Interactive Bracket

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State Bears will play the Cabrini Cavaliers in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament on Friday, March 7 in Radnor, Pennsylvania.

Bridgewater State will be making the programs seventh NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth in the last six years.  The previous six trips to the national tournament came in 1983, 1999, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

The Bears earned an automatic bid into the tournament after winning the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday, beating top-seeded Salem State, 83-73.

The team finished the year 16-11 and were led by junior Michael Lofton, who averaged 16.6 points and 9.3 rebounds. He led the league in field goal percentage, nailing 64 percent of his shots taken this season. 

Cabrini advanced to the tournament after capturing its fifth consecutive Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) title with a 96-79 win over Neumann.  Junior Aaron Walton-Moss earned the game's Most Valuable Player honors after posting 26 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. 

The winner of Bridgewater State/Cabrini will play the winner of Richard Stockton/Bowdoin on March 8. Teams advancing through the second round will move on to the third round and quarterfinals on March 14-15. The Division III National Championship will be played in Salem, Virginia on March 22.