First 4’s St. Francis transferring to D-III in 2026

• Myron MedcalfMar 25, 2025, 01:27 PM ET

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  • Covers college basketball
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2011
  • Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato

Recently, Saint Francis was on the incorrect end of a thriller when Alabama State’s Amarr Knox’s game winner knocked the Red Flash out of the NCAA tournament.That First Four game may have been Saint Francis ‘last as a Department I program.More than a week after that loss, Saint Francis

announced Tuesday that it will move its athletics programs to the Department III level in 2026.” This was not an easy nor a quick decision for the Board of Trustees,”Rev. Joseph Lehman, the school’s chairman, stated in a declaration. “The governance associated with intercollegiate sports has constantly been made complex and is only growing in complexity based upon realities like the transfer portal, pay-for-play, and other shifts that move sports away from love of the game. For that reason, as a Board, we aim to best offer resources and assistance to our student-athletes in this altering environment that aligns with our objective, Catholic organization, and our community’s expectations.”Saint Francis guys’s basketball made history in March. The team hadn’t reached the NCAA tournament because 1991. Coach Rob Krimmel bet the group in the late 1990s and after that worked as assistant on personnel for more than a years before ending up being the program’s leader.This season, the Red Flash were picked to end up last in the NEC preseason poll but the group won the conference competition and automatic bid.They were on the verge of victory before a wild surface and late pail sealed the win for Alabama State.The school will move all sports to Division III next year. Its statement mentioned” modifications” in the nationwide landscape. The NIL demands and upcoming

revenue-share design could prompt more schools to make the same decision.Hartford reached the NCAA tournament in 2021 but then later on revealed that it would reclassify to Department III.