On Friday, the top-seeded Montclair State Red Hawks men’s basketball team will meet second-seeded Ramapo College Roadrunners in the NJAC tournament Championship game for the first time since 2003.
Montclair State won the 2003 final in double overtime against Ramapo College 86-84, and it was the last time they won the NJAC Championship. The Red Hawks last appeared in an NJAC Final in 2011 when they lost 72-67 to New Jersey City University. With this history in mind, this game has all the makings of a classic.
These two met twice during the regular season and the Roadrunners won both times. First on Dec. 11, 2024, Ramapo came away with an 82-76 victory at Montclair State’s home court, the Panzer Athletic Center. Then on Feb. 5, the Red Hawks fell 80-66 in Mahwah. In a season where the Red Hawks lost just four games against New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Opponents, Ramapo was the only opponent who beat them twice.
Montclair State comes into Friday’s NJAC final boasting of having had the highest scoring offense (85.5 points per game) in the NJAC this season. Meanwhile, Ramapo ranked sixth (76.2 points per game). However, Montclair State’s offensive prowess cancels out when matched against Ramapo who ranked first in team defense against the NJAC this season, allowing just 68.6 points per game. Montclair State ranked seventh, giving up 77.2 points per game.
There is a reason Ramapo won its last game at the Panzer and that is Peter Gorman. The recently named Pony Wilson NJAC Player of the Year scored 38 in that Dec. 11, 2024, battle, but missed the second game on his home court. The senior guard led all NJAC players with 23.9 points-per-game against NJAC opponents this season. He was also sixth in field goal percentage, fourth in 3-point-percentage and third in free-throw-percentage. Gorman is by far the biggest offensive threat that the Roadrunners will have on Friday. Ramapo’s second highest scorer in terms of points-per-game against the NJAC this season was Jordan Myers (11.5).
Jacob Morales led the Red Hawks in points-per-game this season with 19.0, while Mike Jackson was second on the team with 16.4. This season, the Red Hawks had three players (Jacob Morales, Mike Jackson and Kieran Flanagan) rank in the top ten in steals-per-game. If the Red Hawks are able to bring that swarming defense to bear on Friday, they may have a chance at avoiding another Gorman masterclass. Another strong aspect of Montclair’s defensive game is blocking. Myles Primas finished seventh in the conference in blocks per game this season with 17 in 20 games.
Another key to the game for Montclair State will be spreading the ball around. This season, they had two players rank top ten in assists-per-game in the NJAC. They were Kieran Flanagan who ranked second (4.7) and Kabrien Goss (4.2), the NJAC Rookie of the Year ranked fourth. Ramapo’s only player who cracked the top ten was Gorman who averaged 3.0 assists per game against NJAC opponents this season.
One weakness in Montclair State’s game that the Roadrunners will look to exploit is rebounding. Ramapo finished third in the NJAC in team rebounds per game this season with 39.0. Montclair State ranked ninth with 33.0. However, a silver lining for Montclair is that they ranked just behind Ramapo (who finished second in the NJAC) in combined opponent rebounds, which means the Red Hawks were the third-best team in all of the NJAC in limiting opponents rebounding.
It all goes down at 7 p.m. at the Panzer Athletic Center gym on the campus of Montclair State University, Friday night. Tickets are already sold out, but streaming is available on the Red Hawk Sports Network’s YouTube channel.
