| Empire 8 men's basketball tournament | |
| Optional Subheader: | Conference basketball championship |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Conference: | Empire 8 |
| Number Of Teams: | 4 |
| Format: | Single-elimination tournament |
| Years: | 2004–present |
| Current Champion: | Utica (2nd) |
| Most Championships: | St. John Fisher (8) |
| Website: | Empire 8 men's basketball |
The Empire 8 men's basketball tournament is the annual conference basketball championship tournament for the NCAA Division III Empire 8 conference. The tournament has been held annually since 2004. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records.[1]
The winner, declared Empire 8 champion, receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Championship.
Prior to 2004, the league championship was awarded to the team with the best regular-season record. Since the tournament's establishment, St. John Fisher was the most successful program, with 6 titles.
| Year | Champions | Score | Runner-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | St. John Fisher | 62–59 | Utica | |
| 2005 | St. John Fisher | 92–51 | RIT | |
| 2006 | St. John Fisher | 74–61 | Utica | |
| 2007 | St. John Fisher | 78–73 (OT) | Utica | |
| 2008 | Nazareth | 64–63 | St. John Fisher | |
| 2009 | RIT | 76–71 (OT) | Nazareth | |
| 2010 | Nazareth | 65–64 | St. John Fisher | |
| 2011 | Hartwick | 69–58 | St. John Fisher | |
| 2012 | Ithaca | 71–55 | Nazareth | |
| 2013 | Ithaca | 70–55 | Stevens Tech | |
| 2014 | Hartwick | 67–62 | Nazareth | |
| 2015 | St. John Fisher | 77–62 | Alfred | |
| 2016 | Hartwick | 93–91 | St. John Fisher | |
| 2017 | St. John Fisher | 80–69 | Stevens Tech | |
| 2018 | Nazareth | 66–64 | Utica | |
| 2019 | Alfred | 90–78 | St. John Fisher | |
| 2020 | St. John Fisher | 72–64 | Nazareth | |
| 2021 | Utica | 89–65 | St. John Fisher | |
| 2022 | Nazareth | 54–53 | Utica | |
| 2023 | St. John Fisher | 78–62 | Nazareth | |
| 2024 | Utica | 97–90 | Nazareth |
| School | Finals record | Finals appearances | class=unsortable | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. John Fisher | 8–6 | 14 | 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2023 | |
| Nazareth | 4–6 | 10 | 2008, 2010, 2018, 2022 | |
| Hartwick | 3–0 | 3 | 2011, 2014, 2016 | |
| Utica | 2–5 | 7 | 2021, 2024 | |
| Ithaca | 2–0 | 2 | 2012, 2013 | |
| Alfred | 1–1 | 2 | 2019 | |
| RIT | 1–1 | 2 | 2009 | |
| Stevens Tech | 0–2 | 2 |