by KEVIN THOMAS Staff Writer , Portland Press Herald

While the Monks can't wait to play, neither can the Nor'easters of the University of New England - as soon as everyone is healthy. A stomach flu has hit some players.

''Hopefully, we'll get this bug out of here,'' said UNE Coach Jason Mulligan.

Still, Mulligan sounded confident.

''I like the draw overall,'' he said.

The draw is the pairings for the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament, which were announced Monday.

St. Joseph's, UNE and Husson are all participating, each team having won its conference tournament to qualify.

St. Joseph's plays a first-round game Thursday; the other two teams play Friday.

ST. JOSEPH'S

Entering the Great Northeast Athletic Conference as the third seed, the Monks got a break when the top two seeds were upset. St. Joseph's got to host every playoff game and beat Emmanuel 74-72 in overtime Saturday for the title and the automatic NCAA bid.

''We're just happy to be playing, grateful to have more days of practice,'' Sanicola said.

But don't think the Monks are on cruise control. Sanicola said his team cannot wait to play again, thus the enthusiasm for practice.

''I love how we're playing,'' said Sanicola, citing his team's balanced offense and commitment to defense.

St. Joseph's (21-7) plays at Bridgewater State (20-6). The game is Thursday night to give the winner a night of rest before playing Saturday in Vermont at Middlebury (24-3), which received a first-round bye.

Bridgewater State won the Massachusetts State Conference. The Bears average four players in double figures, led by 6-foot-6 Roland Millien (16.5 points, 9.2 rebounds a game).

Whichever team wins Thursday will be the underdog on Saturday. Middlebury, ranked 14th in two national polls, won the NESCAC championship, beating Bowdoin 76-46 in the semifinals.

UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND

UNE (24-4) is going to the NCAAs for the first time. The Nor'easters travel to Providence, R.I., for a game Friday and if they win, a second-round game Saturday.

Mulligan, who has overhauled the program in just two years, said UNE faces a worthy opponent in Farmingdale State (24-3) of New York, but he is confident in the Nor'easters' full-court pressure.

UNE lost only one game in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Facing teams that employ a half-court offense, UNE disrupted opponents with a full-court, running style.

''We had a huge advantage,'' Mulligan said.

Mulligan has not seen film of Farmingdale State, but the Rams appear to be a half-court team that uses few players: Only seven played more than a minute in their last game.

''The way we play, getting up and down ... if we can we execute, will we catch them off guard?'' Mulligan said. ''They have very good players. It will be their strength and shooting against our speed and depth.''

Farmingdale State had its 20-game winning streak snapped in the Skyline Conference final, losing 69-68 to St. Joseph's of Long Island.

The Rams are led by Damien Santana, a 6-1 guard and two-time conference player of the year, who averaged 19.8 points a game with 107 assists and 63 3-pointers, and 6-5 Mike Campbell, averaging 20.3 points and 9.9 rebounds.

If UNE gets by Farmingdale State, its second-round opponent likely will be Rhode Island College (23-5), the host of the first two rounds. The Anchormen are favored Friday against Massachusetts Institute of Technology (20-8).

Rhode Island is ranked 17th in two national polls.

HUSSON

Husson (16-11) beat top-seeded Thomas for the North Atlantic Conference title Saturday. The Eagles were led by 6-5 Matt MacKenzie (25 points), a junior from Warren.

Husson has a tough first-round opponent in host Worcester Polytechnic Institute (20-5).

The Engineers are ranked No. 24 in the USA Today poll. They were the top seed in the New England Athletic Conference but were upset in the semifinals.

Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at:

kthomas@pressherald.com

Copyright 2009 Blethen Maine Newspapers, Inc. All Rights Reserved
	Terms & Conditions     Privacy Copyright © 2009 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.