Tournament Website | Game Notes

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College men's basketball team will begin its defense of the Centennial Conference (CC) title this weekend at tournament host Franklin & Marshall College.

The Bullets (14-10, 12-6 CC) closed the regular season on a three-game winning streak and have won five of their last six.

Gettysburg, which won the Centennial Conference last season and has reached each of the last three CC title games, finished in second place in the conference standings to earn a first-round playoff bye and the No. 2 seed in the CC tournament. The team will face Washington (Md.) College (13-9, 11-7 CC) in the semifinals on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.

Top-seeded and 20th-ranked Franklin & Marshall will play in the second semifinal on Saturday, facing the winner of the first-round game between fifth-seeded Muhlenberg College and No. 4 seed Ursinus College, who meet tonight at Ursinus.

The championship game will be held on Sunday at 3 p.m. back at F&M. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The Bullets have fond memories from their last postseason trip to F&M, as Gettysburg came away with the conference title last season in the Mayser Center after routing McDaniel College in the semifinals and topping F&M 73-65 in the championship game.

Gettysburg will be making its 10th straight appearance in the CC playoffs under head coach George Petrie, and it is the third year in a row the team has finished among the top-two. Petrie also led the Bullets to Centennial Conference titles in 2001 and 2002.

Despite losing four starters from last season's ultra-talented senior class, Gettysburg actually finished higher in the conference standings than last year, when the team placed third. The Bullets were predicted to finish fourth in the Centennial Conference preseason poll.

“Time,” said Petrie, on the key to his team's strong finish. “Time and the maturation process of playing together and responding to different game situations they come up against. It's a new group, but the more experience they've gotten, they've matured.

“The players have developed individually and collectively, finding their roles,” continued Petrie. “It's been a real group effort.”

Gettysburg and Washington will be meeting in the CC playoffs for the first time. The two teams split in their regular season series this year, with each team winning on the road. The Bullets cruised to an 82-54 victory in Chestertown on Jan. 9 while the Shoremen posted a 72-65 win in Gettysburg on Jan. 30.

“We have to give a sustained effort and play consistently on both ends of the floor,” said Petrie. “They're a good team, and I think both teams will be hungry.”

Ticket Information: Ticket prices for the 2010 Centennial Conference Tournament are as follows:
Adults (18 and over): $5
Students (13-18 without college ID): $3
Students from participating schools: Free upon presentation of ID
Youth (12 and under): Free