Fort Kent is fresh off their first Sunrise  Conference tournament championship after beating defending Champions Fisher College 81-63 in the title game in Concord, N.H..  The Bengals (21-8) also won the regular season title and were the top seed in the conference tournament.

Fort Kent is led by all-conference selections Jimmy Lopez and Manny Odugbela.  Jopez, a senior guard from Fitchburg, Mass., was named to the First Team after averaging 15.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists.  The sharp shooter drained 70 3-pointers and converted 40 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.  Odugbela, a sophomore guard from Providence, R.I., made the Second Team averaging 13.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists.  He shot 51 percent from the floor and connected on 46 3-pointers. 

Three other players are also scoring in doubles figures including sophomore forward Brandon Fox (15.8), junior forward Othniel Hyliger (11.1) and sophomore guard Jeremy Thomas (11.2).

Walsh (28-2), the national champions in 2005, enters the tournament on a nine-game winning streak and earned the top seed for the first time in school history.  This is their sixth straight appearance and 10th overall in the national tournament.  The Cavaliers qualified for the tournament by winning the American Mideast Conference South championship.

Walsh is led by 6'7" senior forward Ricky Jackson, who was named the AMC Player of the Year.  Jackson averaged 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds and shot an impressive 60 percent from the floor and 79 percent from the free throw line.  Jackson was joined on the all-AMC First Team by junior guard Jeremy Shardo, who led the conference in assists handing out 6.4 a game.  Shardo also contributed 10.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals and shot 43 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the line.