By Chris Coopersmith
Charlotte, NC – The Wagner College men’s basketball team will take on #1 North Carolina in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on March 21. The game will be played at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC, and will be broadcast on CBS.
First-Ever Tournament Win
Wagner earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory by defeating #16 Howard 71-68 in the First Four of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Tuesday.
Junior Melvin Council Jr. led all scorers with 21 points on a 10-for-18 shooting clip. The Rochester native played all 40 minutes and contributed five rebounds and seven assists on the night as well.
Sophomore Julian Brown scored 15 points on 3-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc, while fellow sophomore Keyontae Lewis and junior Tahron Allen joined Council Jr. and Brown in double figures with ten apiece.
After leading for a majority of the game, Howard cut Wagner’s lead to one point with 17 seconds remaining. Two clutch free throws by Brown pushed the lead back up to three and the Bison’s attempts at tying the game all fell short.
Council Makes History
With his big night, Council became the first player with 20+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists, while shooting 50% or better, playing every minute of the game, and not committing a fouls since assists became official in 1984, according to OptaSTATS.
The Road To The Big Dance
For the first time since 2003, Wagner hoisted the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship trophy, earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in a thrilling, 54-47, victory over #2 Merrimack at Lawler Arena last Tuesday evening.
The Seahawks became the first NEC team to win three road games en route to a conference championship, running the perpetual gauntlet by defeating #3 Sacred Heart and #1 CCSU before dethroning the reigning NEC Champion Warriors.
This year’s Wagner team is tied with the 1999 Mount St. Mary’s team for the lowest seed to ever win the NEC title after becoming the first team since the 2005 Seahawks to qualify for the NEC championship game as the #6 seed.
Defying The Odds
Wagner has been limited to just seven scholarship players for the entirety of conference play due to injury. The Seahawks have not had a live practice since December 27, 2023.
Wagner In The NCAA Tournament
This year marks Wagner’s second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Prior to this year, the Seahawks won their lone NEC championship in 2003, and reached the NEC final in 1993 (losing to Rider), 2005 (losing to FDU), 2016 (losing to FDU), 2018 (losing to LIU), and 2022 (losing to Bryant). No current Wagner player has been to the NCAA Tournament.
In 2003, the #15-seeded Seahawks lost to Pitt 87-61 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Wagner earned an 88-66 victory over LIU in the NEC quarterfinals, followed by a 61-54 victory over Quinnipiac in the semifinals and a 78-61 triumph in the NEC Championship game against St. Francis Brooklyn.
The 2003 Seahawks won the title behind Wagner Hall of Famer Jermaine Hall, who was a unanimous selection as the 2002-03 NEC Player of the Year. He was also named MVP of the NEC Tournament where he averaged 22.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds in the three games, highlighted by a magnificent 27-point, 12-rebound effort in the championship game win over St. Francis Brooklyn. For his career, Hall is Wagner’s second all-time leading scorer with 2,278 points, which also ranks fourth on the NEC all-time scoring list.
In 2002-03, Dereck Whittenburg was head coach of the first Wagner men’s basketball team to win the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship and accompanying NCAA Tournament bid. Named the 2002-03 NEC Coach of the Year, ‘Whitt” had the distinction of being the first men’s basketball coach in Wagner’s Division I era with a career winning percentage of over .500 (67-50-overall; 46-30 NEC). Additionally, he was the first Wagner men’s basketball coach in the D-I era to achieve two post-season tournament bids. (2002 NIT and 2003 NCAA). All told, he coached and helped develop seven players who went on to play professionally overseas in: Jermaine Hall, Dedrick Dye, Nigel Wyatte, Doug Viegas, Courtney Pritchard, Sean Munson, and DeEarnest McLemore. The coach of an exciting brand of basketball, the former NC State star and member of the 1983 Wolfpack’s national championship team under Jim Valvano, Whittenburg’s teams led the NEC in scoring in three of his four seasons at Wagner. During his time on Grymes Hill, his teams also paced the league in: FG % (2002-03) 47.0%, 3pt FG % (2002-03) 38.2%, FT% (1999-00) 71.6%, Scoring Margin (2002-03) 3.2, Assists/Game 2X (1999-00) 17.2 (2000-01) 17.3, Steals 2X (1999-00) 309 (2000-01) 292.
Wagner’s Dedrick Dye was tabbed as a Verizon Third Team Academic All-American in 2003.
Wagner Coaches In The NCAA Tournament
This marks the fourth NCAA Tournament appearance for head coach Donald Copeland. As a player at Seton Hall, the Garden State product helped lead them to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in his sophomore (2004) and senior (2006) seasons.
In helping lead the Pirates to an 18-12 record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a senior in 2005-06, Copeland led the Hall in a host of statistical categories including scoring (16.1 ppg), assists (4.5), steals (41), three-pointers (71) and free-throw percentage (84.4). For the season, he ranked third in the Big East in assists per game (5.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.69).
As an assistant coach in 2021-22, Copeland was part of a Seton Hall team that earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament after compiling a 21-11 record along with an 11-8 mark in Big East play.
Copeland has played in three NCAA Tournament games. He made his NCAA Tournament debut on March 18, 2004 against Arizona. In an 80-76 win, Copeland scored four points off the bench. In the second round of the tournament, Copeland’s Pirates lost 90-62 to Duke, who eventually advanced to the Final Four.
As a senior, Copeland’s Pirates fell 86-66 to Wichita State in the first round of the tournament as the 10th seed. Copeland led the Pirates with five assists while contributing 17 points and two rebounds.
Wagner Director of Player Development Malik Boothe appeared in the 2011 NCAA Tournament for St. John’s as a senior.
Council Earns All-NEC Honors
Junior Melvin Council Jr. was named a First Team All-NEC selection.
Voted on by the league’s head coaches, Council becomes the first Seahawk to earn First Team All-NEC honors since Alex Morales in 2022.
The league-leader with 35.82 minutes per game during the regular season, Council entered the NEC Tournament ranked fourth in the circuit in scoring (15.3 ppg), eighth in rebounding (5.8), sixth in assists (3.61), and third in assist/turnover ratio (2.02).
Council has scored 20 or more points on six occasions, including two of the last three regular season games, and scored in double figures in 15 of 16 conference games. The Rochester native recorded four double-doubles throughout the regular season.
The first-year Seahawk led the Green and White to a road victory at Saint Francis U on February 15 with the game-winner in overtime as part of a 20-point night.
Merrimack’s Jordan Derkack earned Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors, while the Warriors’ Adam “Budd” Clark was voted Rookie of the Year. CCSU’s Patrick Sellers took home Jim Phelan Coach of the Year honors.
Joining Council on the NEC First Team were Derkack, CCSU’s Allan Jeanne-Rose, FDU’s Ansley Almonor, and Le Moyne’s Kaiyem Cleary.
The Tournament MVP
Junior Tahron Allen earned NEC Tournament MVP honors. Allen delivered a star-studded 22-point outing in the championship game, which matched his career-high in a Seahawk uniform. The junior forward averaged 18.3 ppg and 6.0 rpg over three games to earn Tournament MVP honors.
Joining Allen on the All-Tournament Team from Wagner was Council Jr. Putting up 12 points against the Warriors, he charted 8.7 points and 5.3 boards during the Seahawks’ storybook title run.
The Wagner DNA
At 62.1 points per game, Wagner is 6th in the country in scoring defense while also leading the Northeast Conference (NEC).
In three road games in the NEC Tournament, Wagner limited opponents to 35.8% shooting from the field and 53.3 points per game.
Wagner held Howard to 68 points on 38.6% (22-57) shooting from the field.
The Hameline Hat-Trick
Former Director of Athletics and current Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Walt Hameline’s last three coaching hires are all represented in the NCAA Tournament this year. UConn’s Dan Hurley, Saint Peter’s’ Bashir Mason, and current Wagner head coach Donald Copeland all got their head coaching careers started at Wagner.
Downtown Staten Island
Defensively, the Seahawks hold teams to 29.5 shooting from long range, good for 8th in the country. Wagner held opponents to 24.4% from downtown in the NEC Tournament.
Offensively, Wagner is 5-2 when connecting on nine or more threes per game. The Seahawks made eight threes against the Bison in the First Four.
Ezquerra Reaches Milestone
Junior Javier Ezquerra eclipsed 250 career assists against Howard. The NEC’s active leader has 141 assists on the year and 257 for his career after dishing out eight helpers against Howard.
The Key
Sophomore forward Keyontae Lewis has scored in double figures in seven of Wagner’s last 10 games. He shot 50 percent or better from the field in 13-of-16 NEC regular season games this season and ranked first in the league in field goal accuracy in conference play at 60.9 percent. Against CCSU in the NEC semifinal, Lewis scored 10 points in the game’s first six minutes before contributing eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds in the NEC Championship Game. Against Howard, Lewis scored 10 points on 5-7 efficiency.
Brown From Downtown
Sophomore Julian Brown has connected on two or more threes in six of Wagner’s last eight games. The junior scored 15 points against Howard, none bigger than a pair of clutch free throws with under a minute to play. Brown led Wagner with 20 points against CCSU in the NEC semifinals and is averaging 9.7 points on the season.
Taking Care Of The Ball
Wagner’s 10 turnovers per game are 36th in the country and first in the NEC. As a team Wagner’s assist/turnover ratio of 1.28 leads the NEC. Individually, the Seahawks have two of the top three players in the NEC in assist/turnover ratio in junior Javier Ezquerra (2nd / 2.05) and Council (3rd / 1.8).
About Wagner College
Wagner College in New York City supports students on their journey toward professional and personal success. Wagner’s comprehensive academic offerings include renowned majors in nursing, business, education and the arts, and growing graduate programs. Wagner boasts a diverse and vibrant community of more than 2,000 students, each of whom completes an internship or other practical, hands-on learning experience during their college career. Through partnerships with industry, government and nonprofits, Wagner forges close ties with the rest of New York City and offers a unique blend of experiential learning opportunities under the Wagner Plan. Wagner’s beautiful, 105-acre residential campus on Staten Island overlooks the five boroughs from the second-highest point in the city. Manhattan is a short ferry ride away. A founding member of the Northeast Conference (NEC), Wagner College competes in 27 Division I sports.
The Series
Wagner and North Carolina have never met. The Seahawks are 3-11 all-time against the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), with their last win coming in a 59-54 victory at No. 15 Pittsburgh on December 23, 2011.
Scouting The Tar Heels
North Carolina enters the NCAA Tournament as the #1-seed in the West Region. The Tar Heels finished atop the ACC regular season leaderboard with a 27-7 (17-3) record. They lost in the ACC Championship game against NC State.
The Tar Heels are led by AP All-American guard RJ Davis and All-American honorable mention Armando Bacot. Davis was named ACC Player of the Year and First Team All-ACC, Bacot was on the All-ACC defensive team and was Second Team All-ACC, and Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram was a Third Team All-ACC representative.
West Orange, NJ, native Elliot Cadeau was named to the ACC All-Rookie Team.
Head coach Hubert Davis, in his third season at the helm, was named ACC Coach of the Year.
Next Up
The winner of Thursday’s game will take on the winner of Mississippi State – Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
COURTESY WAGNER ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
UNC GAME NOTES
https://goheels.com/documents/2024/3/19/35-NCAA1-Wagner_Howard.pdf
WAGNER GAME NOTES
https://goheels.com/documents/2024/3/20/35opp-Wagner.pdf
• Carolina is 27-7 and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA West Region.
• The Tar Heels will play Wagner, which beat Howard on Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio, in the first round at Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Thursday, March 21, at 2:45 p.m. on CBS.
• Carolina won its unprecedented 33rd regular-season ACC title (22nd outright) with a 17-3 record, two games ahead of Duke.
• The 17 wins tied Virginia (17-1 in 2017-18) for the most in a season in ACC history and were the most since the league went to a 20-game schedule in 2019-20.
• UNC defeated Florida State and Pittsburgh to advance to the ACC Tournament championship game, where the Tar Heels lost to NC State, 84-76, on March 16.
• UNC played in the ACC championship game for a record 36th time.
• The Tar Heels are ranked No. 4 on the NCAA seed list and No. 5 in the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls.
• Five is the highest Carolina has entered the NCAA Tournament in the AP poll since 2019, when the Tar Heels were No. 3 in the final AP Poll (which up until this year was the final AP poll each season).
• Carolina is sixth nationally in KenPom’s defensive efficiency, 24th in offense and No. 9 overall.
TAR HEELS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• This is Carolina’s 53rd NCAA Tournament appearance, second most all-time. The Tar Heels are 131-49 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• Carolina has the most wins in NCAA Tournament history (131), most Final Fours (21), second-highest winning percentage (.728), second-most games (180) and third-most NCAA titles (6).
• The Tar Heels won NCAA titles in 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009 and 2017.
• Carolina played in the national championship game six other times (1946, 1968, 1977, 1981, 2016 and 2022).
• This is Carolina’s 18th time as a No. 1 seed, the most in NCAA Tournament history.
• Carolina’s No. 1 seeds include 1979, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2024.
• Carolina advanced to the Final Four as a No. 1 seed 10 times (1982, 1991, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2016 and 2017) and won NCAA titles as a No. 1 seed in 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009 and 2017.
• The Tar Heels advanced to the Final Four out of the West Region in 1981.
• This is the eighth time UNC will play in the West Region: 1978, 1981 (2 seed), 1986 (3 seed), 1988 (2 seed), 1999 (3 seed), 2015 (4 seed), 2018 (2 seed), 2024 (1 seed).
TAR HEELS IN CHARLOTTE
• The Tar Heels are 166-27 all-time in Charlotte.
• That includes a 16-2 record in Spectrum Center from 2006-24.
• Carolina has played in Spectrum Center in each of the last two seasons in the Jumpman Invitational. The Tar Heels beat Michigan on 12/21/2022, and Oklahoma on 12/20/2023.
• The Tar Heels are 12-1 in the NCAA Tournament in Charlotte (1-0 in 1975, 1-0 in 1982, 1-0 in 1984, 2-0 in 1987, 2-0 in 2005, 2-0 in 2008, 2-0 in 2011 and 1-1 in 2018).
• In 2018 in the most recent NCAA Tournament in Charlotte, the No. 2 seeded Tar Heels beat Lipscomb and lost to Texas A&M.
• UNC is 34-2 in NCAA Tournament games in the state of North Carolina: 12-1 in Charlotte, 7-0 in Greensboro, 9-1 in Raleigh and 6-0 in Winston-Salem.
MORE UNC & THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• Carolina has never played Wagner.
• Carolina is the only team to play in the Final Four and a national championship in nine straight decades (the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s).
• Hubert Davis is the fourth Tar Heel head coach to lead a team to a No. 1 seed (Dean Smith eight times, Roy Williams eight times, Bill Guthridge once).
• Seven Tar Heels on the current roster have played in the NCAA Tournament.
• Armando Bacot played in 2021 vs. Wisconsin (15 points and four rebounds) and six games in 2022, earning Most Outstanding Player honors in the East Regional and was a member of the All-Final Four team. In the 2022 NCAA Tournament Bacot:
– averaged 15.3 points and 16.5 rebounds.
– became the only player in NCAA Tournament history with double-doubles in all six games in one tournament.
– set UNC single-game rebound records for regional final, national semifinal and national championship games.
– shattered UNC’s single-Tournament record for rebounds with 99 (previous was 69 in six games by Kennedy Meeks in 2017).
–averaged 6.3 offensive rebounds.
– grabbed 15 or more rebounds in the last five games.
– tied the UNC record for rebounds in an NCAA Tourney game with 22 vs. Saint Peter’s and became the only Tar Heel with two 20-rebound NCAA games when he had 21 vs. Duke in the national semifinals.
– his 21 rebounds vs. Duke were the most by any player in the Final Four since 2003 and were the most ever by a Tar Heel in 21 national semifinal games.
– became the 12th player in NCAA history with 21 or more rebounds in a Final Four game – the list includes Bill Russell (twice), Elvin Hayes, Lew Alcindor, Bill Walton, Elgin Baylor and Artis Gilmore.
– had 15 points and 15 rebounds in the national championship game vs. Kansas.
• RJ Davis played against Wisconsin in 2021 (five points) and six games in 2022.
– Davis averaged 14.7 points over a team-high 37.7 minutes per game, had 30 assists/12 turnovers and made 29 for 31 from the free throw line in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
– the 30 assists and 5.0 assists per game were the second most by a Tar Heel in a six-game NCAA Tournament series.
– played the entire 45 minutes vs. Baylor and 40 in the title game vs. Kansas.
– career-high 12 rebounds (six offensive) and first career double-double with 15 points in the national championship game vs. Kansas.
– scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half and had four assists and just one turnover in the national semifinal win over Duke.
– then-career-high 30 points, six assists and five rebounds vs. defending champion Baylor in the second round.
– career-high 12 assists and only one turnover in first round win over Marquette.
• Cormac Ryan played in three NCAA Tournament games for Notre Dame in 2021.
– Ryan scored a then-career-high 29 points, most ever by a Mike Brey-coached player in an NCAA Tournament game, in a first-round win over No. 6-seed Alabama.
– he made a career-best 10 of 13 from the floor vs. the Tide, including 7 of 9 from three.
– the seven three-pointers are the NCAA Tournament-record by a Notre Dame player.
– scored 16 points in a career-high 46 minutes in double-overtime win over Rutgers in the NCAA First Four.
– Ryan made three steals vs. Rutgers, one of which led to him scoring to gave the Irish the lead in the first overtime.
• Duwe Farris played vs. Wisconsin 2021 and Marquette in 2022, Paxson Wojcik played in one game for Loyola Chicago in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Creighton Lebo played vs. Marquette in 2022 and James Okonkwo had six rebounds for West Virginia vs. Maryland in 2023.
• All six members of the UNC coaching staff had playing experience in the NCAA Tournament, combining for 70 games and 718 points.
• Head coach Hubert Davis averaged 13.6 points in 12 games, including 25 points in the 1991 Final Four vs. Kansas. He earned All-East Regional honors in 1991.
• Sean May averaged 15.9 points in eight games. He was the Most Outstanding Player in both the East Regional and Final Four in 2005, when he led UNC to a national championship. May had 26 points and 10 rebounds in the title game vs. No. 1-ranked Illinois.
• Jeff Lebo averaged 11.1 points in 14 games and played in regional finals in 1987 and 1988.
• Pat Sullivan played in 19 games, more than any other Tar Heel player in NCAA Tournament history and was a member of the 1993 NCAA champions. He played in 16 NCAA Tournament wins, also the most by any Tar Heel.
• Marcus Paige holds the UNC record for most three-pointers in NCAA play with 39. He averaged 15.2 points in 13 games. He earned All-East Regional honors in 2016 after scoring 21 points with six assists in the Sweet 16 win over Indiana and had a game-high 21 points in the national championship game vs. Villanova.
• Brad Frederick was a member of two Final Four teams in 1997 and 1998.
2023-24 GENERAL
• Carolina has won 27 games, extending its NCAA-record number of 25-win seasons to 41. It is the 64th season with 20 or more wins.
• The Tar Heels are 7-4 vs. teams in the 2024 NCAA Tournament (2-0 vs. Duke, 2-1 vs. NC State, 1-0 vs. Tennessee and Virginia, 1-1 vs. Clemson and 0-1 vs. UConn and Kentucky).
• Hubert Davis has 76 wins in three seasons, the second-most wins by a Carolina head coach in his first three seasons (Bill Guthridge won 80 from 1997-2000).
• Davis and Guthridge are the only Tar Heel head coaches to win 20 or more games in each of their first three seasons.
• The Tar Heels are 6-2 against AP-ranked opponents this season with wins over No. 20 Arkansas, No. 10 Tennessee, No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 16 Clemson, No. 7 Duke and No. 9 Duke (rankings when UNC played those teams).
• The Tar Heels lead the ACC in rebounding, offensive rebounds and rebound margin.
• Carolina has outrebounded its opponents in 23 straight games (+226), which include 19 wins.
• Carolina led by double digits 19 times in 23 ACC games (regular season and Tournament).
• The Tar Heels secured at least a share of the ACC regular-season championship with an 84-51 win over Notre Dame on March 5 and won the title outright with an 84-79 victory at Duke four nights later.
• The title is Carolina’s 33rd regular-season championship in 71 seasons of ACC Basketball. That is the most regular-season titles in ACC history. Duke is second with 20.
• Including seven Southern Conference first-place finishes, this is Carolina’s 40th regular-season conference championship. UNC has the third-most in college basketball history behind Kansas (64) and Kentucky (54).
• Carolina’s 75-68 win at Florida State on January 27 was UNC’s 750th regular-season ACC win, becoming the first program to win 750.
• Carolina won 17 regular-season ACC games for the first time since the league went to an 18-game slate in 2012-13 and 20 games in 2019-20. UNC’s previous high for wins was in 2018-19, when it went 16-2 to tie Virginia for the title.
• UNC is the second team to win 17 ACC regular-season games in one year. Since the league went to 18- and then 20-game schedules, Virginia (17-1 in 2017-18) is the only other team to win 17 games.
• Carolina’s previous best 20-game ACC record was 15-5 in 2021-22, Hubert Davis‘ first season as head coach.
• Carolina went 8-2 this season on the road (all in ACC play).
• The Tar Heels were one of five teams in the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC with eight or more road wins (UNC, UConn, Creighton, South Carolina and Tennessee).
• UNC’s road winning percentage (.800) was the highest among teams in the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC.
• From January 6-22, Carolina won seven straight ACC games by double digits, most since winning 10 straight in 1992-93. UNC had 10 double-digit nine wins in its 17 ACC wins and had a scoring margin of 10.5 in league play, the highest in the conference.
• Carolina has six players who have started 50 or more college games (165 by Armando Bacot, 118 by Cormac Ryan, 115 by RJ Davis, 95 by Harrison Ingram, 67 by Jae’Lyn Withers and 58 by Paxson Wojcik).
• The lineup UNC started in the ACC Tournament has started the last 26 games (other than Senior Night vs. Notre Dame, when the three senior walk-ons joined Bacot and Davis in the starting lineup). Elliott Cadeau, Ryan, Davis, Ingram and Bacot have a combined 521 career starts.
• The Tar Heels went 6-1 in November, 3-2 in December, 8-1 in January, 5-2 in February and 5-1 thus far in March.
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