by Matt Koll
The champs are looking to repeat and have put themselves in the best position possible to do so, coming in as the top seed in the PAC Tournament.
Washington & Jefferson captured glory for the 10th time in school history last year, ending a championship drought dating back to 1994-95. They’re poised to strike again, but it won’t be an easy road to get there despite having home court advantage throughout the tournament.
Let’s look at this year’s field…
#1 WASHINGTON AND JEFFERSON PRESIDENTS (19-6, 16-4 PAC)
Make no mistake, these Presidents are battle tested and have been through some wild rides this season. The defending champs have been involved in nine PAC games decided by 2 points or fewer or by overtime.
“We’re fortunate to have a veteran team that has lots of experience playing in tight games, so we do not get rattled when games end up being one or two possessions,” says head coach Ethan Stewart-Smith of his team. “We are really comfortable playing in close games and feel like we have the ability to execute, on both sides of the ball, down the stretch in order to close games out or if we need to come back from a deficit.”
Stewart-Smith believes it’s their pressure defense that sets the tone for their program. They’re much better when they are able to set the tempo and play through scramble situations on offense or get early one on one opportunities in transition.
The Presidents bring the PAC’s top scoring offense into the tournament (83.4 ppg) with the PAC’s best turnover margin. Matt Seidl leads the way offensively, cracking the top 10 in scoring at 15.8 ppg and ranking 6th in field goal percentage. You can count on a few 3-point attempts from J.R. Mazza who finished the regular season 2nd in the PAC in 3-point field goals and 4th in 3-point FG percentage.
W&J is riding the momentum of a 5-game winning streak, including a win over their first round opponent Grove City to end the regular season, 87-63.
NEXT GAME: Tuesday vs. #8 Grove City at 7 pm
#2 ALLEGHENY GATORS (17-8, 15-5 PAC)
The Gators are a complete team without many weaknesses, which makes them lethal come tournament time. Allegheny is 2nd in the conference in scoring and 2nd in team defense with the league’s highest scoring margin per game (+13.1, 6 points better than 2nd place Geneva).
Field goal percentage? They’re No. 1. Opponent field goal percentage? No. 1. Free throw percentage? No. 1. Assist/turnover ratio? No. 1. Total rebounding margin? Yep, No. 1. Hence, a complete team. The only thing that represents a smudge on their game is their turnover margin, ranking 2nd-worst in the PAC.
“The way we play with the ball moving having several guys that can make shots is very important,” said head coach Bob Simmons. “We are playing well, sharing the ball, being coachable and staying accountable. I still think we can get better.”
If Allegheny does get better, they might just end up with a championship in the end. The Gators boast four of the top 12 scorers in the PAC in Caden Hinckley, Luke Barker, Ryan Lang and Andre Wilder.
A case be made that Hinckley is the best all-around talent the PAC has to offer. He’s 5th in scoring, 1st in rebounding, 1st in field goal percentage, 2nd in blocked shots and 10th in assists.
The Gators hit a two-game skid in early February but won their final three games to close out the regular season, including an impressive 97-74 win over fourth-seeded Chatham.
NEXT GAME: Tuesday vs. #7 Saint Vincent at 7 pm
#3 GENEVA GOLDEN TORNADOES (17-8, 14-6 PAC)
Another season, another highly potent Geneva offense led by now senior Lyle Tipton. The Golden Tornadoes are the conference’s 3rd-highest scoring offense and Tipton has put the cap on a fantastic collegiate career by finishing as the PAC’s top scorer at 23.8 points per game. He’s the only player to average 20 points or more per game this season.
Where there’s one Tipton, there’s often another. Trevor averages 13.3 ppg and is the PAC’s top 3-point shooter, hitting from beyond the arc at a remarkable 44.5% clip.
Overall, Geneva can shoot with the best of them, ranking 2nd in field goal percentage and 1st in 3-point field goal percentage. This is a team that can no doubt score and shoot its way past its opponents.
They lost a hard-fought battle to No. 1 W&J 82-80 at home but then won a gutsy overtime game against No. 7 Saint Vincent at home to round out the regular season.
NEXT GAME: Tuesday vs. #6 Thiel at 7 pm on the PAC Sports Network
#4 CHATHAM COUGARS (14-11, 13-7 PAC)
With the Cougars’ proclivity to shoot 3’s…and ability to make them…you can never quite count them out.
Chatham is tops in 3-point field goals made with the PAC’s 2nd-best 3-point shooting percentage, led by Isaiah Smith who makes more 3’s per game than anyone else in the conference. Marcos Cintron is no stranger to the 3-ball either, and he’s proven himself to be a pure scorer at 17.2 ppg (tied 3rd in PAC).
Where they lack is on the boards. They’re 8th in team rebounds, 7th in rebounding margin and sunk to 10th in offensive rebounding. So, it will be key for them to shoot well and to get those outside shots to fall. They do take care of the ball as well, 2nd in both turnover margin and assist/turnover ratio.
A 3-game losing streak in late January and early February kept them from keeping home court advantage likely beyond the first round, but they did end the regular season on a 3-game winning streak. That streak includes a 20-point home victory over first round opponent Westminster.
NEXT GAME: Tuesday vs. #5 Westminster at 7 pm
#5 WESTMINSTER TITANS (14-11, 12-8 PAC)
The Titans have to wipe the slate clean coming into the postseason after losing three of their last four regular season games, including two straight to end it. One of those was a 20-point loss to first round opponent Chatham and the other a 79-71 loss to No. 6 Thiel on Senior Night.
While not a huge threat from deep, this is a solid shooting team coming in ranked 4th in field goal percentage. Underneath, they hold their own on the boards and lead the PAC in blocked shots.
Westminster lacks that true scoring threat, having no one inside the top 20 in points per game. Andrew Clark is a solid player though, averaging 13.3 ppg, ranking 12th in rebounds, 13th in FG% and 3rd in blocked shots.
It’s worth noting that although they lost big to Chatham just last week, they’ll know exactly what they’re in for and they found a way to beat the Cougars 72-68 back on January 5.
NEXT GAME: Tuesday @ #4 Chatham at 7 pm
#6 THIEL TOMCATS
These Cats are sneaky. They’ve won three out of four to end the regular season, including wins against No. 5 Westminster, No. 7 Saint Vincent, No. 8 Grove City and just a 2-point loss to No. 4 Chatham.
Thiel comes in ranked 5th in scoring, but as always under 17th year head coach Tim Loomis, they hit the offensive glass. This year they’re ranked 2nd in offensive rebounds and 3rd in overall rebounding margin, keeping possessions alive and keeping themselves in a lot of games.
Rayshod Hooper, Beni Lavodrama and Marlon Ellerbee are three of the top 14 rebounders in the conference, while Ellerbee also cracks the top 5 in assists and steals.
Let’s see if they can score and rebound well enough against Geneva, who comes in ranked 3rd in total defense and 4th in combined opponent rebounds.
NEXT GAME: Tuesday @ #3 Geneva at 7 pm on the PAC Sports Network
#7 SAINT VINCENT BEARCATS (15-10, 11-9 PAC)
The Bearcats use decent shooting from the field coupled with a solid defense to keep themselves competitive. Their defense finished the regular season ranked 4th in the PAC, holding its opponents to 73 points or fewer in its last five games outside of an OT loss to #3 Geneva.
Jaden Gales and Shemar Bennett are the stars of this show offensively, ranking 4th (17.2 ppg) and 7th (16.3 ppg) in the PAC, respectively. Bennett also ranks 2nd in total rebounding while Gales ranks 4th in field goal percentage and is one of the top freshman talents in the league this year.
A big part missing from the Saint Vincent offense is the 3-point shot. They finished the regular season dead last in that category.
If you’re looking for the possibility of an upset, here’s a fact to consider. Allegheny is a dominant 11-1 on its home floor this season. Their only loss? A 79-69 defeat at the hands of Saint Vincent on Dec. 4.
NEXT GAME: Tuesday @ #2 Allegheny at 7 pm
#8 GROVE CITY WOLVERINES (10-15, 8-12 PAC)
We got a preview of their first round matchup on Saturday, when unfortunately the Wolverines fell 87-63 to the top-seeded Presidents. That was a far cry from the 84-83 battle Grove City gave them at home in mid-January.
While Grove City struggles to score at times (9th in PAC), they play stifling defense (1st in PAC) to keep teams at-bay. The juxtaposition between their offense and defense is most astounding in field goal percentage, where they are at the bottom of the league offensively, yet rank 3rd defensively.
And we can’t forget about their ability to rebound, either. They’re tops in the PAC in total combined rebounds, offensive rebounds and 2nd in rebounding margin.
Jonah Bock is their only scorer in the top 25 at 13.6 ppg and he also cracks the top 5 in 3-point field goals made and 3-point field goal percentage.
If you’re having an off night, Grove City can keep you off the glass and off the scoreboard enough to make things very interesting.
NEXT GAME: Tuesday @ #1 W&J at 7 pm
