Yeshiva U bumped from NCAA men’s basketball tournament after loss to Tufts

Yeshiva University’s March Madness run has once again ended after just one game.

The Maccabees fall in the first round of the NCAA DIII men’s basketball tournament to the Tufts Jumbos 83-66, a loss in which they trailed by a significant margin for nearly the whole game. The score was 45-25 at halftime, and though YU pulled within nine in the second half, they came up short.

The Macs entered the tournament after a thrilling Skyline Conference championship in which they beat the Farmingdale State Rams 81-78, with star guard Zevi Samet hitting the winning three-pointer. Samet was the team’s lead scorer in Friday’s game, posting 29 points.

This was YU’s first trip to the NCAA tourney since 2022, when they also lost in the first round after a 25-4 season behind forward Ryan Turell that captivated Jewish basketball fans. Turell is now playing professionally in Israel.