Six takeaways as NSU’s men’s basketball team advances to Elite Eight
Ross Reeves punched the air with full force, letting out his emotions.
There were 4.4 seconds left in Tuesday night’s NCAA Division II South Region final … but the game was essentially over.
Sure enough, as the final seconds ticked down Reeves and the rest of the Nova Southeastern University Sharks men’s basketball team had defeated the visiting Alabama-Huntsville Chargers, 76-69, advancing to next week’s Elite Eight in Evansville, Indiana.
The Sharks won the national title in 2023 and finished second in the country last year.
But Reeves didn’t experience any of that since he transferred in for this season, and that helps explain his emotions.
“I had so much adrenaline that tears starting coming down my face,” Reeves said. “I’ve never been to this (Elite Eight) stage before.
“It’s a surreal feeling.”
Here are six takeaways from NSU’s red-hot athletics program:
1. WE’RE GOING STREAKING
The second-ranked Sharks (33-1) have won 84 straight home games, which is an NCAA Division II record. The previous record, set 30 years ago, was 80.
Overall, the Sharks have won 20 straight games.
Just as impressively, the Sharks broke Huntsville’s 32-game win streak. Huntsville (32-2) was ranked third in the nation before getting eliminated.
NSU also ruined Huntsville’s season opener with a 105-104 overtime win on Nov. 8.
“There’s a reason why Huntsville has won 32 games in a row,” NSU coach Jim Crutchfield said. “They are hard to beat.”
Crutchfield also noted the following: “We beat them opening day. We beat them (Tuesday). Nobody else could beat them.”
2. MJ THE MVP
MJ Iraldi, a 6-6 Sharks shooting guard, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Point guard Dallas Graziani and power forward Ryker Cisarik made the all-tournament team.
Iraldi averaged 17.7 points and 11.3 rebounds in the three South Region games.
Cisarik, who missed the opener due to an ankle injury, averaged 26.0 points and 7.0 rebounds.
Graziani averaged 10.3 points and 3.7 assists.
“I think Ryker deserved that one,” Iraldi said of the MVP honor. “But I don’t think this was a single-person win.
“It took a team, and I’m just happy we got the win.”
Iraldi, a senior, also talked about playing his last home game here.
During his three years at NSU, the Sharks went 70-0 at home.
“Sold-out crowd,” Iraldi said of Tuesday’s game. “It was great to go out with a win and never lose at the ‘Shark Tank.’”
3. WIRE TO WIRE
The Sharks never trailed, getting off to an 8-0 start and leading by as much as 29-12 with 10:13 left before the break.
At halftime, NSU led 40-35.
Then, with 2:25 left in the game, Huntsville cut its deficit to 70-69.
But Huntsville went scoreless the rest of the way.
The game’s biggest bucket came with 1:57 left as Tyler Eberhart pump-faked in the lane before banking in a layup for a 72-69 lead. Cisarik earned the key assist.
NSU then made a pair of stops before Graziani essentially clinched the win with two free throws that stretched the lead to 74-69 with 25 seconds left.
Twenty seconds later, Reeves was punching the air in celebration.
4. TOUGH TO HANDLE
Daniel Saylor, Huntsville’s 6-11, 240-pound center, finished with 22 points, a game-high 14 rebounds and a game-high three blocks.
Saylor was dominant in the second half as he had 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
“It was hard,” Reeves said. “We couldn’t help (on Saylor) because (Huntsville) has four 3-point shooters around him.”
Indeed, in the first matchup between these teams, Huntsville shot 44.7 percent on 3-pointers (17-for-38).
Huntsville’s Tommy Murr had 41 points in that game, and he was held to 11 this time around.
“We had to guard them on the perimeter,” Crutchfield said. “But the price we paid was leaving Saylor down there by himself.”
Saylor was so good that Cisarik – who had to guard him – picked up his fourth foul with six minutes left.
Crutchfield kept Cisarik in the game by taking him off Saylor, and the Sharks managed to hold on for the win.
5. OFF TO EVANSVILLE
The Sharks should be the top seed at the Elite Eight.
That’s because Daemen (N.Y.), which had been 28-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation, lost on Sunday in the regional-semifinal round.
Minnesota State, which beat NSU in last year’s national championship, did not make the NCAA’s 64-team field this season.
It remains to be seen if NSU can fill that void, but Iraldi is surely motivated.
“I didn’t like the feeling that I left Evansville with last year,” said Iraldi, the 2024-2025 Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year. “We’re going to change that this year.”
6. IT WAS LADIES NIGHT, TOO
NSU’s swimming and diving team was honored at halftime on Tuesday. NSU’s swim team has won three straight national titles.
NSU’s women’s basketball team also enjoyed a great season, advancing to the South Region final and posting an impressive 27-7 record.
The Sharks, ranked 24th in the nation, lost to ninth-ranked Union, 65-60, on Monday in Jackson, Tennessee.