United East Men's Basketball Championship
The United East men's basketball tournament is the annual conference basketball championship tournament for the NCAA Division III United East Conference. The tournament has been held annually since the conference was founded in 2005 as the North Eastern Athletic Conference. The conference adopted its current name for the 2021–22 season, and underwent a major expansion in 2023 when it merged with the Colonial States Athletic Conference, with the two leagues agreeing to operate under the United East banner. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records.[1]
| United East men's basketball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Conference basketball championship | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Conference | United East Conference |
| Format | Single-elimination tournament |
| Played | 2005–present |
| Current champion | Lancaster Bible (3rd) |
| Most championships | Morrisville State (5) |
| Official website | gounitedeast |
| Host stadiums | |
| Campus arenas (2005–present) | |
| Host locations | |
| Campus sites (2005–present) | |
The winner, declared conference champion, receives the United East's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Championship.
Results
North Eastern Athletic Conference
| Year | Champions | Score | Runner-up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Keystone | 79–70 | Villa Julie | Philadelphia, PA |
| 2006 | Keystone | 84–77 | Villa Julie | La Plume, PA |
| 2007 | Villa Julie | 94–92 (OT) | Chestnut Hill | Stevenson, MD |
| 2008 | Baptist Bible | 84–73 | Cazenovia | Cazenovia, NY |
| 2009 | SUNY Poly | 78–49 | Wells | Utica, NY |
| 2010 | SUNY Poly | 99–71 | Wells | Utica, NY |
| 2011 | Wells | 75–72 (OT) | Penn State Harrisburg | Middletown, PA |
| 2012 | Morrisville State | 76–72 | Penn State Harrisburg | Morrisville, NY |
| 2013 | Morrisville State | 74–72 | Wells | Morrisville, NY |
| 2014 | Morrisville State | 73–65 | Lancaster Bible | Lancaster, PA |
| 2015 | SUNY Cobleskill | 49–46 | Lancaster Bible | Lancaster, PA |
| 2016 | Lancaster Bible | 97–71 | Morrisville State | Lancaster, PA |
| 2017 | Morrisville State | 70–63 | Lancaster Bible | Washington, DC |
| 2018 | Lancaster Bible | 74–69 | Morrisville State | Lancaster, PA |
| 2019 | Morrisville State | 91–73 | SUNY Poly | Gansevoort, NY |
| 2020 | Penn State Harrisburg | 76–69 (OT) | Lancaster Bible | Latham, NY |
| 2021 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||
United East Conference
| Year | Champions | Score | Runner-up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Penn State Harrisburg | 85–52 | Lancaster Bible | Lancaster, PA |
| 2023 | Lancaster Bible | 87–76 | Penn State Abington | Lancaster, PA |
Championship records
Schools in red are not United East members as of the 2023–24 season.
| School | Finals Record | Finals Appearances | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morrisville State | 5–2 | 7 | 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019 |
| Lancaster Bible | 3–4 | 7 | 2016, 2018, 2023 |
| Penn State Harrisburg | 2–2 | 4 | 2020, 2022 |
| SUNY Poly | 2–1 | 3 | 2009, 2010 |
| Keystone | 2–0 | 2 | 2005, 2006 |
| Wells | 1–3 | 4 | 2011 |
| Stevenson (Villa Julie) |
1–2 | 3 | 2007 |
| Clarks Summit (Baptist Bible) |
1–0 | 1 | 2008 |
| SUNY Cobleskill | 1–0 | 1 | 2015 |
| Penn State Abington | 0–1 | 1 | |
| Cazenovia | 0–1 | 1 | |
| Chestnut Hill | 0–1 | 1 |
- Bryn Athyn, Cairn (Philadelphia Biblical), Saint Elizabeth, and Wilson, all former NEAC members which joined the United East with the 2023 conference merger, did not advance to the tournament final during their original NEAC tenure.
- Cedar Crest, Notre Dame (MD), Rosemont, and Valley Forge will play their first United East season in 2023–24.
- Gallaudet, Penn College, Penn State Berks, and St. Mary's (MD) have yet to advance to the NEAC or United East tournament finals
- Bard, D'Youville, Keuka, NYU Poly, and SUNY Purchase, never advanced for the tournament finals as NEAC members
References
- "North Eastern Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship History" (PDF). Men's basketball history. NEAC. 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2019.