GETTING TO KNOW THE CARDS

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Catholic earned an at-large bid into the field after posting a 22-5 record and reaching the Landmark Conference Championship Game. The Cardinals went 16-2 in the Landmark, earning the tournament's second seed. Catholic defeated Wilkes, 96-76, in the semifinal before dropping the championship to Drew by a score of 85-70. Catholic averaged 76.1 points per game and allowed 64.1 per contest en route to its third straight season with 22 or more victories. The Cardinals rank sixth nationally in rebound margin, pulling down 40.2 rebounds per contest, besting their opponents by 11.1 per game in the category. Catholic ranked 35th in the NCAA Power Index (NPI), earning the 20th of 21 at-large bids into the field. 

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Friday marks Catholic's 16th appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament and 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.* The Cardinals make a return trip after the winning the Landmark a year ago to earn their first bid into the field since 2016. This will also be Catholic's first back-to-back tournament appearances since the 2015 and 2016 events. In Catholic history, the Cardinals are 17-14 all-time in the Division III Tournament, winning the 2001 NCAA Division III Championship. Catholic reached the Elite Eight in both 2000 and 2001 and appeared in five straight Sweet Sixteens from 1998-2002. Catholic defeated Worcester State in overtime in last year's opening round before dropping a tight one to Rowan in the Second Round. 

TRIPLE THREAT

The Landmark Conference Player of the Year, Sean Neylon, has paced the Cardinals in 2024-25. The senior from Delaware leads the team with 17.1 points per game while putting together one of the most prolific three-point shooting seasons in program history. Neylon ranks sixth nationally in three-point percentage, knocking down 46.8 percent of his tries while ranking seventh in threes made with 88. In Catholic single-season history, Neylon's 88 makes ties him for fourth while his percentage ranks ninth among those with 50 or more attempts from three. Now a two-time all-conference player, Neylon scored 20 or more points 10 times this season, including a career-high 32 points versus Scranton on February 8. Neylon made at least four three-pointers in 13 different games this year. 

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

Neylon was joined on the All-Landmark Teams by Brian Herbert and Dan Buckley who both earned spots on the second team. Buckley, a senior guard from Jacksonville, Fla. put together the best season of his career to earn the honor. Buckley appeared in all but one contest this season, starting all 26 in which he appeared. The veteran guard plays 31.0 minutes per game and is averaging 10.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. Buckley's scoring is up from 6.7 to 10.2 points per game and he has recorded 28 more assists than last season in three less games. A strong shooter from deep, Buckley has made one three per game this year while making them at a 37 percent clip. Buckley has come on strong over the last month-plus, scoring a career-high 20 points in a win at Susquehanna and raising his scoring average from 8.5 to 10.2 over the final nine games. 

Herbert, a junior from Robbinsville, N.J. also has career-highs rolling across the board. The junior has raised his scoring average from 9.0 points per game to 13.5 while grabbing 5.7 rebounds. Herbert set new season-bests in blocks (21) and steals (20) and has matched his career-high for threes made in a season with 19. Herbert recorded a pair of double-doubles in 2024-25 while also setting a new career-high with 26 points against Wilkes in the Landmark Conference Semifinals. Herbert has scored 15 or more points 10 times this season. 

THE 100 CLUB

Catholic head coach Aaron Kelly needs just two victories to become the sixth coach in Catholic men's basketball history to win 100 games with the Cardinals. Kelly enters the weekend with a career record of 98-41 and would join a group of Fred Rice (177-139, 1911-1930), Tom Young (134-88, 1958-1967), Jack Bruen (110-72, 1982-1989), Mike Lonergan (251-88, 1992-2004), and Steve Howes (276-139, 2004-2019) with 100 victories at Catholic. 
 

Franklin & Marshall earned an automatic bid into the field, posting a 21-6 record and defeating Johns Hopkins, 60-47, in the Centennial Conference Championship Game. The Diplomats picked up an 11-point victory over Ursinus in the semis to set up the home matchup in the championship with the Blue Jays. F&M ranks 21st in the NPI and will host a pod featuring the number-seven team in the NPI, Randolph-Macon, due to the Yellow Jacket women having hosting priority. The Diplomats average 70.9 points per contest, outscoring the opposition by just over 10 points per game. F&M's defense is its calling card, ranking sixth nationally in points allowed per game at 60.4. Opponents shoot just 27.8 percent from deep against them. 

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

A matchup of storied NCAA programs, Franklin & Marshall will appear in its 26th NCAA Tournament and first since 2018. The Diplomats have appeared in 12 Sweet Sixteens, 10 Elite Eights, 5 Final Fours, and 1 National Championship Game, finishing as the runner-up with a loss to Wisconsin-Platteville in 1991. Franklin & Marshall won two games its last time in the field, beating Emory & Henry and Christopher Newport before falling to Ramapo in the 2018 Sweet Sixteen. 
 

Friday's contest features the Players of the Year from both the Landmark and Centennial as Kevin Nowoswiat was named the Centennial Player of the Year on Tuesday. He is the eighth Diplomat named Centennial Conference Player of the Year, and it marks the 11th time F&M has earned the Player of the Year honor. He also placed on the All-Centennial Conference First Team, marking his first time selected to an all-conference team. The junior guard leads the Centennial Conference in rebounds per game (7.1), ranks second in points per game (19.0), holds the fourth-best field goal percentage (50.8%), and is averaging the sixth-most assists per game (2.9). He's recorded six double-doubles this season, and he recorded a career-high 32 points in last month's win at Gettysburg, the game that clinched the first seed in the Centennial Conference Tournament. 

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

Nick Nichay and staff, and Vakaris Grauslys also earned all-conference recognition with Nichay's group earning Coaching Staff of the Year while Grauslys was named to the second team. 

Grauslys followed up an All-Centennial Conference Second Team spot last season with another selection to the Second Team this year. Grauslys ranks second in the Centennial Conference and 33rd across DIII in steals per game (2.4), contributing to the sixth-best scoring defense (60.4 points allowed per game) in Division III. Among Centennial players, Grauslys also ranks fourth in assists per game (3.0), ninth in free throw percentage (76.1%), and 14th in points per game (13.1). 

Led by Nichay , the Diplomats earned back-to-back Coaching Staff of the Year awards, and it marks the third time an F&M staff has received the honor since the award was introduced in the 2008-09 season. F&M has so far recorded a 21-6, 11-2 Centennial Conference record, winning the Centennial Conference Tournament and the regular season title for the first time since the 2015-16 season. F&M currently sports the sixth-best scoring defense in the country, giving up just 60.4 points per game. Among Centennial Conference sides, the Diplomats lead the way in scoring defense, scoring margin (10.4), turnover margin (2.78), and assist turnover ratio (1.08).