By Matt Florjancic

D3sports.com

Redemption is a word that gets a lot of use in the sports world, but it truly applies to the Mass-Dartmouth and Guilford men�s basketball programs.

Last season, both teams were highly regarded and expected to make good runs deep into March. Instead of making those runs, neither team got past their first game. Guilford (24-4) was upset by 17-11 St. Mary�s, Md., 89-77, while Mass-Dartmouth fell at home to the Coast Guard Academy after a first round bye.

�We were very disappointed with our early exit,� said Mass-Dartmouth coach Brian Baptiste. �We were one of the four teams in the country to get a bye and were hosting a game. When we went into the NCAA Tournament, we had already peaked a couple weeks earlier. I thought we were a little bit tired and not at the top of our game. Right now, we�re playing our best basketball.�

�We were on a pretty good winning streak at the end,� said Guilford guard Clay Henson. �Looking back on it, a lot of people thought we could just show up and win. The team that we played last year had a lot of heart. That�s how we are this year. Teams aren�t expecting a lot out of us. We play as hard as we can so we don�t have that empty feeling that we had last year.�

Following the season, both teams suffered losses to graduation. Guilford lost a professional prospect in center Ben Strong and Dartmouth graduated its best forward Dan Holbrook.

Even with the losses, both teams have made it to this year�s Sweet 16.

�The key word there is committee,� Guilford guard Rhett Bonner said of replacing Strong. �We have three or four guys that we can really turn to. It�s hard to stop four different weapons. I think that�s a lot more difficult to scout against and prepare for than having the dominant center down low. With a committee and more options, that�s made us more successful.

�We feel fortunate just to get in the tournament,� Bonner added. �We felt like we had a good regular season. The Lord put us in a good position here. He got us in the tournament and we feel like we�re taking full advantage of it. We�re trying to play like we have a point to prove and we want to keep it going.�

With Guilford retooling on the fly, Dartmouth added a transfer, Brandon Shelton, to their rotation. Shelton averages 17.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He is first on the team with 11 blocked shots, third in steals and hits 46.4 percent of his three-pointers.

Shelton found a home at Dartmouth after playing for Division II UMass-Lowell. Accepting an internship and a coaching change made Shelton think about playing basketball for a different school. Shelton looked to his high school teammate and Dartmouth player Reece Freeman to see what the program could achieve.

�Dan was a unique player,� said Baptiste. �He was a big, strong body. I liked to refer to him as the Eveready battery. He�d never quit. He might miss one or two around the basket and keep going until he got it. He was always around the basket. He was a different type of player than what we tried to replace him with.

�Brandon was a scholarship player who transferred back over to us,� Baptiste added. �He�s been outstanding for us. He�s our go-to guy if we need a basket in the clutch.�

�My freshman year, I was more of a role player, sixth man off the bench,� Shelton said. �I was the only freshman coming off the bench. We had an All-American big man. I�m actually playing the five or the four here, so that�s more than I could have asked for at Lowell. I have to become more of a scorer.�

Guilford (23-5) made the trip from Greensboro, N.C., to Cleveland late Wednesday night. After Capital and Texas-Dallas play, the Quakers will face sectional round host John Carroll (25-4).

The Blue Streaks come into the third round riding a 21-game winning streak and have not lost a home game since February 13th of last season.

�We�ve had a couple good practices,� Bonner said. �We�re expecting to win. We also know we�re going to have to play the best game that we�ve played all year to come out with a win. Everybody�s definitely excited. I hope its not the kind of excitement �We�re glad to be here�. We want to get the job done.

�All we�ve really been working on is breaking their press,� added Bonner. �They�re forcing over 20 turnovers a game. You�ve got to somehow get the ball in. As soon as we get the ball in, they�re coming with pressure so we�ve got to get it up court and try to score a basket.�

�Playing on their home floor, we realize it�s going to be tough, but it�s tough to get into the NCAA Tournament,� Guilford coach Tom Palombo said. �It�s tough to win games in the NCAA period. We�re not going to approach it any different than any other game. We�re not going to change the way we play now when it�s gotten us to this point.�

Mass-Dartmouth (27-3) will play DeSales (24-5) at Franklin and Marshall.

�When you start a season, you always think you�re going to make the NCAA Tournament, at least I do anyway,� Baptiste said. �When Brandon came in, you could see that he was very talented. We thought we could be good. We were fortunate that the kids get along and work real hard, especially on the defensive end. All those things have to come for us to win games in the NCAA Tournament.�