HARTFORD, Conn. – The fourth-ranked Trinity College Men's Basketball team is preparing to host the opening rounds of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament at Oosting Gymnasium Friday and Saturday. Virginia Wesleyan and Swarthmore will square off in the opening game at 4:00 p.m., followed by the Bantams versus Utica at 6:30 p.m. The winners will move onto a Second Round meeting Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
 
Bantam Bytes

• The Bantams hold a 26-1 record on the season, setting a new program record for wins in a season, besting the mark of 24 wins in 1984-85 & 1994-95.
• The Bantams are ranked #2 in the Nation in the latest D3hoops.com Men's Basketball Top 25 Poll, their highest ranking in program history.
• Trinity returns to the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship field for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
• Head Coach James Cosgrove and assistant Trey Witter and John McNair were named the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Coaching Staff of the Year after guiding the Bantams to the Nation's best scoring margin (21.4 ppg).
• As a team, the Bantams are one of the top defensive teams in the country, allowing the third-fewest points to opponents, 55.9 points per game, and are ranked fourth in field goal defense, limiting opponents to a .368 mark from the field.
• Trinity led the NESCAC in field goal percentage (.449), field goal defense, three-point field goal percentage (.341), and turnover margin (4.56).
• Graduate Dana Smith was recognized as the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the fourth player in program history to win the award.
• Senior Ben Callahan-Gold and sophomore Henry Vetter received NESCAC All-Conference First Team honors.
• Callahan-Gold logged career-highs in points (447), rebounds (165), blocks (37), and assists (24). Callahan-Gold connected on a career-high 82 three-pointers, second-most in a season in program history, and shot 38% from beyond the arc, fourth-best mark in conference.
• Vetter, the 2023 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, receives his first All-Conference selection after totaling career-highs in points (392), rebounds (131), assists (93), steals (30) and blocks (11). Vetter shot .408 from the floor, including a .355 mark from three-point range. Vetter led the league from the free throw line, connecting on a career-best 91.5% of his attempts.

 
Scouting Utica

• Utica posted a 24-3 record on the season with a 15-1 mark in the Empire 8 Conference.
• The Pioneers earned a bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament with a 97-90 victory over Nazareth in the Empire 8 Championship Game.
• Utica set a new program high for wins in a season with 24, besting the 23-win mark set in 2003-04, 2021-22, and 2022-23.
• The Pioneers are making their third trip to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament (2005-06 & 2022-23).
• Utica is riding a nine-game win streak heading into their First-Round matchup with Trinity.
• The Pioneers offense features five players averaging double figures in scoring.
• As a team, Utica is shooting 49.9% from the field, second-best mark in the nation, including 39% from three-point range, eighth-best in the nation, and 76.6% from the foul line.
• Justice Brantley is the Pioneers' leading scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game.
• Brantley earned Empire 8 Tournament MVP honors after pouring in 28 points with six rebounds and four assists in the win over Nazareth.
• Damien Call is averaging 14.3 points with a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 60.6% from the field.
• Hagen Foley and Thomas Morreale are tallying 10.1 points per game.

 
Scouting Virginia Wesleyan

• Virginia Wesleyan enters the tournament with a 19-6 record and a 9-7 record in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC).
• The Marlins snapped an eight-year tournament drought, and are making the program's 16^th appearance in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.
• Virginia Wesleyan earned an at-large bid to the tournament field after falling to Hampden-Sydney College, 63-52, in the ODAC Championship Game.
• The Marlins collected five wins over Nationally Ranked teams this season (Randolph-Macon, Christopher Newport, Shenandoah, and Guilford (twice)).
• Virginia Wesleyan won the 2006 National Championship and were runners-up in 2007.
• The Marlins rank eighth in the Nation in scoring defense, allowing 59.2 points to opponents.
• As a team, Virginia Wesleyan is shooting 42% from the field, 32.5% from three-point, and 69.8% from the foul line.
• Khai Seargeant leads the VWU offense with a team-high 11.7 points per game, while shooting 40.2% from the field and 32.4% from three-point range.
• Jordan Crump is averaging 9.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game with a team-high 41 three-pointers on the season.
• Waylo Wilson is grabbing a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game with 9.0 points per game, while shooting 55.8% from the field.
• Miles Wallace has dished out a team-high 72 assists while adding 8.3 points per game.

 
Scouting Swarthmore

• Swarthmore logged a 20-8 record on the season with a 14-4 mark in the Centennial Conference.
• The Garnet are riding a nine-game win streak, and have won 12 of their last 13 games.
• Swarthmore earned a spot in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament with a 67-62 victory over #23 Johns Hopkins in the Centennial Conference Championship Game.
• The Garnet posted three victories over Nationally Ranked teams, defeating New York University (71-70) and Johns Hopkins twice.
• Last season, Swarthmore advanced to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament Final Four, falling to eventual champions Christopher Newport in the Final Four.
• As a team, Swarthmore is shooting 42.3% from the field, 33.1 % from three-point range, and 72.5% from the charity stripe.
• All-American Vinny DeAngelo paces the Garnet offense with a team-high 17.4 points per game, shooting 47% from the floor and 38.2% from three-point range.
• Michael Caprise was the Centennial Conference Tournament MVP after posting a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds in the title game.
• Caprise is nearly averaging a double-double of 15.3 points and a team-high 9.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 58.1% from the field.
• Eddie Paquette has recorded a team-high 68 assists, while averaging 9.9 points per game.

 
History

• The Bantams are 0-1 all-time versus Utica dating back more than 115 years to their lone meeting in the 1905-06 season.
• Trinity is 3-2 all-time versus Swarthmore with their first meeting coming in the 1939-40 season.
• The Bantams collected a 76-65 win over the Garnet in their last meeting during the 2006-07 season.
• Trinity and Virginia Wesleyan have never faced in program history.