Poughkeepsie, NY - The Vassar College Men's Basketball team will travel to Hood College on Friday for its second-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament as the Brewers will square off with the host #16 Blazers at 5:35 p.m. in a NCAA First Round matchup. The other game in the pod between #9 Redlands and Susquehanna will tip-off at 3:00 p.m. in Frederick, MD.

Ticket Information: Tickets will only be sold at the door which will open 90 minutes before the day's first contest. The prices for Adults will be $15 per day while children, seniors and students will be $10 per day. Cash and/or credit will be accepted.

Full Schedule:

Friday, March 6^th (First Round)
Game 1: 3:00 PM ET – #9 Redlands vs. Susquehanna
Game 2: 5:35 PM ET – Vassar vs. #16 Hood
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Saturday, March 7^th (Second Round)
Game 3: 5:35 PM ET – G1 Winner vs. G2 Winner
 
Tip-Off: Vassar will make its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament on Friday when it takes on #16 Hood in Frederick, MD. Tip-off with the host Blazers at Woodsboro Bank Arena on the campus of Hood College is set for 5:35 p.m.

Last Time Out: The Brewers won their second-ever Liberty League Championship on Sunday with a 57-53 road win at top-seeded RPI. Shea Fitzgerald was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Performer after averaging 20 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists over three games in the tournament.

How We Got Here: Vassar begins play on Friday with a 20-8 overall record and earned the third-seed in the Liberty League Championship with a 13-5 record. Vassar claimed its second Liberty League title following a first round home victory over Skidmore (67-64),  road win at second-seeded Union (72-67) in the semifinal and a road victory over top-seeded RPI (57-53) in the Championship Final.

A Look At Hood: The Blazers enter the NCAA Tournament with a 24-3 overall record and 13-1 record in the MAC Commonwealth. Hood defeated York (PA) in the MAC title game in a 103-98 double overtime thriller. Hood is averaging 95.7 points per game, fourth nationally, on 49.2-percent from the field and 37.1-percent from three. The Blazers allow 81.7 points per game defensively as opponents are shooting 42.3-percent from the field and 32.5-percent from three-point range.

Jevon Yarbrough is tied for seventh in the country in scoring at 25.6 points per game and leads the team in assists with 170. Kullen Robinson (16.6), Garrett Cox (12.7), Jude Huseby (12.3) and Karron Mallory (10.9) are all averaging double-digit points for the Blazers.

Outstanding!: Shea Fitzgerald was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Performer after averaging 20 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists over three games in the tournament. Fitzgerald's season-high tying 28 points against Union on 7-for-14 shooting and 6-for-8 from three led the way for Vassar's trip to the final.

Weekly Honors: Vassar earned four Liberty League Performer of the Week honor this season as Shea Fitzgerald has earned two selections, Parker Neuenhaus scored one selection and Avery Lee collected his first selection prior to his season-ending injury.

All-Conference Accolades: For the second straight season, Vassar featured two All-Liberty League selections. Shea Fitzgerald was named an All-Liberty League First Team selection for the second straight year while Parker Neuenhaus was tabbed a All-Liberty League Second Team honoree.

Captains, please: Senior Nathan Denham, senior Sacha Greenberg and junior Shea Fitzgerald have served as team captains this season.

Shea Leads the Way: Heading into Friday's contest, junior Shea Fitzgerald leads the way with 16.6 points per game, 79 three-pointers made and currently ranks fourth all-time in Vassar program history in points wth 1,340 career points. Fitzgerald also tops the Liberty League in free throw percentage at 88.4-percent and is tied for 15th nationally.

Parker's In The House: Sophomore Parker Neuenhaus has made an instant impact in his first season with the Brewers as he is second on the squad in points with 14.3 second in rebounding with 6.2 per contest. Neuenhaus is also fourth on the squad in blocks with 23 and is shooting 51.5-percent from the field. Over the final eight games of the season, Neuenhaus has averaged 18.3 points and 7.0 rebounds to help lead the Brewers to a conference title.

Stingy Defense: The Brewers rank in the top-20 nationally in multiple defensive categories as Vassar is fourth in three-point defense (27.6), 14th in field goal percentage (38.8), 15th in scoring defense (64.2) along with ranking 17th in rebounding at 42.6 per game.

Home Cookin': Vassar dominated on its home floor this season as the Brewers suffered just one setback at the Athletics and Fitness Center and finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 11-1 record in the friendly confines of the AFC.
 
Conference Title Number Two in Troy: Both of Vassar's Liberty League crowns have come at ECAV Arena in Troy as the Brewers defeated Skidmore at RPI in 2022 to earn the first conference title before earning this year's title with a win over the Engineers on their home floor.

The Mee File: Ryan Mee is in his eighth season on the Vassar sidelines and has mentored the Brewers to a 99-80 record.
 
Mee headlined the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year a season ago and is now a two-time Liberty League champion (2021-22, 2025-26)
 
Mee was a four-year varsity letter winner at Rochester, serving as team captain in 2004-05. He helped the Yellowjackets to four NCAA Tournament appearances as his squads went a combined 97-17 over his four seasons as part of the winningest class in the program's history. Mee earned Honorable Mention UAA honors in 2003-04, and helped the squad to the national finals in 2005, finishing his career seventh in three-pointers made.

Prior to his head coaching tenure with the Brewers, Mee spent time as an associate head coach at Rochester along with being an assistant at Davidson under legendary head coach Bob McKillop.

What's At Stake: The winner of the game between the Brewers and Blazers will take on the advancing team from Friday's first game featuring the #9 Redlands and Susquehanna in the Second Round on Saturday at 5:35 p.m.