Skyline Finals Preview: Farmingdale State @ Yeshiva

So…round three? Ah, Farmingdale,  we meet again! First Sunday of March. Same circumstances: Winner takes all. Behind closed doors? We probably rooted for each other to get here. Why? Because what is a championship without the only other team that understands the weight of it? 

Last year, we walked into your building and ended a reign. Back-to-back champs, no more. The torch wasn’t passed—it was taken by a miraculous comeback capped by a Zevi Samet three-pointer around the heights. And in January? An 84–60 statement proved we would get to host the showdown this time, and the battle would take place at the Max Stern Athletic Center, not on Long Island. It couldn’t have been anyone else trying to take this from us. And it shouldn’t be anyone else we have to beat to cement a perfect 19-0 Skyline season.

Recent Skyline champions tell the story themselves: Farmingdale in 2017, Yeshiva in 2018, Farmingdale in 2019, Yeshiva in 2020, Yeshiva again in 2022, Farmingdale in 2023 and 2024, and Yeshiva in 2025. Four titles apiece. Two programs. Nobody else has crashed the party. Now we dive into round nine. 

Meet the Rams: 

Farmingdale comes in 24–5 overall, 10–2 away from home, outscoring opponents by nearly 14 points per game.

Meet Michael Notias — First Team All-Conference. One of the best assist-to-turnover guards in the country, ranking top ten in all of Division III. Second in the Skyline in assists. A true 3-and-D guard who doesn’t force, panic, or waste possessions. The last time these teams met, he took a career-high 19 shots — now that’s intentional aggression. He truly knows exactly what this stage requires.

Then, his brother, James Notias. A sophomore who’s taken a clear, major leap. He’s efficient, high IQ, and strong defensively. He doesn’t need volume to impact the game; he reads it. Sean Conory is as competitive as they come. He’s First Team All-Conference, a scorer who not only shoots but defends, and embraces this rivalry. Let’s call it how it is: He has hurt the Macs before. And he can again, because he is built for these big moments. 

Inside, Kentrell Evans is the anchor. The 6’5” forward is fourth in the Skyline in rebounding and first in field goal percentage. He doesn’t need touches — he converts what he gets. If he establishes a deep position off ball screens, it’s two points or a trip to the line.

Liam Buckley is second in the conference in field goal percentage. Smart. Efficient. Doesn’t take bad shots. Robbie Siechen, the team captain, is an elite shooter and defender with a high basketball IQ. Lose him off the ball and it’s three points before you can blink. Off the bench, Jordan Tucker brings toughness and free-throw reliability. Mike Spisto and Connor Griffin give them more composure and intelligence. Farmingdale runs a steady diet of ball screens. They trust their reads. They space properly. They punish mistakes.

If you don’t guard the action cleanly, they will find the crack.

The Macs seek to defeat Farmingdale State, complete a perfect conference season and capture their second consecutive Skyline crown. (JJ Stein)

Own the Glass:

The rebounding margin has decided this rivalry more than once. When Farmingdale controls the paint and generates second chances, the game tilts their way. Evans is relentless. Buckley is efficient. Conroy crashes from the perimeter. YU cannot afford empty defensive possessions that end in putbacks. Yoav Oselka, Max Zakheim, Roy Itcovichi, and everyone else must rebound collectively. One shot and out. If the Macs clean the defensive glass, they remove Farmingdale’s easiest source of momentum and force them to score against their trademark improved defense.

Balanced Aggression Around Zevi:

Farmingdale knows exactly what Samet represents in this matchup. They’ve built schemes around him for three years.  The Shtark Shooter will see bodies. He’ll see help. The question isn’t whether Zevi shows up — it’s whether everyone else makes the Rams pay for overloading. When YU plays inside-out, when Dovrat punishes late rotations, when Roy attacks downhill, when Zakheim brings toughness and timely scoring, the floor opens and the pressure multiplies. When the ball sticks, the floor shrinks.  The Monsey Mamba will get his moments and as he puts it “I’ll score however much Hashem wants me to score.” The key is forcing Farmingdale to guard five threats, not one.

Control the action. Win the glass. Play through balance. That’s the formula.

Play Through the Paint:

When YU is at its best in this rivalry, they generate paint touches first — post feeds, drives, slips, cuts — and let the threes come off collapse. In losses, the shot diet gets perimeter-heavy and the floor shrinks.

Evans is strong, but he can be moved. Farmingdale’s defense is disciplined, but it’s not invincible inside if you force rotations. Touch the paint. Collapse the shell. Then spray it out. That’s how January became 84–60 instead of a grind.

Free throws matter. Championship games are often won or lost at the line, and physical aggression travels.

Feed off the Sixth Man:

 Tickets for today’s matchup sold out in just three minutes. The Max Stern Athletic Center is going to be overflowing — students, alumni, faculty, families — shoulder to shoulder for Round Nine.

This rivalry has been decided in Farmingdale’s building before. Last year’s title was clinched on their floor. Now it’s here, in Washington Heights, in front of a sold-out crowd that understands exactly what’s at stake. 

Energy doesn’t win championships by itself — but it can tilt moments. It lifts legs when our fearless blue and whites are tired. It turns 50–50 balls into 60–40 plays. It forces the  Rams to communicate louder, think quicker, and feel pressure.

Farmingdale is experienced. They won’t rattle easily. Yet sustained noise in championship moments is real. The Macs earned their home court, January’s 84–60 win made sure of that. Now, they get to defend it. And in a game between two evenly matched programs, moments are everything.

Max Zakheim Has to Impose Himself:

January belonged to Yair Dovrat. The freshman was fearless — 22 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds — and Farmingdale never fully adjusted. He punished every rotation, and made the Rams pay for loading up on Zevi. Yet, championship games don’t usually repeat the same script.

Farmingdale has seen that film and we can expect them to shade differently. They’ll be more physical, and test whether the same secondary explosion beats them twice. That’s why this game feels like a Max Zakheim showcase.

Max has lived every chapter of this rivalry. He’s felt the losses where Farmingdale dominated the paint, gutting out 13 in last year’s championship comeback. He understands the emotional temperature of this matchup better than anyone.

When Max is aggressive — not floating, not just facilitating — YU becomes sturdier. He rebounds through contact. He connects possessions with smart, quick decisions. He scores in moments that matter, even if it’s not flashy. Farmingdale will key on Zevi, that’s for sure. They’ll crowd space and try to turn this into a “prove it again” night for the freshman. 

Max is our counter.

If he controls the glass, attacks mismatches, and brings the edge for 40 minutes, YU’s offense becomes layered instead of dependent. The Macs can’t rely on lightning striking twice. They need a veteran force. Stars win games. Veterans win championships. In  Round Nine, Max has to be the tone-setter.

This YU core has been together for four years. They’ve felt heartbreak in this rivalry. They’ve delivered heartbreak in this rivalry. They ended Farmingdale’s reign. They started their own.

Now, they have a chance to repeat. To complete a perfect Skyline season. To tilt the ledger 5–4. How badly do they want to be legends?

How badly do you want it when Conroy hits two in a row? When Evans grabs back-to-back offensive rebounds? When the Rams make their trademark punch? This isn’t about talent. Both teams have it. This is about composure. About execution. About who imposes identity for forty minutes. Four to four. Round nine. Skyline Sunday. 

Yet, as loud as this rivalry is…as intense as Round Nine feels… there’s something bigger sitting beneath it all.

As Samuel Rosenblatt, one of the biggest Macs fans around, put it: 

“The Macs have worked hard to get here.

…

Things abroad may look cautiously optimistic, but that doesn’t mean families aren’t still at risk. Sirens still sound. People still run. Half this team has immediate family going in and out of bomb shelters. Everyone is affected.

That’s perspective.

For Yeshiva, this isn’t just a championship game. It’s a group of young men stepping on the floor carrying more than a scouting report. More than a rivalry. More than a perfect Skyline season.

They’re carrying family. Community. Responsibility.

Basketball doesn’t erase reality. It doesn’t silence sirens. Yet for forty minutes, it becomes an outlet. A statement. A reminder of resilience. Proud of this team. Proud of Coach Elliot Steinmetz.

Now go finish what you started.”

So, Macs Nation. Let’s show ‘em what we got. Let’s go, Macs! 

How To Watch:

Tip-Off is at 2:00PM from the Max Stern Athletic Center. You can watch the game here