The Div. III NCAA tournament bracket was released on Monday morning, and it pits Tufts against Endicott in the first round. The teams will play on Mar. 3 in Cortland, NY.
The 19-9 Gulls received the automatic bid by winning the Commonwealth Coast Conference. With a 65-56 win over Colby-Sawyer on Sunday, Endicott claimed its third consecutive CCC crown.
After its 94-86 overtime loss to Amherst in the NESCAC title game, Tufts was placed in Pool C, where it had to rely on one of the 18 at-large bids reserved for teams that did not win their conference tournaments. Tufts earned a No. 4 seeding in its region.
The winner of the Tufts-Endicott contest will face the winner of the game between Cortland St. and UMass-Boston. Tufts played UMass-Boston in the regular season on Feb. 2 and won 90-81.
Tufts and Endicott shared four common opponents during the regular season. Both teams lost to Amherst (Tufts did so twice), and both teams beat Bates, but Tufts also defeated Keene State and Wheaton College, two teams that beat Endicott by wide margins.
The Lord Jeffs are the No. 1 seed in Tufts' region, which gives them a first round bye. It also sets up a possible Sweet Sixteen rematch between Tufts and Amherst.
