By Peyton Johns, Sports Editor 

Two words: March. Madness. The Daemen men’s basketball team, No. 4 in the division, ended its incredible season on Wednesday, March 26, in a close loss of 74-77 to the No. 5 seed, Lander University. This heartbreaking loss was a part of the 2026 NCAA Division II Elite Eight games hosted at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, PA. This loss was no real loss for the men’s basketball team, though, as they ended their season with a program record of 33-2.

This season was jam-packed with games against teams outside of their typical East Coast Conference opponents, including teams like Alaska Anchorage (2025 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic), Fairmont State (East Region Challenge) and Assumption. With Daemen ending their season 33-2 overall, and 16-0 in the ECC. This loss was nothing to pout about, with redshirt junior Benjamin Bill finishing the game with a high of 27 points.

Along with this loss, head coach of twelve honorable years, Mike MacDonald, will be leaving Daemen to join the D1 St. Bonaventure Bonnies next season. An incredible loss for the Daemen community. Consensus All-American Zach Philipkoski, 24-25 ECC Player of the Year Ben Bill, and redshirt freshman Santanna Sinvilcin are all additionally entering the transfer portal after the news of MacDonald’s leave took place on Mon. March 30.