DUDLEY, Mass. — The Conference of New England (CNE) Tournament opens Wednesday night as fourth-seeded Nichols College hosts fifth-seeded Roger Williams University in a tightly matched first-round men's basketball showdown at Nichols.

The Bison enter postseason play with a 14-11 overall record and a 9-7 mark in conference action, while the Hawks finished the regular season at 12-13 overall and 8-8 in league play, setting up a rematch between two teams separated by just one game in the standings. Nichols claimed the regular-season meeting on Jan. 10 in Bristol, earning an 80-75 road victory that ultimately helped secure home-court advantage for the tournament opener.

Nichols brings one of the conference's second best offense into the postseason, averaging 81.9 points per game behind the scoring of Javen Flowers-Smith, who leads the Bison at more than 20 points per contest, while Dominic Mello adds nearly 16 points per outing as part of a balanced backcourt attack. Roger Williams counters with a perimeter-oriented offense averaging just over 80 points per game, fueled by Finn Miller's team-best 15.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game alongside sharpshooter Ashton Leclerc, who leads Division III in three-point percentage. The Hawks have relied on ball movement and outside shooting throughout the season, averaging more than 10 three-pointers per game while maintaining a positive turnover margin entering tournament play.

Both teams enter the matchup battle-tested through conference play, with Nichols closing the regular season with a win over Curry and Roger Williams looking to rebound after a road loss at Endicott in the finale. Tomorrow's tilt will be at 7:00 pm in Dudley.