TOWSON, Md. — The Landmark Conference Men’s Basketball Championship semifinals are set for Thursday, February 26, with four teams vying for a spot in the title game.
Championship Central | Buy Tickets Here
Game No. 1 — #6 Susquehanna University at #2 Drew University | (Digital Tickets Only)
Susquehanna upset third-seeded Scranton on the road, 85-78, to advance to the semifinals for the third straight year. The River Hawks will travel to Madison, N.J., to face Drew for the third consecutive season in the Landmark semifinals, with each team having won one of their previous two matchups over the last two years.
Susquehanna averages 75.2 points per game while allowing 74.2 and ranks second in the league in offensive rebounds (11.4 per game).
Players to Watch:
- Mario Castro Sanchez: 13.6 ppg
- Brandon Lavitt: 12.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg
Drew enters the semifinals as the defending Landmark champion and the top seed, having earned a first-round bye. The Rangers lead the conference in scoring, averaging 88.6 points per game.
Players to Watch:
- David Musial: Defending Defensive Player of the Year, second in the league with 8.2 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game, top-10 in assists (3.0), and top-20 in blocked shots (0.6)
The two teams also played just five days ago in the regular-season finale, where Drew pulled out a 92-84 win that nearly kept Susquehanna out of the tournament.
Game No. 2 — #4 Wilkes University at #1 Catholic University | (Digital Tickets Only)
Wilkes advanced to the semifinals after holding off Elizabethtown, 74-70, in the opening round, marking its third straight Landmark semifinal appearance. The Colonels rank fifth in the conference in scoring offense (77.4 ppg) and fourth in scoring defense (72.8 ppg), while placing third in combined team rebounding at 38.0 boards per game.
Players to Watch:
- Lucas Lesko: 18.8 ppg,
- Collin Ackerman: 13.3 ppg
- Jack Argento: 13.3 ppg
- Eli Becker: 13.3 ppg
- Daniel Santaniello: 12.2 ppg
Catholic enters the semifinals ranked third in the conference in scoring offense (85.4 ppg) while limiting opponents to 67.1 points per game, creating a +12.7 scoring margin. Thursday marks the third straight semifinal meeting between the two programs. The Cardinals claimed a 93-88 overtime victory in 2023-24 and followed with a 96-76 win last season. During the regular season, the teams split the series. Catholic earned a 91-79 victory at home before Wilkes responded with a 68-62 win in Wilkes-Barre.
Players to Watch:
- CJ Ruoff: 19.9 ppg
- Brian Herbert: 16.8 ppg
- Charley Hepting: 10.6 ppg