VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (January 24, 2020) – The SUNY Delhi men's basketball team moved up one spot to fourth in this week's edition of the USCAA Division I Coaches Poll, earning 233 points. The Broncos have won five straight games, including a pair of USCAA victories over Maine Fort Kent and Albany College of Pharmacy, to stand at 15-7 with three games remaining this regular season.
Delhi spent most of the season ranked either fifth or sixth in the national coaches poll, and moved ahead of Bryant & Stratton Buffalo this week to earn its highest ranking of the year. Washington Adventist again took the top spot in the poll with 248 points, with St. Thomas (Tex.) second with 244 points and Florida National third with 243 points.
The green and gold's success thus far has them in a promising position looking ahead to the postseason. Delhi will host the ACAA Tournament, with the two semifinals games set for Saturday, Feb. 29 at 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., with the championship set for Sunday, Mar. 1 at 12 noon. The USCAA will announce its bids for the Division I National Tournament on Tuesday, Mar. 3, which will consist of eight at-large bids. Competition begins Thursday Mar. 12, hosted by Penn State Fayette in Uniontown, Pa.
Head coach Zack Thomsen's team consumed a large portion of their season during winter break, going 8-4 in a 25-day span between Dec. 29 and Jan. 22. The men capped off this stretch with three wins in four days: a 76-52 win at SUNY Cobleskill Sunday, an 86-68 decision at Albany Pharmacy Monday, and an electrifying 84-57 home win Wednesday over Clarks Summit to open the spring semester.
The Broncos' productive winter break also produced three new members to the 1,000 career points club. Justin Daoud was the first to reach the milestone at Northern Vermont Johnson on Jan. 6. Payton Dean earned his mark on Sunday at Cobleskill, while William Knight hit the stride Monday at Albany Pharmacy. Senior point guard Jordan Fragale is close to the 1,000-point milestone, currently holding 971 points. Daoud, Dean, and Knight joined the ranks along with Stephen Hutchinson (1968-70) and Robert Sparks (1995-97) on SUNY Delhi's 1,000 career points list.
Delhi has some down time before hitting the home stretch of their regular season, starting with a home game at Pratt on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 3:00 p.m. They then welcome Bryant & Stratton Liverpool on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 7:00 p.m., and a road matchup at Pine Manor Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3:00 p.m.
