Gwynedd Mercy will be making its sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament this Friday when the Griffins face Plattsburgh State in a first-round matchup starting at 5:30 p.m. the host site, Williams College. In the other first-round matchup, the host Ephs will take on Husson College.

Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $5 for students, senior citizens (aged 62 or older), and children under 18. Kids age 2 and under will be admitted free.

GMercyU enters this year's tournament as a Pool B selection, delegated to schools whose conferences do not have an automatic qualifier. As the Atlantic East in is in its first season, it does not meet the criteria for automatic qualification. The Griffins have now qualified for the tournament as a Pool A bid (automatic qualifier), a Pool B bid, and a Pool C bid (at-large). Top-seeded Gwynedd Mercy won the inaugural Atlantic East Championship with a 75-69 win over Marymount in the final last Saturday, led by MVP Courtney Cubbage who netted a game-high 30 points in the victory. In the NCAA Tournament, Gwynedd has advanced to the second round three times and to the Sweet 16 once.

The Cardinals, who play in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), earned a Pool C at-large bid. Second-seeded Plattsburgh (20-6) fell in the semifinals of the SUNYAC Tournament to Brockport last Friday. They are led by the SUNY Player of the Year in Jonathan Patron, who is ranked 16th in scoring in Division III (23.7 ppg) and leads the team in rebounding (10.7 rpg). This is the 11th NCAA Tournament for Plattsburgh State who reached the Sweet 16 a year ago.

Williams College, ranked 16th in the latest d3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, also fell in the semifinal round of their conference tournament and also earned an at-large bid. The Ephs, out of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), is making their 17th appearance in the big dance.

Husson College captured the North Atlantic Conference Championship with their 82-67 win over Thomas in the NAC Final. They'll be playing in their seventh NCAA Tournament.

Friday's winners will meet on Saturday for the right to move on to the Sweet 16.

Live stats and video will be available for all games and will be updated after the first day of competition.