southern: Juniata
2014	Metro:: Staten Island New England: Johnson & Wales Southeast: Stevenson Southwest: Juniata
2015	Metro:: Staten Island New England: Southern Vermont South: Stevenson

References

NCAA men's college basketball tournaments (United States) Division I pre-season tournaments 2K Sports Classic All–Military Classic Barclays Center Classic Battle 4 Atlantis BB&T Classic Cancún Challenge CBE Hall of Fame Classic Charleston Classic Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Corpus Christi Coastal Classic Diamond Head Classic Great Alaska Shootout Gulf Coast Showcase Emerald Coast Classic Hall of Fame Tip Off Las Vegas Classic Las Vegas Invitational Legends Classic Maui Invitational MGM Grand Main Event NIT Season Tip-Off Orlando Classic Paradise Jam Puerto Rico Tip-Off Wooden Legacy Division I postseason conference tournaments ACC America East The American Atlantic 10 Atlantic Sun Big 12 Big East Big Sky Big South Big Ten Big West CAA Conference USA ECAC ECAC North Horizon MAAC MEAC Mid-American Missouri Valley Mountain West Northeast Ohio Valley Pac-12 Patriot SEC Southern Southland SWAC Sun Belt Summit WAC West Coast Division I postseason tournaments NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament National Invitation Tournament College Basketball Invitational CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament National Commissioners Invitational Tournament 1922 National Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament Division II and III postseason tournaments NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Championship ECAC Tournaments