Gameday Preveiw: Yeshiva @ Mount Saint Mary

This one isn’t about the standings.

The Yeshiva Macs head into the regular-season finale at 15-0 in Skyline play, already locked into the #1 seed and hosting rights throughout the conference tournament. Across from them? Mount Saint Mary — still searching for its first conference win at 0–14.

On paper, this feels straightforward.

Yet the regular-season finale is never about paper. It’s about tone. The Macs don’t need Zevi Samet grinding 38 high-stress minutes. They don’t need Yoav Oselka diving into the scorer’s table chasing loose balls. Yet they doneed rhythm. They do need sharp habits. They do need defensive intensity that carries into next week. If YU drifts into cruise control, the edge softens. And once that edge softens, it’s hard to snap back into playoff mode overnight.

Bench Energy Has to Set the Tone:

If Samet and the core are playing limited minutes (or none), this becomes a prove-it night for the second unit. Dothan Bardichev. Tom Beza. Hillel Baynash. Ari Shklyar. Whoever’s getting extended run — this is their audition. Energy can’t dip just because the names change.

Keep It Clean:

No sloppy turnovers. No loose transition defense. No letting a 0–14 team gain belief because you’re casual. Resting doesn’t mean coasting. You still defend. You still rebound. You just do it smarter.

Stay Healthy, Stay Sharp

This is the real objective.

Get through this tilt healthy. Keep rhythm in the offense. Let the ball move. Let the young guys get reps. If it’s not pretty? Fine.If it’s not 30-point domination? Also fine. This game isn’t about statements. It’s about walking into the Skyline Tournament fully loaded and still enough to be perfect.

You already earned the #1 seed.

Now protect it.

Win the game:

Right now, YU is sitting around #49 out of 64 teams in the national NPI rankings. That means if the tournament started today, the Macs (if you win the Skyline tournament and finish undefeated) would likely land somewhere around a 12- or 13-seed. Last year, the reigning Skyline Cinderellas were a #15 seed and ran into a buzzsaw in Tufts, falling 83-66.

While the Macs are undefeated in conference at 15-0 and the top seed for the second time in program history, they’re 1–8 out of conference, with the lone win coming against #22-ranked NYU, which, yes, means something. The committee doesn’t just care that you win. They care who you beat. If YU loses the Skyline tournament, they’re likely out because the conference isn’t strong nationally, even with the admirable strength of their schedule, which includes opponents like #1 Trinity and #2 Randolph-Macon.

However, the goal has never been luck.

It’s always been Win the Skyline. Secure Pool A. Get a better seed. Win an NCAA Tournament game. Running the table within the conference, even if the conference isn’t elite, does help with seeding and your first-round opponent. That changes the odds of winning a national game, which could help the core reach its ceiling in their final ride together. And that’s the progression they've been building towards all year long.

How to Watch:

Tip-Off is at 6:00PM. You can watch the game here