DUDLEY, Mass. – The Nichols College men's basketball team is the No. 1 seed in the 2013-14 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament and will host No. 8 Plymouth State University Wednesday night, March 5 at 5 p.m. at the Nichols Athletic Center.

The Bison have won a program-record 22 games this season and advanced to the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship game for the first time in school history. They also won a conference-record 16 games this season, led by senior captain and CCC Player of the Year Ryan Sheehan (North Attleboro, Mass.), who became the program's all-time leading scorer last week.  

Sheehan was also the conference's Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a First Team selection. Classmate Sam Horning (Falmouth, Maine) was named to the Third Team after averaging a career-best 10.0 ppg this season. He elevated his game in the conference tournament as he averaged 12.0 ppg in three games, scoring 14 points in both the semifinals against Salve Regina and the finals against Gordon. Junior Marlon Bennett (Startford, Conn.) was also named to the Third Team.

The Panthers posted a 13-13 record during the regular season and went 7-7 in The Little East. They are led by freshman Curtis Arsenault (Berlin, N.H.), who averages 12.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg, and senior Petey Skevas (Wethersfield, Conn.), who enters Wednesday's tilt with 998 career points. The Panthers captain is averaging 12.0 ppg and 5.1 apg this season.

In other quarterfinal action, No. 2 Johnson & Wales (RI) hosts No. 7 Elms, No. 3 Castleton hosts No. 6 Endicott, and No. 4 Salve Regina hosts No. 5 Lasell.