Skyline Quarterfinals Gameday Preview: Yeshiva vs Old Westbury

Tonight, the doors of Yeshiva University swing open, and it won’t feel like just another game.

It’s playoff time.

The Yeshiva Maccabees are 16–0 in Skyline play. Undefeated. Reigning champs. The #1 seed for just the second time in program history. Across from them stand the Old Westbury Panthers, back in the postseason for the first time in six years.

Yet tonight isn’t about them. It’s about a Macs group that walked onto campus together and quietly changed the trajectory of this program. Seniors who took their lumps, absorbed heartbreak, and then — on a championship Sunday at Farmingdale — snapped a 1,187-day drought and brought a banner back to Washington Heights.

Some of us still remember that first week of freshman year like it was yesterday. Sitting down at lunch with Zevi Samet. Talking hoops. Talking vision. Talking about what YU basketball could become.

Now here we are, welcoming playoff basketball back to the Max Stern Athletic Center in the month of Adar — a raucous MSAC waiting to erupt. This time, YU isn’t hunting. They’re being hunted.

People will look at 16–0 and assume it’s been smooth. They’ll forget the 1–8 non-conference stretch. They’ll forget Randolph-Macon. Trinity. Tufts. The bus rides. The film sessions. The recalibration. That wasn't a failure. It was a formation into a potential playoff monster who enter the fray playing their best basketball of the season..

Coach Elliot Steinmetz said before the year he was excited to coach again — not because of X’s and O’s, but because of this group and the ride ahead.

And this ride has had layers. Joe Schanzer and Yair Dovrat stepping into the fire. Veterans like Max Zakheim, Roy Itcovichi, and Dothan Bardichev anchoring stability. And Samet — the captain, the all-time leading scorer — operating in a space beyond stats. Sixteen straight conference wins don’t happen by accident. They happen when a group decides to grow up.

So tonight, when the ball goes up and the Adar chants echo through MSAC, remember: this story didn’t start in February. It started years ago. And if this team has taught us anything, it’s that they’re not just defending something. They’re building something. So without further ado, Let’s ride.

(Photo Credit: JJ Stein)

Punch First, Don’t Feel It Out:

In the Macs' 72-58 regular-season win back in January, it took 13 minutes for them to pull away from the feisty Panthers, which cannot happen. Old Westbury is walking into the biggest game their program has played in six years. They’ll be loose. They’ll shoot confidently early. If you let them hang around, belief grows.

The Macs have to come out sharp — defensively connected, offensive spacing clean, no casual possessions. Force the Panthers to feel the moment immediately.

Defensive Discipline Over Defensive Emotion

Playoff games can get choppy. Whistles tighten. Pace slows. Emotions spike. This is where all those tight tilts YU participated in this year come to the forefront. This is where YU’s maturity has to show. No gambling for steals that aren’t there and allowing open lanes. No over-helping. Finish possessions with rebounds. Old Westbury wants this to be ugly and scrappy. The Macs need to be physical but controlled. Zakheim’s activity, Oselka cleaning the glass, Samet communicating — that’s how scoreboard separation happens. Defense is what travels in March, even at home.

Let the Veterans Steady the Storm:

At some point, there will be a run. There’s always a run in basketball. This is when seniors earn their jerseys. Samet is here for a reason and so are Bardichev and Itcovichi to steady the ship. The ball needs to move. Playoff basketball is about possession value. No rushed threes early in the clock. No hero ball. Make Old Westbury guard for 20 seconds. Trust the motion offense and ball-screen reps. Trust the ride.

MSAC Has to Be MSAC:

The Max Stern Athletic Center is known across Division III for one thing come playoff time: volume. The Adar chants and synchronized stomps. The wave of noise after a defensive stop. Old Westbury hasn’t experienced that version of this building.

If you’re a student, alum, or anyone who’s been part of this ride, tonight is not the night to stay home. It wouldn't be doing this senior class right to let a quarterfinal feel ordinary. Be loud and proud because the players ran the table and got the #1 seed in conference play for you. It’s only fair that Macs Nation gives it back.

How to Watch:

Tip-off is scheduled for 8pm at Yeshiva University’s Max Stern Athletic Center. For those who can’t attend, MacsLive will be streaming the game at MacsLive.com/watch-live.