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ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick's men's basketball team makes a return to a familiar place this coming weekend – the Empire 8 playoffs. The Hawks, under the guidance of sixth year head coach Todd McGuinness, are making their fourth appearance in five years in the league semifinals which begin Friday.
           
'Wick, the number three seed in the four-team tournament, plays #2 Alfred University at St. John Fisher's Manning & Napier Gymnasium in Pittsford, NY at 8 p.m. The top seeded Cardinals host #4 Ithaca College in the first semifinal at 6 p.m. The championship is slated for Saturday at 4 p.m. with the E8 title and automatic berth into the 2015 NCAA Tournament at stake.
           
The Hawks entered Empire 8 play this season with a 5-4 non-conference record and started strong with three straight victories. A four-game losing streak, however, and with a six-game road trip approaching, the Hawks' playoff hopes looked bleak. But 'Wick got back on track with a home win over Stevens followed by five consecutive victories on the road at Alfred, Houghton, Stevens, Utica, and Ithaca to move to 9-4.
           
Following a loss to Elmira, the Hawks were up on top-seeded St. John Fisher by one with three seconds left but a buzzer beater lifted the Cardinals to the win. The Hawks closed out the regular season with a 100-88 home win against Nazareth.
           
All five starters are averaging over 10 points per game, led by First Team All-Conference Trevor Norton's (Mullica Hill, NJ/Ursinus College) 14.4 points per game. Second Team pick Joey Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) contributes 14.3 points per outing.
           
The Hawks are one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league, making 231 shots from beyond the three-point arc and are averaging 9.2 per game. Norton (.438) and Justin Pratt (North Kingstown, RI/North Kingtown) (.415) rank in the top five in the Empire 8 in three-point accuracy this season. Pratt tied a Hartwick record with nine three-pointers in the team's finale against Naz.   
             
Matt Wilson (Shelton, CT/Franklin & Marshall College) and three-time E8 Rookie of the Week Jake Sinicki (Endicott, NY/Maine-Endwell) are the team's top rebounders. Wilson averages 7.3 rebounds per game with Sinicki right behind him at 7.2 per contest. Wilson also adds 11 points per night to the offense with Sinicki contributing 10.2.
 
HAWKS' TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Hartwick qualified for the Empire 8 playoffs in 2011, 2012, and 2014. Their first appearance in the tournament couldn't have worked out better as the #3 Hawks took out #2 Stevens in Hoboken, NJ in the semifinals by hitting the final four points, all from the free-throw line in the last 16 seconds, for a 76-73 win. It marked their only E8 Tournament game which did not occur in Lambros Arena. Just as the final horn sounded in Stevens, the Hawks learned they would host the championship game thanks to an upset in the other semifinal. In the title game at Lambros, the Hawks secured their first Empire 8 Championship with a 69-58 victory over #4 St. John Fisher. The following year, Hartwick won the regular season crown and hosted the playoffs. But the Hawks made an early exit as fourth-seeded Ithaca defeated them 79-67 en route to the championship. Last season, Hartwick, Nazareth, and Stevens each finished the regular season at 10-4 but the Hawks earned the tie-breaker and right to serve as host. In the semifinals against Alfred, 'Wick trailed by 11 points with just over six minutes remaining before storming back to close the game on a 20-4 run to down the Saxons 90-85. They captured the crown the next day with a 67-62 victory over Naz.   
 
AGAINST THE FIELD: The Hawks are 3-3 against the tournament field this season. They will hope the old adage, "It's tough to beat a team three times in a season," will not come to fruition in the semifinals against the Saxons as the Hawks swept them for the first time in six years in 2014-15. In the first meeting on January 3 at Lambros, Hartwick led comfortably by 10 points with 1:05 left in the contest before a furious Alfred comeback made it a two-point game. Trevor Norton hit two from the line to seal it before Alfred sank a three at the buzzer to end the game, 75-74. In the rematch 27 days later, the Hawks traveled the McLane Center, a place where they had not won since 2009. Neither team would lead by more than six points until the final 20 seconds in a battle from start to finish before 'Wick won by an eight-point margin, 72-64. Joey Lufkin scored 23 points in both Hartwick wins. The Hawks are 0-2 against the host Cardinals with both games falling on opposite ends of the spectrum. The game at Manning & Napier Gym on January 10 was one the Hawks would like to forget as Fisher shot 60% from the floor and 57% from three-point range in a 102-65 win. The rematch at Lambros just one week ago came down to the wire as the Hawks grabbed a late steal and a Trevor Norton driving layup put Hartwick in front by one. A layup at the final horn from Chaz Lott, however, lifted the Cardinals to a 69-68 victory. Both games with Ithaca were also close with each road team coming away with a win. Eleven players reached double figures in the game at 'Wick with Ithaca emerging with a 96-91 win. In Ithaca on February 13, the Hawks were in full control leading by as many as 23 points deep into the first half. But the Bombers rallied in the second to force overtime only to have Hartwick outscore them 13-10 in the extra period for a 93-90 victory.     
 
SCOUTING THE SAXONS: Alfred is 18-7 overall and 11-5 in the conference this season. The Saxons are the hottest team in the field with eight consecutive victories entering the semifinals and are unbeaten in the month of February. They have not lost since the eight-point home loss to Hartwick on January 30. AU is paced by First Team All-Conference center Dalton Walsh and Second Team pick, sophomore Tyler Seelman. Walsh averages 16.2 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Saxons with Seelman contributing 16.1 points per outing.  
 
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: Fisher enters the weekend ranked #24 in the latest d3hoops.com national poll and is the top ranked team in the NCAA East Region poll at 21-4 and 14-2. The four-time E8 champion Cardinals have three players averaging in double figures, led by the league's Player of the Year, center Keegan Ryan (16.2 ppg). Optimystik Kinard (10.2 ppg) and Tyler Hart (10.0 ppg) contribute to the scoring and E8 First Team pick Chaz Lott leads the conference in assists with 125. The Cardinals' top nine players are shooting at least 44% from the floor this season.
 
SCOUTING THE BOMBERS: Ithaca returns to the playoffs after missing the semifinals for the first time in Empire 8 history last season. The Bombers (12-13, 9-7) are led by First Team All-Star center Keefe Gitto who leads the team with averages of 15.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Conference Rookie of the Year Marc Chasin adds 14.8 points per game with Sam Bevan and Max Masucci each averaging over 10 points per night. Ithaca leads the conference in both scoring average (78.8 ppg) and three-pointers made (239) this season.
 
HOW TO WATCH: Live Stats and a Live Video feed will be available for both semifinals games on Friday night and for Saturday's championship courtesy of St. John Fisher athletics.
 
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. Children 12 and under will be admitted free of charge.