One of the most enjoyable rides back from New Hampshire only got better as the bus carrying the University of New Haven men's basketball team approached Charger Gymnasium.

Even with the university on spring break, there was a cheering section waiting for the Chargers the day after New Haven secure a spot in the Division II Elite Eight for the first time.

"We are on spring break and to get people who were here to cheer us on, they enjoyed it," New Haven head coach Ted Hotaling said. "They were excited when the bus turned the corner and saw that group of people there.

"This is a really unique place. There is a lot of support here from a lot of different people, from a lot of different parts of campus, a lot of different relationships and not just in athletics but from across campus. I think that showed up the other day and I feel like that is really neat."

There is a culture of success among the New Haven programs.

The football team has been in the Division II national playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

The field hockey team has won 17 games in the always competitive Northeast-10 Conference over the last two years.

The women's volleyball team reached the 2021 conference title game and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament that season. The baseball team is receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II national poll.

As for the men's basketball team, each of the last three times that the Division II national tournament was held, New Haven has been in the field.

"There are a lot of good coaches here, a lot of good programs," Hotaling said. "When a program succeeds, it benefits all of us and we have seen that over the course of time."

Hotaling wasn't at New Haven when the Chargers' women's basketball team won the 1987 Division II national title. However, he was here when New Haven's women's basketball team reached the Elite Eight in 2015.

"I was here when Ty Grace took them to the Elite Eight," Hotaling said. "They had a great team that year and I remember the outpouring of support from the community. I have talked to some of the people who were involved in that national championship game and what a great experience that was. They still talk about it to this day; they still come back to campus and still celebrate within that program and within the athletic department."

The basketball team is tied for third for the most wins in a season in program history. A run to the national title would enable the Chargers, who are 23-10, to match the 26 wins recorded by Stu Grove's 1987-88 team. The 1965-66 squad finished 29-2 and reached the NAIA national tournament.

The reaction to winning three games in four days has been special.

However, the focus has turned to a challenging quarterfinal matchup against a West Liberty team that is one of two Division II teams to average more than 100 points per game. The Hilltoppers lead the nation in assists per game and are fourth in steals.

New Haven ranks in the top 10 in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. The Chargers have committed the fewest fouls per game.

It will never be more important to control the pace of play than when the game starts at around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Evansville, Indiana.

"Two very different teams," Hotaling said. "They turn people over one out of every four possessions, they are a very good offensive team that leads to layups, that leads to leak outs. We are going to have to control pace and more importantly, we are going to have to control the ball. We are going to have to make shots at the rim and be selective at the shots we take from the perimeter."

West Liberty was ranked fifth in the most recent National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll, while New Haven wasn't among the 35 teams receiving votes so the Hilltoppers will be favored when the second of the two national quarterfinals tips off.

New Haven is not happy just to be heading to Indiana.

"We are lucky to still be playing, we have to move on from what happened in the East Region and now focus on the next task at hand. When you get to this point, the goal has to be a national championship," Hotaling said. "In order to win a national championship, you have to beat your next opponent. It is right there which is pretty exciting."

The Chargers should benefit from a few days between games.

Majur Majak (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./), who is third in Division II in blocked shots and rebounds per game, averaged 37.3 minutes per game while floor leader Quashawn Lane (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Catholic Academy) was out there for 36.7 minutes in the three games played in the East Region bracket.

Hotaling and his staff are balancing the challenge of getting the team ready for the Elite Eight while making sure the players are as rested as possible.

"Those guys have played well, they played a lot of minutes," Hotaling said. "They played a lot of games, and they earned a lot of trust as far as what they see and how they feel."

Once the ball goes up in Evansville, the Chargers will be ready to go as the pursuit of a national championship kicks into high gear.