Men's Basketball GNAC Quarterfinal Preview - No. 5 Anna Maria vs. No. 5 Emmanuel

PAXTON, Mass.—The Anna Maria College men's basketball team has qualified for its fourth-straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament quarterfinal and will host Emmanuel on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

LIVE COVERAGE

Both live stats and live video will be available, courtesy of Anna Maria College.

BRACKETOLOGY

Quarterfinals - Tuesday, February 23
Game 1: #8 Saint Joseph's Maine at #1 Johnson & Wales - 7:30 PM
Game 2: #5 Emmanuel at #4 Anna Maria - 7:00 PM
Game 3: #6 Mount Ida at #3 Albertus Magnus - 7:00 PM
Game 4: #7 Suffolk at #2 Lasell - 7:00 PM

Semifinals - Thursday, February 25
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner

Championship - Saturday, February 27
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner

NO. 4 ANNA MARIA VS. NO. 5 EMMANUEL

Both Anna Maria (10-8) and Emmanuel (9-9) were in a battle for the fourth seed on the last day of regular season action. Anna Maria helped their fate with a win over the Monks of Saint Joseph's. A win for Emmanuel would have given them the fourth position based on the GNAC tie-breaker policies, but the Saints suffered a three-point loss to Albertus Magnus to slide into the fifth seed.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Each team claimed a victory against the other during regular season play in 2015-16. Anna Maria claimed a 92-87 win at home in the first of the two meetings on January 7^th. The two teams played again on February 13^th at Emmanuel, where the hosts took a one-point win, 81-80. Only 10 days will separate the quarterfinal game from their last meeting.

ALL-TIME SERIES

The AMCATS are 8-3 all-time against the Saints dating back to the first meeting on January 16, 2012. The Saints won that first matchup, but Anna Maria took the next seven-in-a-row. Emmanuel has won two out of the last three, including a 76-73 victory in last season's GNAC Quarterfinal game in which Anna Maria was the third seed and Emmanuel was in the sixth-place slot.

SCOUTING THE AMCATS

The AMCATS enter Tuesday's quarterfinal on a two game winning streak following victories over Rivier and Saint Joseph's. As a team, Anna Maria averages 78.4 points per game and shoots at a 44.3 percent efficiency. The AMCATS hit an average of eight three-pointers per contest. Defensively, the AMCATS allow an average of 81.5 points per game, while opponents shoot at 45.4 percent.

Probable Starters:

• Patrick Bradanese (Billerica, Mass.) – a senior guard and team co-captain, Bradanese averages a team-leading 19.8 points per game, shoots 41.3 percent from the floor, and dishes out a GNAC-best 5.6 assists per game. Defensively, Bradanese averages 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.
• Tyler Delorey (Worcester, Mass.) – a senior guard a team co-captain, Delorey is second on the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game on 45.4 percent shooting. He adds 2.2 assists per game along with 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.
• David Jean-Louis (Miramar, Fla.) – a junior point guard, Jean-Louis averages the fewest minutes of the starting five at 22.0 per game. He averages 7.0 points per game.
• Kyle McKissick (Charlton, Mass.) – a senior forward, McKissick has been crucial in the paint for Anna Maria. He averages a team-leading 7.7 rebounds in addition to 8.5 points per game.
• Pedro Trindade (Billerica, Mass.) – a senior forward, Trindade averages 6.2 points per game on a team-leading 50.9 percent shooting effort. He adds 5.0 rebounds per game.

SCOUTING THE SAINTS

Emmanuel had won five-in-a-row before Saturday's loss to Albertus Mangus. The Saints are playing some of their best basketball to-date, as they picked up a monster 75-63 win against No. 2 Lasell on Tuesday, Feb. 16^th. As a team, Emmanuel averages 71.1 points per game and shoots 39.6 percent from the floor. The Saints defense allows 76.0 points per game on 44.8 percent shooting.

Probable Starters:

• Kyle Davis – a senior center, Davis leads the team in scoring with 13.4 points per game on 46.8 percent shooting. He also leads the team in rebounding with 8.8 per game.
• John Clay – a senior forward, Clay also scores in double-figures, averaging 10.7 points per game. He adds 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.
• Matt Raine – a sophomore forward, Raine sees 19.2 minutes per game and scores 4.8 points per game.
• Kyle Smith – a junior guard, Smith ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 9.2 points per game on 31.7 percent shooting. He leads the team in assists with 2.9 per game and holds a 1.2 assists-to-turnovers ratio.
• Colin Cordero – a sophomore guard, Cordero dishes out 2.1 assists per game. He also adds 8.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

WINNER ADVANCES

The winner of Tuesday's quarterfinal game will take on the winner of the No.1 Johnson & Wales vs. No. 8 Saint Joseph's game. JWU is currently ranked 14^th in the nation and has lost just twice all season. The highest remaining seed will host the semifinal matchup.