Washington & Jefferson (3-2) hosts the 2025 Great Lakes Invitational
 
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TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:

Friday, November 21 - Day One
RV Trine vs. #15 Mary Washington - 1:00 p.m.
Marietta vs. RV Trinity (Texas) - 3:00 p.m.
#8 Carthage vs. #21 Maryville - 5:30 p.m.
Case Western Reserve vs. W&J - 7:30 p.m.
 
Saturday, November 22 – Day Two
Marietta vs. RV Trine – 1:00 p.m.
#15 Mary Washington vs. #8 Carthage – 3:00 p.m.
RV Trinity (Texas) vs. Case Western Reserve – 5:30 p.m.
#21 Maryville vs. W&J – 7:30 p.m.
 
THE SERIES: Washington & Jefferson and Case Western Reserve meet on the hardwood for the first time in over 15 years in men's hoops. The last time the programs faced off W&J was victorious, 57-55 in Cleveland. CWRU holds a 17-14 advantage over the Presidents since the merger of Case Tech and Western Reserve. W&J won the first ever matchup between the schools 74-65 back in 1969. The last time the teams faced off in Washington was in 2003, when W&J won 89-86. The matchup between W&J and Maryville will be the first ever Men's Basketball meeting between the schools.
 
PAC PICTURE: The Presidents' Athletic Conference will look different for the 2025-26 season, as Hiram College begins its full-time membership in the league for the academic year. Additionally, the conference moves to a divisional set-up in both men's and women's basketball, with the North and South divisions consisting of 6 teams each. The conference's preseason coaches poll placed W&J at the top of the South division with 63 total points and nine first-place votes.
 
FAMILIAR FACES: W&J returns nearly all of its production from last season, as last year's roster did not have any seniors. The Presidents will lean on senior captains Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb), both of whom have a wealth of experience. Junior big-man Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) will also serve as a captain. Plotner thrived in a starting role last season and was named as the PAC Defensive Player of the Year. Junior Matthew Carte (Ravenswood, W.Va./Ravenswood) and sophomore Quinton Burlenski (Bridgeport, Ohio/Central Catholic) round out the starting five, with sophomores Michael Plasko (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) and reigning PAC Newcomer of the Year Cameron Rowell (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) playing big roles off the bench. Senior defensive specialists Nick Colucci (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) and Josh Chambers (Hanover, Md./Indian Creek) will be in the mix as well.
 
FAMILIAR LAST NAME: Case Western Reserve Head Coach Todd McGuinness is the brother of W&J Director of Athletics Scott McGuinness. The brothers have each found immense success in their careers. Scott McGuinness was hired as W&J's Sports Information Director in 2001, a position he served in for 13 years. In 2015 he was named the Director of Athletics. Todd McGuinness has served as the Head Coach at CWRU since the 2016-17 season.
 
ALL-STAR ACOSTA: Senior forward Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb) was named as the PAC Player of the Week for his performance over the week of Nov. 9-16. Acosta played a pivotal role in W&J's 3-0 week, averaging a double-double, with 10.3 points and 11.7 rebounds. He scored the game-winning basket against Arcadia on a tip-in with 2.1 seconds remaining in regulation.
 
A TOUGH LEAGUE: Case Western Reserve is a member of the University Athletic Association (UAA), which is widely regarded as one of the most competitive men's basketball conferences. The league currently has three teams ranked in the D3hoops.com top 25 poll: Emory (3), Washington U. (5), and Chicago (11).
 
PAC-TION: The Presidents are one of six PAC teams to hold a winning record at this point in the nonconference slate. In the north division, Hiram has started 3-0 while Westminster has opened up 2-1. In the south, Franciscan and Saint Vincent are unbeaten, with the Barons 4-0 and the Bearcats 3-0, while W&J is joined by Waynesburg University at 3-1.
 
I'LL TAKE THAT: The Presidents have kept their identity of swarming full-court defense intact. W&J has forced 93 turnovers thus far, averaging 23.3 per game. The average ranks W&J 13th in the nation in the statistic. The Presidents' turnover margin of +7.8 per game also ranks highly at 21st nationally. They are led defensively by the reigning PAC Defensive Player of the Year, Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South), who already leads the conference with 15 blocks, and has picked up eight steals so far. The block total for Plotner ranks him second in Division III.
 
THEY'RE FREE: One area that W&J has struggled in to start the season is free throw shooting. The Presidents have gone 49-83 (.590) from the stripe to start the season, trailed in the PAC by only Waynesburg (.571) in percentage.
 
W&J VS. THE UAA:
Team                                             Record (Pct.)
Brandeis                                         0-0 (.000)
Carnegie Mellon                             39-43 (.476)
Case Western Reserve                    14-17 (.452)
Chicago                                          0-0 (.000)
Emory                                              0-0 (.000)
New York                                        0-0 (.000)
Rochester                                      1-6 (.143)
Washington U.                                 0-0 (.000)
Total                                              54-66 (.450)
 
IT'S GREAT: Washington & Jefferson College serves as the host of the eighth annual Great Lakes Invitational. The Great Lakes Invitational is the creation of Ryan Whitnable and is a two-day event that includes nationally respected teams from Division III Men's Basketball. It marks the first time that the GLI has been hosted in Pennsylvania. W&J is also the first PAC school to host the event. Alongside W&J, the schools competing are Carthage, Case Western Reserve, Marietta, Mary Washington, Maryville, Trine, and Trinity (Texas).
 
PAC LEADERS: Listed below are statistics which have Presidents ranked in the top 10 of the PAC (as of the morning of November 20, 2025):
- Points scored: (62) N. Plotner (6th)
- Rebounds per game: (9.6) A. Acosta (2nd), (6.6) N. Plotner (9th)
- Assists per game: (2.6) M. Carte (9th)
- Blocks: (19) N. Plotner (1st)
- Steals: (11) A. Acosta (2nd), (10) Q. Burlenski (t-3rd), (10) N. Colucci (t-3rd), (10) N. Plotner (t-3rd), (8) M. Seidl (t-8th).