The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team takes the #1 seed into the East Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament against #2 seed Daemen College at the University of the District of Columbia on Sunday, tip time at 2:30 pm. Here's a preview of this afternoon's action:

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The Match-Up - The Spartans earned the top seed and first round bye into the conference semi-finals, advancing to the final with yesterday's 85-58 win over #4 LIU Post. Daemen also earned a bye as the #2 seed, and finished last night with a thrilling 103-102 overtime victory over upstart #6 seed Mercy College.

Prior Meetings - STAC wins series, 2-0. The Spartans became the first team to win consecutive games at Daemen's Lumsden Gym since 2010-11, toping the Wildcats by an 85-66 count on January 7. Justin Reyes poured in 25 points and claimed 19 boards, offsetting Torrence Dyck's 27 for the hosts. In the rematch, the Spartans scored the game's first 10 points and led, 18-2, less than four minues in, cruising to an 86-62 decision. Reyes and James Mitchell led STAC with 15 each.

What's at Stake? - The winner of today's game will earn its first ECC Men's Basketball Championship. After being on provisional status, Daemen advanced to the final in its first season of eligibility. The Spartans are hoping the third time is the charm, having reached the final in each of Tobin Anderson's first three seasons at STAC, falling the past two years to the University of Bridgeport. The winner of the ECC Tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Tournament.

Players to Watch - Torrence Dyck comes in as one of the conference's elite players, averaging a league-leading 21.9 ppg, while teammates Jesse Lalka and Jay Sarkis are dangerous from the perimeter. ECC Player of the Year Justin Reyes (17.1 ppg, 10.0 rpg) and 1st Team All-Conference selection Chaz Watler 15.0 ppg) join conference Rookie of the Year Jon Lawton (50% 3pt pct) in leading a deep Spartan attack.

Playoff History - This is the first ever post-season meeting of these teams.

After the ECCs - With their 19-9 overall record, Daemen is currently unranked in the East Region and would need a championship victory and Automatic Qualifier to advance to the NCAA Tournament. St. Thomas Aquinas College (25-4, and with a 19-game winning streak) comes in ranked #6; Holy Family's CACC Tournament victory improved the Spartans' chances of securing an at-large bid to their first-ever National Tournament, should they not get the Automatic Qualifier. The NCAA 64-team field will be announced Sunday night.