The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team moved up to take the #2 seed in the East Regional of the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship. They will meet #7 seed Bloomfield College on Saturday in Syracuse, NY. For the second consecutive season, the regional will be hosted by top seeded LeMoyne College.

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St. Thomas Aquinas captured its third straight East Coast Conference championship title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tourney with Sunday's 82-65 victory over the University of Bridgeport. The Spartans carry a 26-6 overall record into third consecutive national tournament appearance on the heels of last year's East Regional Championship and the program's first trip to the Elite Eight. Bloomfield was upset in the first round of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament but received an at-large bid on the strength of their 22-7 overall mark.

These teams met during the regular season, with STAC grabbing an 83-79 overtime decision at Bloomfield College Gym on November 29, 2017. East Coast Conference Player of the Year Justin Reyes led four Spartans in double-figures with 18 points in that contest, with Marcus Fleming recording a game-high 19 for the Bears.

The winner of Saturday's game will advance to meet the winner of the #3 Bridgeport vs. #6 Merrimack matchup. Other pairings include LeMoyne squaring off against #8 Jefferson, and #4 St. Anslem taking on #5 Saint Rose.

2018 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball East Regional
1. Le Moyne College (24-6) [NE10 automatic berth]
2. St. Thomas Aquinas (26-6) [ECC automatic berth]
3. University of Bridgeport (25-5)
4. Saint Anselm College (22-8)
5. The College of Saint Rose (20-9)
6. Merrimack College (19-11)
7. Bloomfield College (22-7)
8. Jefferson (21-13) [CACC automatic berth]
 
Regional Schedule (all played at Henninger Athletic Center's Ted Grant Court, Syracuse, N.Y.)
March 10 – First Round games
12 p.m.            Game No. 1. – Merrimack vs. Bridgeport
2:30 p.m.         Game No. 2 – Bloomfield vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
5 p.m.              Game No. 3 – Jefferson vs. Le Moyne
7:30 p.m.         Game No. 4 – Saint Rose vs. Saint Anselm
 
March 11 – Regional Semifinals
5 p.m.              Game No. 5. (Winner Game No. 1 vs. Winner Game No. 2)
7:30 p.m.         Game No. 6. (Winner Game No. 3 vs. Winner Game No. 4)
 
March 13 – Regional Championship Game
7 p.m.              Game No. 7. (Winner Game No. 5 vs. Winner Game No. 6)