Men's Basketball Set To Face Top-Seeded Russell Sage In E8 Tournament

How They Got Here

 St. John Fisher: The Cardinals’ run through the Empire 8 in the regular season was an up-and-down ride. Fisher (12-13 overall, 8-8 E8) started 6-1 in conference play before losing seven of eight games, including six straight, and then ended the regular season strong on Tuesday with a 65-59 home win over East Avenue rival Nazareth. They will hope the good vibes from that triumph carry into the E8 Tournament, for which they have the No. 8 seed. 

Russell Sage: With a win over Hartwick and Nazareth’s loss to Fisher on Tuesday, Russell Sage clinched the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament for the first time in program history. The Gators ended the regular season 21-4 overall and 13-3 in league play. 

St. John Fisher vs. Russell Sage History

Series Snapshot: The Cardinals are 13-4 all-time against the Gators but have lost three straight games in the series. 

Postseason Meetings: Saturday’s contest will mark the second E8 postseason matchup between Fisher and Sage. The Cardinals beat Russell Sage 66-63 to begin the Empire 8 Tournament in the COVID-19-altered 2020-21 season. 

Last Meeting: Sophomore forward/center Maximus Michalski scored a team-high 19 points, but the St. John Fisher University men's basketball team fell to Russell Sage College, 85-70, on Jan. 24. 

Russell Sage was led by Khalel Noteman, who recorded a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Brandon Harris added 17 points. Pape Tunkara scored 16 points, largely at the free-throw line, as the Gators went 27-of-34 from the stripe.

The loss was the first of six straight for the Cardinals.

Matchup Notes

• Russell Sage leads the conference in points per game (86.4) and scoring margin (8.2). 
• The Gators lead the conference in rebounding at 43.6 per game entering the postseason. 
• Sage has the top turnover margin in the E8 (5.48). 
• The Cardinals enter the E8 Tournament fifth in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 72.9 points per game. They have forced the third-most turnovers in the league (366).

St. John Fisher Players To Watch

Maximus Michalski (St. John Fisher, So., F/C) – Michalski leads the Cardinals in scoring (12.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg)... His 53.3 shooting percentage is the sixth-highest in the conference…  Michalski leads the Cardinals with three double-doubles… He scored a career-high 26 points while shooting 10-of-13 overall and 6-of-8 from the free throw line in a win over Elmira on Jan. 17. 

Mekhi Gidney (St. John Fisher, Fr., G) – Gidney has had a strong rookie season for the Cardinals, as he enters the postseason averaging 9.5 points per game while shooting nearly 40% from the field… He leads the team with an 82.9 free-throw percentage… Gidney scored more than 20 points in two E8 games this season, including 23 while shooting 9-of-14 overall and 4-of-6 from deep against Brockport on Feb. 7. 

Andrew Violante (St. John Fisher, So., G) – Violante enters the postseason second on the team in scoring at 9.6 points per game… He’s fourth on the team in shooting percentage (43.6%)... He leads the team with 43 steals and is second with 44 assists. 

Empire 8 Tournament Central 

The 2025-26 Empire 8 Conference Men's Basketball Championship Tournament will feature the conference's top eight teams from regular season play. First round/quarterfinal action will feature the No. 1 seed hosting the No. 8 seed, No. 2 seed hosting the No. 7 seed, No. 3 seed hosting the No. 6 seed and No. 4 seed hosting the No. 5 seed on Saturday, Feb. 21.

The winner of the No. 1 and No. 8 game will take on the winner of the No. 4 and No. 5 game in one semifinal and the winner of the No. 2 and No. 7 game will take on the winner of the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds in the second semifinal on Wednesday, Feb. 25, with both games played at the higher seed.

The two semifinal winners will meet on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the highest remaining seed in the E8 Championship. The Empire 8 Champion will earn an automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.

Site: Higher Seeds for all games

2025-26 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament Participants
No. 1 – Russell Sage (13-3 E8, 21-4 Overall)
No. 2 – Nazareth (13-3 E8, 18-7 Overall)
No. 3 – SUNY Geneseo (11-5 E8, 15-10 Overall)
No. 4 – SUNY Poly (11-5, E8, 18-7 Overall)
No. 5 – SUNY Brockport (10-6 E8, 14-11 Overall)
No. 6 – Utica (10-6 E8, 17-8 Overall)
No. 7 – Keuka (9-7 E8, 12-13 Overall
No. 8 – St. John Fisher (8-8 E8, 12-13 Overall)
 
2025-26 Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship Schedule

Saturday, February 21 – First Round (at Higher Seed)
No. 8 St. John Fisher at No. 1 Russell Sage – 2 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 7 Keuka at No. 2 Nazareth – 4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 6 Utica at No. 3 SUNY Geneseo – 4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 5 SUNY Brockport at No. 4 SUNY Poly – 4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS

Wednesday, February 25 – Semifinals (at Higher Seed)
Winner of Russell Sage/St. John Fisher vs. Winner of Poly/Brockport – TBA – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Winner of Nazareth/Keuka vs. Winner of Geneseo/Utica – TBA – VIDEO/LIVE STATS

Saturday, February 28 - Championship Final (at Highest Remaining Seed)
Winner of Semifinal No. 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal No. 2 - TBA – VIDEO/LIVE STATS

2026 Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player

Admission
$10.00 - Adults
$2.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12

For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X and Instagram (@Empire8).

The 2025-26 Season In Photos….