COLCHESTER, Vt. - The sixth-seeded Saint Michael's College men's basketball team begins postseason play on Saturday at No. 3 Pace University for a Northeast 10 Conference Championship first-round contest at 4 p.m. The Purple Knights were seventh in this week's NCAA East Region poll, while the Setters stood 10th.
 
The winner of Saint Michael's/Pace faces the winner of No. 2 Bentley University/No. 7 Southern New Hampshire University in Wednesday's semifinal round. The other first-round contest pits No. 4 Assumption University against No. 5 Adelphi University, with the winner advancing to visit No. 1 Saint Anselm College. All semifinal contests and the March 7 final will take place at higher seeds. The NE10 Championship titlist receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Tickets for all postseason games are $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and children, and free for students at NE10 schools with a valid ID.
 
Saint Michael's and Pace split their regular-season series, each winning on the road. The Purple Knights took a 75-68 meeting on Jan. 17 behind sophomore Greg Kenney's (Williston Park, N.Y./The Frederick Gunn School/LIU) 20 points. Junior TJ Henaghen (Hampden, Maine/Williston Northampton School) blocked a game-tying three-point attempt with 20 seconds to go. On Feb. 14, Pace won 77-68 in Colchester. Kenney again led the way, netting 19 points. The Purple Knights and Setters have only met once before in the postseason, when Saint Michael's took a 66-64 home victory in a 2000 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament semifinal.
 
Under seventh-year head coach Eric Eaton, the Purple Knights went 10-8 during NE10 play and carry a 16-12 mark into the postseason. Saint Michael's leads the NE10 in free throw percentage (80.3%) and made free throws per game (16.0) while taking second in three-pointers made per contest (8.4) and bench scoring (22.8). The Purple and Gold stands third nationally in free throw success rate.
 
First-year point guard Quintin Floyd (Windsor, Conn./Choate Rosemary Hall) leads the squad in scoring (12.2) and assists (3.1) while adding 42 three-pointers and 37 steals, and senior Zocko Littleton (Albany, Ga./Osborne/Rider) notches 11.9 points, buried 55 triples at a 37.4% clip, and went 43-for-44 on free throws. Junior Latiek Briscoe Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y./Saint Francis Prep/Saint Edward's) and Kenney turn in 10.9 and 10.3 points, respectively. Briscoe adds 4.5 rebounds, 44 assists and 31 steals, while Kenney leads the team in rebounding (5.7) and steals (49) while blocking 16 shots and shooting 84.8% on free throws.
 
Sophomore Raph Dumont (Quebec City, Quebec/Vanier College/Arkansas-Pine Bluff) averages 7.1 points in 13.4 minutes off the bench, keyed by 85.1% free throw shooting, and senior Nolan Marold (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Brewster Academy/Loyola Chicago), a key contributor on the 2024 NCAA East Regional Championship team, notches 6.5 points on 58.6% shooting with 3.8 boards and a team-high 21 blocks. First-year John Kelley (Plaistow, N.H./Kimball Union Academy) pulls 3.9 rebounds and shoots 53.7% as a reserve post, and sophomore Abdur-Rahman De Leon (Roxbury, Mass./Saint Thomas More School) shoots 40.0% from deep and nets 5.0 points.