NEW YORK – The nationally ranked No. 13 Yeshiva University men's basketball team will take on Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament, at Johns Hopkins University, on Friday afternoon. Tip-off is now scheduled for 2:20 p.m. It was originally scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Click here to view the NCAA Tournament bracket.

The team that advances will take on the winner of the nationally ranked No. 6 Johns Hopkins University and Penn State Harrisburg matchup, on Saturday evening, in Goldfarb Gymnasium.

All three games at Johns Hopkins University this weekend will be played without spectators. Please read the host school's official statement which can be accessed at this link. Fortunately, live stats and live streaming video of all three games will be provided by JHU. The links are highlighted in the previous sentence and on our schedule page. 

The Maccabees earned their spot in the NCAA Postseason by winning its second Skyline Conference Championship in the past three years. Yeshiva knocked off Purchase College in the league title game, 86-74, to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. It's the men's basketball team's second appearance in the NCAA's in program history. The first time occurred in 2017-18.

It has been a historic 2019-20 season for YU, earning its first national ranking in school history, back on January 27, and has risen in the rankings in each of the last five weeks (from No. 24 to No. 22 to No. 21 to No. 15 and now No. 13). YU is also ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Atlantic region, its highest spot in team history.

Yeshiva boasts the best record in all of NCAA Division III at 27-1 (the best mark in school history) and has won a program all-time best 27 consecutive games since its season opener.

WPI earned its way to the NCAA Tournament by earning an at-large bid. The Engineers compiled a record of 20-7 during the season and will compete in the NCAA Postseason for the first time since 2015-16. WPI is currently receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Men's Top 25 National Poll and is ranked No. 5 in the NCAA Northeast region.  

Leading the way for the Maccabees has been sophomore guard Ryan Turell, who was named the Skyline Conference Player of the Year earlier this week. The Los Angeles native is having a strong sophomore campaign by scoring 23.0 points per contest and generating an outstanding shooting percentage of 62.

Senior forward Gabriel Leifer is averaging a double-double per game this season with 16.7 points and 13.5 rebounds. The Lawrence native is tallying 6.5 assists per contest and has generated three triple-doubles so far this year. Leifer's third triple-double came in the conference championship game, tallying 16 points, a career-best 24 rebounds, and a game-high 12 assists, on his way to being named Most Outstanding Player of the contest. The third year forward was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III National Player of the Week, on Tuesday.

Senior guard Simcha Halpert is shooting 49.5% from the field this season, including 42.9% from beyond the arc. The two-time Skyline All-Conference first team member is third on YU's All-Time scoring list with 1,804 career points. He is just three points shy of Ayal Hod ('89) for second place.

Freshman guard Ofek Reef was named the Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week.  The Plano native is averaging 10.8 points per game, coming off the bench, and shooting 58.0% from the field.

Yeshiva University Head Coach Elliot Steinmetz was named the Skyline Coach of the Year.

For the Engineers, senior forward Jake Wisniewski was selected as the New England Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Defensive Player of the Year. Freshman forward John Lowther was bestowed the conference's Rookie of the Year honor. Junior center Garrett Stephenson is netting 16.1 points per game this season, while third-year guard Colin McNamara is averaging 12.2 points per contest. Wisniewski is grabbing 6.4 rebounds per game.

Be sure to check out YUMacs.com and all our social media channels for the latest updates regarding the Maccabees' run in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Like us on Facebook (Yeshiva Athletics) and follow us on both Twitter (@YUathletics) and Instagram (@yeshivaathletics).