Since our last article, the Maroons Men’s Basketball team has played in both the ODAC tournament and the DIII “March Madness” NCAA tournament. Through some hard-fought games in the regular and post-season this year, ‘Noke have certainly made a name for themselves once again. The team made it to the “Sweet 16” last year in the NCAA tournament, a feat they were ultimately not able to accomplish this year, but the team’s continued success in recent years will hopefully continue into next season.
The ODAC tournament first round started Feb. 24th with top seeds hosting competitors. For Roanoke, that meant hosting the Generals of Washington and Lee, a team we had lost to twice in the regular season. The Maroons won, resulting in a redemption win and moving onto the second round of play. Notable players in this game were Caleb Franze and Jackson Bell. Franze made a new career high of points scored with 31, very impressive for the young Sophomore. Bell, meanwhile, is no stranger to scoring in important moments, and he did just that and snagged 30 points against the Generals.
The second and third rounds would be played in the Salem Civic Center on Friday, the 27th, and Saturday the 28th, respectively. The third-ranked Maroons would now be facing the second-ranked Virginia Wesleyan Men’s team. In an exciting game that many students attended – despite it being spring break – the Maroons won in overtime. This game did not have one single scoring leader, although a couple players had large amounts of playing time; including Bell, Morgan, and Truitt.
The last game of the ODAC Tournament would be against the formidable foe, Randolph-Macon (R-MC). If RC would win this game, it would mean an automatic bid into the “March Madness” tournament and the first ODAC Championship title since 2000, before any of the players were even born. This game was also exciting to say the least. The lead changed seven times during the game, including in the last 38 seconds. ‘Noke was down by six points. If they were lucky, that’s two possessions, but more likely three. Marcus Morgan was fouled at 38 seconds and made the first free throw, but missed the second. Junior Forward, Gavin O’Malley, grabbed an offensive rebound and passed to Truitt, who was able to close the gap to three points. After a missed free throw from R-MC, Franze drove to the basket and cut the lead to one point. The Maroons fouled again in hopes of getting the ball back after Macon’s free throw. Again, Macon missed and the Maroons got the ball. Bell, whose familiarity with critical moments and tough shots, helped the team ultimately win the game and secure an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The selection committee for the NCAA tournament ultimately decided the team would go to the Emory University pod and play their first round against the Lynx of Rhodes College. Some, including myself, think the Maroons were seeded unfairly, but the results are set in stone, and we can only hope for a better outcome next season. As has been the theme of recent games, the Lynx vs. the Maroons was also a thriller. It was definitely a game of offense, not defense for both teams. Some key scoring runs and successful free throws were the story of the game for Roanoke. Although the Maroons were down late in the game, the scoring runs for the Maroons helped them rally to victory. Bell helped secure this win in one of his critical moments.
The real challenge would come the next day against the Eagles of Emory. Their home crowd could be an advantage for the team, but the Maroons tuned them out early and led a majority in the first half. The Eagles made their own run and continued to lead for most of the remaining game. The Maroons were able to tie and bring the game to overtime, but the final shot taken by Bell was blocked resulting in an unfortunate loss and end for the Maroons ‘25-’26 season. Although Roanoke College did not advance as far as they had hoped in the “March Madness” tournament, the four seniors on the team have had a hard-fought career, and ‘Noke Nation will always remember them. Thank you, #00, #11, #15, and #23!
Lauren Price
Staff Reporter
