Washington & Jefferson (18-6, 11-4) vs. Waynesburg (7-17, 3-12)
 
When: Saturday, February 21, 2026
Where: Washington, Pa.
Court: Salvitti Family Gymnasium
Time: 3:00 P.M.

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THE SERIES: The Washington & Jefferson Presidents and Waynesburg Yellow Jackets face off for the 127th time in men's hoops. W&J holds a 68-58 advantage in the all-time series and have won nine of the last ten matchups in the rivalry. The lone Waynesburg win in over that stretch came in 2023, with Waynesburg claiming a 72-58 win at home. W&J won the matchup earlier this year with a decisive 93-63 win. The Presidents have won the last five meetings with the Yellow Jackets that have been played in Washington. W&J won last year's meeting in Washington 78-76 in comeback fashion. Waynesburg last won in Washington in 2021, when the Jackets were able to upend the Presidents 61-55.
 
THE PLOT THICKENS: Junior forward Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) has been one of the premier defenders in Division III over the last two seasons. The 2024-25 PAC Defensive Player of the Year is looking to repeat those honors as the best statistical defender in the league. The junior is 10th in the division with 62 blocks. The big man's block total is 26 blocks greater than the second-highest total in the PAC. Plotner also ranks 45th in Division III with 56 steals and leads the Presidents in scoring with an average of 14.4 points per game.
 
THE LAST MATCHUP: W&J and Waynesburg faced off earlier this season on January 14. The Presidents downed the Yellow Jackets with a dominant 93-63 victory.
 
After breaking a 7-7 tie four-and-a-half minutes into the contest, W&J would control the game from there, outscoring Waynesburg 32-13 over the next 10 minutes. The Presidents closed out the half strong and held a 48-31 advantage at the break. The Jaymen opened the second half on a 15-0 run, and the lead hovered around 30 points the rest of the way. The Presidents had seven scorers with nine-plus points. W&J shot 53.5% from the field compared to just 36.7% for Waynesburg.
 
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: W&J has been dominant at home during the last five seasons. The Presidents hold a 47-14 record in the Salvitti Family Gymnasium over the last five seasons.
 
PAC PICTURE: The eight teams that will play in the PAC Tournament field has been known since last weekend, but most seeding is undecided going into the final day of the regular season.
 
Things are somewhat settled in the PAC North Division, as Westminster has claimed the top seed in the north with Allegheny locked into the second spot. Geneva and Grove City will be the last two spots. Geneva will be the #3 seed if they win, or if they lose and Grove City loses. The only way Grove City is the #3 seed is with a win over Thiel coupled with a Geneva loss to Westminster.
 
The four teams that will represent the South Division, Chatham, Franciscan, Saint Vincent, and W&J, are all knotted up at 11-4. If Saint Vincent defeats Chatham, the Bearcats are the top seed if that is coupled with a Franciscan loss at Bethany. If Saint Vincent wins and Franciscan wins, the Barons are the top seed. If Chatham defeats Saint Vincent, W&J is the top seed with a win. If W&J lost in that scenario, Chatham would claim the top spot.
 
ACOSTA THE ANCHOR: Senior forward Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb) has been a model of consistency for the Presidents. The 2023-24 All-PAC First Team selection became the 28th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark. The big man has averaged 12.1 points and 6.7 boards per game this season and has shot at a 56.4% clip from the field. He currently ranks 24th in program history in scoring and stands 40 points away from cracking the top 20.
 
I'LL TAKE THAT: The Presidents have kept their identity of swarming full-court defense intact. W&J has forced 19.50 turnovers per game and holds an average turnover margin of +5.7, ranking 10th and 15th in each respective statistic.
 
W&J VS. THE PAC:
Team                                Record (Pct.)
Allegheny                          60-46 (.566)
Bethany                           109-89 (.551)
Chatham                          12-13 (.480)
Franciscan                       13-3 (.813)
Geneva                            44-47 (.484)
Grove City                         67-72 (.482)
Hiram                                24-24 (.500)
Saint Vincent                     33-45 (.423)
Thiel                                   98-47 (.676)
Waynesburg                       68-58 (.540)
Westminster                      42-62 (.404)
Total                                  570-506 (.530)
 
PAC LEADERS: Listed below are statistics which have Presidents ranked in the top 10 of the PAC:
 
- Rebounds Per Game: (7.0) Plotner (7th), (6.7) Acosta (9th)
- Field Goal Percentage: (.592) Plotner (1st)
- Assists Per Game: (2.6) Matthew Carte (Ravenswood, W.Va./Ravenswood) (10th)
- Blocks: (62) Plotner (1st), (22) Acosta (t-8th)
- Blocks Per Game: (2.7) Plotner (1st), (0.9) Acosta (t-9th)
- Steals: (56) Plotner (2nd), (50) Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) (5th), (45) Cameron Rowell (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) (7th)
- Steals Per Game: (2.3) Plotner (2nd), (2.3) Rowell (4th), (2.1) Seidl (6th)
- Minutes Per Game: (32.7) Seidl (7th)
 
*All statistics and rankings through February 19, 2026