FREDERICK, Md. - The No. 18 Hood College Men's Basketball team as the No.1 seed in the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Tournament will host the No. 4 Alvernia University Golden Wolves this Wednesday, February 25 with tip-off set for 7 p.m. in Woodsboro Bank Arena.
Hood clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference with a win against Messiah University Tuesday, February 17, and capped off its historic season with a 108-102 win at Eastern to finish the regular season with a program-best 23-3 overall record, finishing 13-1 in conference for another program best.
Led by juniors
Jevon Yarbrough (Hagerstown, Md./Williamsport),
Jude Huseby (Frederick, Md./Urbana), and
Kullen Robinson (Alexandria, Va./Alexandria City), the Blazers have made a name for themselves with their "Let It Fly" philosophy. This season alone, they have scored 100+ points in 12 contests this season, the most in program history, and currently have the fourth best offense in the country according to the NCAA by averaging 95 points per game. Hood currently leads the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth in a plethora of statistics, including points-per-game, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and free throw percentage.
At the helm for the Blazers is
Chad Dickman in his 11th season with the team. This season marks the seventh in a row they have qualified for the MAC Commonwealth Championships under his leadership (excluding the cancelled 2020 COVID-19 season). The 2024 Coach of the Year helped guide the team to its highest national ranking this year at No. 15, with impressive wins against ranked opponents like Catholic University and York College of Pennsylvania, and looks to continue this impressive run into the postseason and beyond.
On the other side of the court will be Alvernia University, who clinched the No. 4 seed with a win over Eastern University that also knocked the Eagles out of playoff contention. The Golden Wolves finished their regular season 14-10 (8-6), and are led by sophomore Robert Cottrell and junior Elijah Hamilton, who both average nearly 18 PPG. Despite falling to the Blazers in both regular season matchups, the second game required a late basket from Yarbrough with less than eight seconds left to hand Alvernia an 81-80 loss.
This year's postseason berth marks the fifth in a row for the Golden Wolves and head coach Mike Miller Jr., who has been with the team since 2018 and was a member of the team during their back-to-back MAC Commonwealth Championship runs in 2014 and 2015.
Despite competing against each other since Hood joined the MAC and MAC Commonwealth in 2012, Wednesday's game will be the first postseason matchup between these two teams. Information regarding tickets and tournament details can be found below.
Tickets (Card and Cash Accepted at the Door):
i. Adults - $10
ii. Senior Citizens (65+) - $5
iii. Youth (7-17) - $5
iv. MAC Students (valid ID) and Children 0-6 - FREE
Tournament Format
Commonwealth Semifinals
Feb. 25 - Game 1: No. 4 Alvernia at No. 1 Hood
- 7 p.m. - Frederick, Md. / Woodsboro Bank Arena
Feb. 25 - Game 2: No.3 York at No. 2 Albright -
7 p.m. - Reading, Pa. / George C. Bollman Center
Finals
Feb. 28 - Game 3 - Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
- Hosted by the highest remaining seeded team
