The elder Martelli made the NCAAs seven times as coach at St. Joe's. His son has reached it for the first time as coach of the Bryant Bulldogs.

The senior Martelli was a longtime coach at Saint Joseph, but was most recently the associate head coach at Michigan. Notably, Martelli and Tom Izzo are very good friends, and their relationship is well noted. With the relationship between Martelli and Izzo, Martelli Jr. has received some of the benefits of the close relationship with Izzo.

This is the first time Martelli, son of the Big 5 coaching great with the same name has qualified for the NCAA Tournament as a head coach. This will be Bryant's second time in the last three seasons.

The Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time, having made their other trip when they won the Northeast Conference in 2022.