YU Macs Basketball Team Wins Conference, To Play NCAA First Round Game Friday

For the second straight year, the Yeshiva University Men’s Basketball team won the Skyline Conference tournament, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. The squad won’t have to travel far, taking on Bates College at Montclair State University in New Jersey, Friday afternoon, March 6, at 1 p.m.

YU (20-8 overall, 16-0 in Conference) relies a lot on star shooting guard Zevi Samet, who is from Monsey and manages to keep his kippah on while nailing 3-pointers. The senior averages 23.3 points per game and scored 36 in the 79-74 home win in the conference final over arch-rival Farmingdale State. In a victory over Merchant Marine, Samet scored 52 points to set a new YU record for most points in a game.

While Samet is the main threat, he is joined by two 6’7 Israelis who have made their mark. Junior Yoav Oselka, from Givatayim, is the second-best scorer, averaging 14.5 points a game and a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per game. Yair Dovrat, from Rishon LetZion, averages 5.3 rebounds and a team-leading five assists per game. Two red-headed seniors provide great energy as speedy Max Zakheim averages nine points per game, while Roy Zitcovich contributes 7.8.

Coached by Elliot Steinmetz, the Macs won their first ever NCAA Division III tournament game in 2020, beating Worcester Polytechnic 102-78 behind 41 points from legend Ryan Turell.

The Macs are red hot, on a 14-game winning streak as the NCAA tournament begins. The Bates College Bobcats (18-8 overall, 5-5 in conference) boast senior guard Brady Coyne and 6’7 junior forward Babacar Pouye, who are the team’s leading scorers. The winner of the 1 p.m. game to accommodate YU’s need to be home by the time Shabbat arrives, will take on the winner of Montclair State versus Me-Farmington. If YU wins the first round, the second-round game will be on Saturday night.

During the 14-game win streak YU has held opponents to an average of 65.6 points per game, something noted by Akiva Poppers, former executive producer and current advisor of Macslive, which streams YU home games and also coaches basketball at Ramaz.

“Yeshiva is playing some of its best ball of the season as it enters the tournament,” Poppers told The Jewish Press. “In particular, we are playing our best defensive ball of the season.”