LANCASTER, Pa.- After securing an at-large bid into the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament, the Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team (22-5, 10-3 Centennial Conference), confirmed a first-round matchup against No. 23 Cortland (23-4, 17-1 SUNYAC) on Friday, March 6, at 4:00 p.m. at the Endicott Regional, marking the first meeting between the programs.

Ticket Information

Tickets for the Endicott regional will be $15 on both days for all ages (including students), while children under 2 years of age are free. The purchase of tickets for Friday's game against Cortland will be good for admission to both First Round games on Friday evening.

Franklin & Marshall vs. Cortland Ticket Link 

Parking Information

School Address: 376 Hale Street, Beverly, Mass. 01915

Fans will be directed to park in either the parking lots next to the Post Center, the parking garage, or Lot 35 next to our Physical Plant Building.

Interactive Campus Map

NCAA Tournament Opening Round Schedule

Friday, March 7 – NCAA Tournament First Round (Round of 64)
Franklin & Marshall vs. No. 23 Cortland (4:0 p.m.)
No. 11 Endicott vs. Neumann (6:30 p.m.)

Saturday, March 8 – NCAA Tournament Second Round (Round of 32)
F&M/Cortland winner vs. Endicott/Neumann winner (6:30 p.m.)

2025-26 F&M Season to Date

The Diplomats posted a 22-5, 10-3 Centennial Conference record to date en route to securing back-to-back tournament bids under Nick Nichay via an at-large bid. After defeating Swarthmore, 80-59, in the Centennial Conference tournament's first round on Tuesday night, F&M fell to eventual conference champions, Gettysburg, 69-45 on Friday evening.

2025-26 marked the third-consecutive season that the Diplomats earned 20-plus victories and an appearance in the Centennial Conference Tournament Semifinal round. The team went on a 12-game winning streak from November 11th through January 10th, tying for the 13th-best winning streak in program history. It's tied for the longest winning streak under head coach Nick Nichay, leveling the late-season winning streak in 2024-25 that propelled the F&M to a Centennial Conference Championship and into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017-18. 

Notably, F&M ended the season with a perfect 13-0 record at the Mayser Center, marking the program's first undefeated season at the Mayser Center since 2017-18 and 15th overall time staying perfect at home.

The Diplomats rank among the best defensive sides across Division III, maintaining DIII's fifth-best scoring defense (60.7), sixth-best three-point field goal defense (28.3%), 18th-best field goal defense (39.3%), 22nd-best rebounding margin (7.7), 23rd-best winning percentage (81.5%) and 44th-highest scoring margin (9.6).

In his seventh season in charge of the Diplomats, Nick Nichay leads the Diplomats on their second-consecutive trip in the NCAA Tournament following the success of 2024-25's Centennial Conference Championship. He has led the F&M coaching staff to back-to-back Centennial Conference Coaching Staff of the Year Awards in the past two seasons (2024, 25) and enters Friday's matchup in Massachusetts with a 96-62, 56-42 Centennial Conference record as head coach.

This trip to the tournament marks the program's 27th overall appearance. The Diplomats seek the team's first win in the tournament since 2017-18's Sweet 16 run where they defeated Emory & Henry, 73-59,  in the first round and Christopher Newport in the second round, 66-52, ahead of a 72-62 loss to Ramapo. The Diplomats have secured 17 Sweet 16 appearances, ten Elite 8 appearances, five Final Four runs, and one National Championship game appearance in 1991. 

Players to Watch

Senior guard Kevin Nowoswiat became a back-to-back First-Team All-Centennial Conference player on Tuesday. The 2025 NABC All-America First Team player is one of five Centennial Conference players to rank inside the top ten in both points per game (16.2, fifth) and rebounds per game (7.4, fourth), while he is also fifth in field goal percentage (48.9%), seventh in free throw percentage (73.9%), ninth in assists per game (2.5), and 11th in three-point field goals per game (1.4). He's recorded ten-plus points in 22-of-27 games this season, including eight games with 20-plus points and six double-doubles. Nowoswiat has also earned the Centennial Conference Player of the Week award three times this season. 

Sophomore guard Steve Donahue has been key to the Diplomats' success in his first year as a regular starter, earning an All-Centennial Conference Second Team nod earlier this week. He is currently averaging the 12th-most points per game (12.2) among Centennial Conference players and ranks eighth in the conference in free throw percentage (73.4%). Donahue has totaled 20 games with ten-plus points and is the team's most-efficient shooter beyond the arc, converting on 37.5% of his triples.  

Senior guard Vakaris Grauslys becomes a three-time All-Centennial Conference player with a spot on the Honorable Mention team. Among Centennial Conference players, the two-time All-Centennial Conference Second Team player ranks second in assists per game (3.5), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.3), fifth in free-throw percentage (74.8%), ninth in points per game (13.0), tenth in three-point field goals per game (1.4), and tenth in steals per game (1.5). Grauslys has totaled ten-plus points in 22 games, 12 games with four-plus assists, and 12 games with multiple steals.

After an injury-shortened sophomore campaign, junior forward Franklin Jones has been a key component of F&M's defensive record. Among Centennial Conference players, he is eighth in steals per game (1.5) and 12th in blocked shots per game (0.8) with five multi-block games and 12 multi-steal games.

Scouting the Red Dragons

(RV) Cortland cruised past Oswego, 84-51, on Saturday to earn the SUNYAC Championship for the second consecutive time and the ninth overall time in program history for the team's eighth entry into the NCAA Tournament. The Red Dragons have posted a 23-4, 17-1 SUNYAC record to date in head coach Maurice Kearney's third season as head coach.

Friday's matchup will pair two of the country's best defensive sides against each other, as the Red Dragons maintain the sixth-best scoring defense (61.2), sixth-best field goal defense (38.3%), and 19th-best three-point defense (28.9%). They also maintain the fourth-best scoring margin (17.4), 14th-highest rebounding margin (8.6), 11th-most efficient three-point offense (37.4%), and 18th-most frequent three-point offense (10.8 per game) with the 13th-best winning percentage (85.2%).

Senior guard Aaron Coston leads the Cortland offense, averaging the sixth-most points per game (14.9) in the SUNYAC with the best field-goal shooting in the conference (59.8%). He also ranks fourth in assists per game (3.3), fifth in rebounds per game (7.9), and fifth in blocks per game (1.1) with the third-most double-doubles in the SUNYAC (8). Senior forward Kendall Arcuri is averaging 13.2 points per game, 7.1 rebounds per game, and 2.8 assists per game. He shoots 47.2% from the field and 45.2% on triples. 

Senior guard Isaiah Austin is averaging 10.4 points per game and leading the three-point offense by averaging 2.2 triples per contest. Junior forward Joel Davis is averaging 9.7 points per game and is tied with Coston with the conference's fifth-most blocks per game (1.1). 

The 2024-25 Red Dragons faced eventual national runners-up NYU in a first-round loss last year. In its history, the program has secured two Sweet 16 appearances (1999, 00) and five appearances in the second round (1999, 00, 06, 13, 16). 

Court Club Donors

Thank you to our fantastic supporters who have already joined the Court Club for the 2025-26 season. Contact head coach Nick Nichay on how you can join the court club today.

Al Ingraham '72, Catherine Jasons '76, John Fischer '77, Mike Dee '85, Mark Maggioncalda '82, Carol & Mike Krzyzewski, Stephanie Lavenberg, Stephen & Melinda Frasher, Helen & Francois Moreau, Charles Meehan '69, Reeve Askew '66, Scott Cosby, Ty Savastio '12, Shannon & Deborah Donovan, Jeffrey & Sheri Brownstein, Richard Ryan '73, Michael & Ann Nowoswiat, Eric & Lynn Tuori, Brian Lewis '82, Michael '00 & Elizabeth Ritacco '02, Hunter Eggers '17, Terry Scott '87, Lester & Tara Satlow, Gillian Pearis, Stephen & Logan Donahue, Angela Slater, John Boyer '77, Rod & Lisa Lawrence, Colin & Carolina Cormac, Seth & Julie Berry, Samuel & Ellen Jannetta