Championship Sunday: #2 Florida Southern at #1 Nova Southeastern

No. 23 Florida Southern will head to Fort Lauderdale to take on No. 2 Nova Southeastern in the 2025 Sunshine State Conference Men's Basketball Tournament championship. Game time is slated for Sunday, March 9th, at 1:00 PM in the Rick Case Arena at the Don Taft University Center on NSU's Campus. 
 
The tournament championship will be live-streamed at no cost on the SSC Digital Network. You can access the Sunshine State Conference Digital Network by visiting sunshinestateconference.tv or via Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku by searching "SSC Digital Network." Fans can find more information about the SSC Digital Network here.
 
The Moccasins defeated #7 Rollins 90-69 on Tuesday in the quarterfinals before knocking off #3 Lynn 88-83 in the semifinals to advance to the program's 31^st appearance in the championship game. In the win over Rollins, Jadin Booth led all scorers with 24 points while Alex Steen notched 18 points and 11 rebounds. Defensively, the Mocs held the Tars to 23.1% from beyond the arc while forcing 11 turnovers. In the tough battle Thursday in the semifinals, Florida Southern outlasted Lynn after a huge block by Peyton Gerald and a key steal in the final second by Jadin Booth. Booth led all scorers once again with 25 points while Steen notched yet another double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds. FSC v RC | FSC vs LU
 
NSU received the #1 seed following the program's fourth consecutive SSC regular-season title. They defeated #8 Barry by 37 points in the quarterfinals, tied for the third-largest win in SSC Tournament history. The Sharks were led by MJ Iraldi who scored 23 points. He was one of six players to score in double figures. Alex Mangold and Tommy Sala both scored 16. In the semifinals, the Sharks defeated the University of Tampa 104-80. The victory was their 80th home win in a row, tying the NCAA DII record for most consecutive home wins. Ryker Cisarik led all players with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Dallas Graziani recorded a double-double, scoring 17 points and dishing out 12 assists. Tyler Eberhart and Ross Reeves both added 15 points. In all, six Sharks scored in double figures, as they shot 54.2% from the field. NSU vs BU | NSU vs UT
 
This is the third meeting of the season between the two programs, with the Sharks claiming both games, 117-112 on January 15 in Fort Lauderdale, while earning a narrow win 101-95 on February 19 in Lakeland. It's the third time in tournament history the two programs meet in the championship game, with Florida Southern holding a 2-0 record against Nova Southeastern, and a 4-1 record all-time in tournament history.
 
The game will feature six All-Sunshine State Conference student-athletes including the 2024-25 SSC Player of the Year, MJ Iraldi (NSU), and the 2024-25 SSC Defensive Player of the Year, Alex Steen (FSC).
 
NCAA Tournament Information:

The SSC champion will receive automatic qualification to the 2025 NCAA Division II Championships. Regional competition will take place at a non-predetermined site beginning on Friday, March 14th. Elite Eight play will occur from Tuesday, March 25th, to Saturday, March 29th, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. The NCAA will announce championship selections and seeding on Sunday, March 9^th at 11 p.m. on www.NCAA.com.