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Setting the Scene: The American International College men's basketball team looks to rebound from a disappointing early exit in the Northeast-10 Championship Tournament with its first NCAA Division II Championship Tournament berth since 2000.

About AIC: The Yellow Jackets enter the 2011 NCAA East Regional with a record of 20-8 for the season and are receiving votes in the latest NABC Coaches' Poll. AIC is making its 11th appearance in the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament and its second under head coach Art Luptowski. The Yellow Jackets are averaging 69.6 points per game while shooting 43.1 percent from the floor, while holding its opponents to 64.4 points per game and 37.3 percent shooting from the field.

AIC vs. The East Region Field: The Yellow Jackets posted a record of 5-4 against the other seven teams in the 2011 NCAA East Region Championship Tournament field. AIC won the only meeting of the year against Bloomfield, Stonehill (2OT) and UMass Lowell, and fell in the only meeting against Bentley in double-overtime. The Yellow Jackets split the regular season series with Saint Rose, with the home team winning both contests. AIC also split the regualr season series with Adelphi, with the visiting team winning both games, and then fell to the Panthers in the NE-10 quarterfinals. The only team in the regional that AIC has faced in the NCAA tournament in the past is Bentley, with the Yellow Jackets scoring a 65-49 first round victory over the Falcons in 1985.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: This marks the 11th time that AIC has been selected to participate in the NCAA Championship Tournament, posting an all-time record of 14-13 with four regional titles. This is the Yellow Jackets' first selection since 2000, in which AIC fell to Saint Anselm in the first round, 93-85. AIC's last regional title came in 1985. The Yellow Jackets first qualified for the NCAA tournament in 1966, falling to Assumption in the first round 105-102 before topping Springfield in the regional consolation game, 96-94 in overtime.

OTHER POSTSEASON PLAY: AIC made four additional postseason appearances as a member of the NAIA in 1952 and 1954-56, posting a record of 6-4 with two regional titles. The Yellow Jackets won their first-ever playoff game with a 56-45 win over Providence in 1952 and advanced to nationals with a 71-66 win over Colby in the regional final. AIC opened the 1954 regional with an 87-74 victory over Stonehill.

Fast Start: The Yellow Jackets 3-0 start to the season their first since winning three straight games to open the 2000-01 campaign. AIC has opened the year with three-or-more wins just nine times in program history. The record of consecutive wins to open a season is 10, set during the 1984-85 season. The Yellow Jackets went 29-4 that year on their way to capturing the conference and NCAA Regional championships.

Defensive Dominance: Part of the reason AIC has enjoyed a successful season has been its play on the defensive end of the court. The Yellow Jackets rank second in Division II in field goal percentage defense at 37.3 percent, just barely trailing Cal State-Dominguez Hills nation-leading mark of 37.1 percent. AIC's three-point percentage defense ranks 21st at 30.4 percent and its scoring defense ranks 25th at 64.4 points per game.

GOTTA EARN 'EM: Another reason for AIC's success is the amount of fouls it committs per game. The Yellow Jackets rank 13th in Division II in personal fouls per game at 15.8 per contest, limiting their opponents ability to earn free points at the free throw line.

One and Done: AIC's Northeast-10 Championship Tournament run was a short one as the second-seeded Yellow Jackets fell to seventh-seeded and eventual tournament champion Adelphi University 55-52 February 28.

LUPTOWSKI HONORED BY HIS PEERS: Head Coach Art Luptowski was named Northeast-10 Coach of the Year after guiding AIC, which was picked to finish sixth in the NE-10 preseason coaches' poll, to a record of 20-7 during the regular season and second-place finish in the NE-10 with a conference record of 16-6. This marks the second time Luptowski has been named Northeast-10 Coach of the Year and is the fifth time he has received the honor overall. Luptowski was named Norhteast-10 Coach of the Year following his first season at AIC after leading the Yellow Jackets to a record of 22-8 and a share of the NE-10 regular season title in 1999-2000. AIC advanced to the NE-10 title game and qualified for the NCAA tournament that season.

CONFERENCE/REGIONAL HONORS: Junior Isiah Wallace was named a first-team all-conference and second-team Daktronics all-region selection after leading the team in scoring and ranking second in rebounding with 18.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. His 53 steals also lead the team while his 78 assists place him third. He is shooting 44 percent from the field and 77 percent from the free throw line this season. Senior Allen Aragbaye earned third-team all-conference honors after averaging 15.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game with 59 assists and 32 steals. He's shooting 42 percent from the floor and 77 percent from the line this season, and leads the team with 54 threes.

PROGRAM MILESTONES REACHED: The Yellow Jackets recorded the 900th win in program history with a 72-58 decision at Southern Connecticut State University February 13, 2010. AIC enters this season with 903 wins through its first 76 seasons. That win over the Owls was also the 275th Northeast-10 victory. The Yellow Jackets have now recorded 290 conference wins in 30 years as a member of the NE-10.

WALLACE SCORES 1,000: Wallace became the 29th 1,000-point scorer in program history after pouring in 26 points in an 82-73 conference win at Southern Connecticut State University November 28, 2010.

Wallace Climbing Scoring List: Wallace has risen to 14th on AIC's career scoring list and enters tonight's game with 1,312 career points. He needs 20 points to tie Steve Valdez (1988-92) for 13th.

Luptowksi Reaches Milestones: Head coach Art Luptowski recorded his 150th career-win at AIC after the Yellow Jackets' 78-62 victory at New Haven November 17, 2010. He now has a 168-172 record through his 11-plus seasons with the Yellow Jackets and has a career-record of 360-269 in 21-plus seasons as a collegiate head coach. Luptowski was 192-97 in 10 seasons at Franklin Pierce College prior to his arrival at AIC. His 350th career win was a 47-45 win over College of Saint Rose January 2, 2011.

NE-10 Picks AIC Sixth: The Yellow Jackets were picked to finish sixth of 16 teams in the 2010-11 Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll with 139 points, 35 points behind Stonehill College for fifth and four points in front of Adelphi University for seventh.

Elite Eight: For the sixth consecutive year American International College will host the NCAA Division II Elite Eight at the MassMutual Center in Springfield March 23-26, 2011. This will also be the final year the Yellow Jackets host the DII National Championship, which will move to Northern Kentucky in 2012.

HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF: The Yellow Jackets were one of 12 teams participating in the 2010 Hall of Fame Tip-Off. AIC lost to Le Moyne College November 22 at the MassMutual Center, 59-55, before dropping an 83-56 Division I UMass November 24 at the Mullins Center in Amherst.

Calhoun Connection: Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun starred on the hardwood for AIC from 1963-66 and served as team captain his junior and senior years. He finished his career fourth on the all-time scoring list at the time, and led the team to its first-ever NCAA Championship Tournament appearance in 1966. He began his Hall of Fame coaching career as an assistant at AIC from 1966-68 and was inducted into the College's Athletic Hall of Fame as a Charter Member in 2004. Calhoun, who earned his bachelor's in sociology from AIC in 1968, was elected to the the College's Board of Trustees in 1994 and still serves as a member of the Board to this day and was the commencement speaker at AIC's 115th commencement ceremony in May of 2000.