Tournament Play Begins this Weekend

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. --- ODAC champion Randolph-Macon College will be joined by Virginia Wesleyan College in the 2011 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament, as announced on www.ncaa.com on Monday afternoon.  The Yellow Jackets head north to St. Mary's College (Md.), while the Marlins stay home to host first and second round games on campus at the Batten Center.  Play in both pods begins Friday, March 4 and continues on Saturday, March 5.

Click HERE for the interactive bracket on www.ncaa.com.
Click HERE for the full NCAA list of qualifying teams.

The tournament field consists of 61 teams from across the country.  Forty-two conferences have been granted automatic qualification (Pool A) for the 2011 Championship. One independent team (Pool B) and 18 at-large teams from the remaining independent teams and automatic-qualifying conferences that did not receive their conference automatic qualification (Pool C) were selected by using specific selection criteria approved by the Division III Championships Committee.

Randolph-Macon (24-4) is part of the Pool A contingent after securing the ODAC's automatic qualification by winning the conference tournament this weekend in Salem.  The Yellow Jackets head to St. Mary's (22-5) for the second straight season, although a week earlier than last year (played at SMC in sectionals in 2010).  R-MC will face Commonwealth Conference automatic qualifier Alvernia University (18-6).  The host Seahawks square off with CUNYAC automatic qualifier Medgar Evers College (17-11).  Game times have yet to be determined.

Virginia Wesleyan (23-4) earned its spot in the tourney field via at-large selection.  The Marlins meet Freedom Conference champion Delaware Valley College (17-10) in the first round.  Centennial Conference title-winner Franklin & Marshall College (22-5) will meet USA South champion North Carolina Wesleyan College (21-6) in the other first round contest at VWC.  Game times have yet to be determined.

Three two-team, first-round games will be conducted Thursday, March 3, with the winners advancing to play three teams which received first-round byes. Those contests will take place on Saturday, March 5.

Thirteen sites will host four teams for first- and second-round competition on Friday and Saturday, March 4-5. Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional-round sites on March 11-12. Winners of the four sectional games then advance to the semifinals on March 18. The championship will be played on 19.

All games except the semifinals and final will be played on the campuses of competing institutions. The final will be conducted at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Va.