by Matt Koll
The stage is set for another action-packed PAC men’s basketball tournament. Last year, we saw the No. 1 seed make the run all the way to the title. That team, Geneva, is back in as the #4 looking to defend its crown. Meanwhile, the Chatham Cougars stand as this year’s top seed for the first time in program history, looking for its second championship in three years.
Who will survive this year? Let’s dig in to the field…
No. 1 CHATHAM COUGARS (21-4, 18-2 PAC)
The Cougars bring a well-balanced team into this tournament that just knows how to win. The roster is packed full of scorers, starting with their tandem of Diaun Pinkett (16.8 ppg) and Lovenson Xavier (16.7 ppg). The 4th and 5th highest scorers in the league respectively set the tone, while Simon Boyer cracked the conference’s top 20 in scoring with 13.2 ppg as well (17th in PAC).
Get this…before last week’s 87-80 loss to Geneva, Chatham hadn’t lost a game since before Christmas (Dec. 20) and hadn’t lost a PAC game since a December 7th loss at the hands of Grove City. It was a 12-game winning streak, and that’s the kind of stuff that gets you a number one seed.
The Cougars can attack you in many ways, ranking third in field goal percentage and third in three-point field goals made per game, while ranking 2nd in assists to turnover ratio. Defensively, they’re solid as well, giving up fewer than 70 points per game (3rd in PAC).
This team has consistently shown it can beat anyone on any given night and now it will just be a matter of executing like they have all season when the lights are brightest.
Next game: Thursday 7 pm vs. winner of Geneva/Grove City
No. 2 SAINT VINCENT BEARCATS (20-5, 16-4 PAC)
Coach Harris says: The key to a title run will be…”Our ability to share the ball and stay in the moment and enjoy the run. Embrace it. Take a moment and share with all the people around us. Make it fun for the players and coaches.”
Despite losing their leading scorer from 2023-24, the Bearcats put together another stellar regular season, earning themselves a bye into the second round and the chance to play in front of their home crowd. “Our home court is insane. No place like it,” says head coach D.P. Harris.
Make no mistake about it: they’re still a strong offensive team. Their 79.9 ppg ranks third in the PAC, while their field goal percentage ranks second. While they aren’t a volume three-point shooting team, their three-point percentage finished third in the conference, thanks in large part to what coach Harris describes as their two “snipers” in Dev Ostrowski (16.1 ppg) and Mike Iuzzolino (14.0 ppg).
“If they are hitting, we win,” says Harris.
But of course, this team’s success goes beyond that. The Bearcats have been the PAC’s best in taking care of the ball, comfortably leading the way in turnover margin while also boasting the best assist-to-turnover ratio. Outside of the “snipers”, Osyon Jones averages 13.0 ppg and shot 55% from the field, which was 2nd-best in the conference.
“We click when Jones leads and we communicate in a way that separates us from other teams, [with] toughness both physically and mentally.”
Where Saint Vincent could be vulnerable is on the boards. It finished middle of the pack in offensive rebounding and dead last in the conference in defensive rebounds. We’ll see if a battle on the glass proves to be crucial to slaying this dragon.
Saint Vincent will come in with momentum. The team won five straight games to end the regular season, including a 93-90 thriller at home on Feb. 8 over potential second-round opponent W&J.
Next game: Thursday 7 pm vs. winner of W&J/Franciscan
No. 3 WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON PRESIDENTS (19-6, 15-5 PAC)
Coach Stewart-Smith says: The key to a title run will be…“our defensive execution and our ability to control the tempo of each game.”
The Presidents allowed 72.3 ppg in the regular season, smack dab in the middle of the conference. But that’s where the emphasis will be as they head into the tournament and meet their first-round opponent, Franciscan, on Tuesday night.
One could argue that’s where the focus is and should be because the offense has taken good care of itself throughout the year. W&J finished as the second-highest scoring team in the PAC (80.1 ppg) while sporting the conference’s best field goal shooting percentage and second-best three-point percentage. Despite their prolific numbers as a team, top scorer Nathan Plotner ranks just outside the top 10 in points per game. So how are they so efficient?
“We are really fortunate to rely on a balanced effort from our top seven scorers, which range from 9.3 points per game up to 14.5 points per game,” said head coach Ethan Stewart-Smith. “All seven of our top scorers have had games of 20+ points, so we are able to have versatility on any given night to take what the defense gives us. We do not rely on one individual to carry us, which allows our team to simply make the right decision each possession based on how we are being guarded.”
That kind of depth is rare on any basketball team, regardless of playing level. And it makes this W&J team very dangerous and complex to defend. Plotner shows up all over the stat sheet most nights, almost averaging a double-double with 14.5 points and 9.9 rebounds (2nd in PAC). Plotner also shoots a ridiculous 62.6% from the field, which is seven percentage points higher than the conference’s next best shooter.
“He is so effective because he rarely catches the ball in a spot where he can’t make a play,” said Stewart-Smith. “He does a great job of getting out to run & score in transition before defenses can get set, and he does a great job with positioning on post catches.”
Despite his efforts on the glass, the Presidents are one of the bottom-tier teams in rebounding margin, so they’ll need to make sure they hit the boards. Keep an eye on their opportunities or potential missed opportunities from the charity stripe as well. Their 66.5% ranks ninth among the 11 PAC teams.
W&J suffered some really close losses to the PAC’s top teams in the regular season, including a 2-point loss to #1 seed Chatham and a 3-point loss even more recently to #2 Saint Vincent. Stewart-Smith says it taught them that there isn’t much that separates any of these top teams in the PAC, adding, “We will be ready for close games down the stretch of this conference tournament. Whoever can have a few less breakdowns defensively will win the games.”
In the two games against first-round opponent Franciscan earlier this season, W&J took care of business. A 68-54 victory on the road in late November was accentuated by a 103-85 win at home in late January.
Next game: Tuesday 7 pm vs. No. 6 Franciscan
No. 4 GENEVA GOLDEN TORNADOES (14-11, 12-8 PAC)
Coach Santarsiero says: The key to a title run will be…”continuing to work and execute our culture and game plans.”
The last we saw of the Golden Tornadoes in the PAC Tournament, they were celebrating a well-earned championship. Now? They’ve got a 5-game winning streak..including three against fellow PAC Tournament teams…to build on as momentum for another run at it.
“We got a taste of it last year. We’ve been close three times before, so we know what it takes to get there,” said head coach Jeff Santarsiero.
And it wouldn’t quite be a Geneva team without some family ties leading the way, would it? Ryan Rachic is the conference’s third-highest scorer (17.4 ppg) and rebounder (8.2 per game) while shooting 86% from the free throw line (2nd in PAC). Brother Mark Rachic is averaging 14.4 ppg (12th in PAC) while ranking 8th in the conference in assists, shooting 78% from the line and plays more minutes per game than anyone else in the PAC.
“They have been playing together for so long they know each other’s game. They can score in many ways and are basketball smart.”
Ah, but don’t forget about Trevor Tipton, the 1,000 point scorer who also formally played with his brother Lyle at Geneva. He’s now healthy after missing over 10 games this season and Santarsiero calls him a “threat at any time.” In fact, it was Tipton who led the way offensively with 21 points in a 63-55 victory over first-round opponent Grove City just last week.
In the past, we’ve seen Geneva teams with high-flying offenses and a defense that hangs on long enough to win. This season, the roles seem to be reversed, as the Golden Tornadoes finished the regular season 2nd in points allowed per game but just 9th in the conference in scoring. But again, this team and this offense are flat out better with Tipton back in the lineup.
This team is playing well, has championship pedigree and is healthier than it was for most of the season. That’s a recipe to make some noise once again.
Next game: Tuesday 7 pm vs. No. 5 Grove City
No, 5 GROVE CITY WOLVERINES (15-10, 12-8 PAC)
The Wolverines’ calling card is what has been the program’s staple for years: their defense. It’s the stingiest in the PAC through the regular season, allowing just 66.1 ppg. This unit allows them to remain within striking distance and keeps their opponents on their heels throughout a contest.
The offense is led by two consistent scorers, Mike Christenson (13th in PAC) and Chase Yarberough (14th in PAC), who both average just over 14 points per game. Grove City also excels in the rebounding department. Its 9.1 rebounding margin over its opponents is far and above any other team in the conference. Isaac Cherry (6.6), Yarberough (5.7), and Christenson (5.3) all average over five rebounds per game to contribute to that effort.
The Wolverines will have to shake off two consecutive losses to round out the regular season, one against first-round opponent Geneva by 8 points on the road. Grove City trailed 30-19 at the half and couldn’t recover from the early deficit, a position they’ll look to avoid on Tuesday night.
Next game: Tuesday 7 pm at No. 4 Geneva
No. 6 FRANCISCAN BARONS (15-10, 10-10 PAC)
It’s been an up-and-down year for the Barons, but they find themselves in the PAC Tournament and thus have given themselves a chance to compete for a title.
Franciscan has been hindered by a shooting percentage that ranked ninth in the PAC, yet they rebounded the ball well, especially on the offensive side, ranking 2nd in that category.
The highs this season have come in the form of wins against #4 seed Geneva on the road and a double-digit win against No. 5 seed Grove City at home. But the lows have come with double-digit losses to fellow PAC Tournament teams, including a loss to Geneva to end the season in which they only scored 48 points.
Sawyer Butler is a tremendous scorer, averaging 19.5 ppg, which is the second-best mark in the PAC.
Next game: Tuesday 7 pm at No. 3 W&J
