WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bentley men's basketball team hits the road Thursday for Upstate New York where the Falcons make the program's 21^st NCAA DII Championship appearance. Bentley is the #4 seed in the NCAA East Regional, and it will take on #5 Saint Michael's in the opening round Saturday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m. Top-seeded Daemen is hosting the regional.
 
East Regional Homepage | Tickets | Live Video
 
The East Regional eight
Preceding Bentley's game Saturday, the first round of the regional features #3 Saint Anselm vs. #6 Assumption, #2 Felician vs. #7 Adelphi, and #1 Daemen vs. #8 Goldey-Beacon.
 
Season split with Saint Michael's
Bentley and Saint Michael's split their 2025-26 regular-season series, with the road team coming away the victor in both contests. The Falcons won up in Vermont, 94-83 (Jan. 27). The Purple Knights won in Waltham, 76-74 (Dec. 6). Cooper Farrall averaged 19 points and nine rebounds between those two games against Saint Michael's, while McClure averaged 19.5 points and six assists.
 
Dynamic duo
Cash McClure and Cooper Farrall are Bentley's dynamic duo. Farrall (17.5) leads the team in scoring, while McClure (16.4) is close behind. Farrall (8.6) is also the team's leading rebounder, while McClure (7.0) is Bentley's second leading rebounder. McClure's 4.6 assists per game leads the Falcons, and his 89.5 free-throw percentage is among the best in the nation.
 
Regional respect
Cash McClure and Cooper Farrall were both named to the All-East Region Second Team, the D2CCA announced Thursday. Click HERE to learn more.
 
Conference respect
Cash McClure and Cooper Farrall were both named to the All-Northeast 10 First Team, while Osiris Nalls was named to the NE10 All-Rookie Team. Click HERE to learn more.
 
Postseason marathon
Bentley began its postseason with a double-overtime game against Southern New Hampshire in the first round of the NE10 Championship (Feb. 28). Bentley came up short, 96-93. Cooper Farrall finished with a career-high 17 rebounds to go with his 26 points. Cash McClure scored 25 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out six assists for Bentley. Ivan Misic scored 16 points, Mantas Zilys scored 12 points off the bench, and Chase Clarke finished with nine points and eight rebounds before fouling out in the second overtime.
 
Musings on Misic
Through the first 12 games of the 2026 calendar year, Ivan Misic scored in double figures only four times. Through Bentley's last five games, however, Misic has scored 10+ points in each contest. During that stretch, Misic is averaging 13.6 points while shooting 53.8-percent (14-for-26) from beyond the arc.
 
Playing the percentages
The Falcons are among the NE10's top three teams in a handful of different percentages. They rank first in 3-point percentage (38.1-percent), third in field-goal percentage (47.8-percent), and second in free-throw percentage (78.8-percent). Defensively, Bentley is second in opponent field-goal percentage (41.2-percent).
 
Scouting Saint Michael's (18-13)
The Purple Knights won their NE10 Championship first round game against Pace, 54-48. They then beat Southern New Hampshire in overtime, 81-72, to reach the NE10 Championship game. However, Saint Anselm won the conference title by beating Saint Michael's, 75-69. Four Purple Knights are average double digits in scoring this season: Quintin Floyd (12.7), Zocko Littleton (11.8), Greg Kenney (10.6), Latiek Briscoe, Jr. (10.5). Saint Michael's is very efficient from the foul line, where it shoots 79.6-percent as a team (fifth in NCAA DII).