Washington & Jefferson (19-6, 12-4) vs. Geneva (10-15, 7-9)
 
When: Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Where: Washington, Pa.
Court: Salvitti Family Gymnasium
Time: 8:00 P.M.

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THE SERIES: Washington & Jefferson and Geneva meet for the 92nd time between the schools' men's basketball programs, with the Golden Tornadoes hold a 47-44 advantage in the series. The Presidents won the first matchup between the schools, a 35-19 game in 1915. The schools have consistently faced each other through the decades, with a gap coming through the 1990s and early 2000s. The schools began to face off again in the 2007-08 season, Geneva's first year back in the PAC. Geneva holds a 24-16 lead over W&J in the time since joining Division III and the PAC. However, The Presidents have won six out of the last seven meetings, including a 68-64 win this season on January 10.
 
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 65 blocks. The big man's block total is 27 blocks greater than the second-highest total in the PAC. Plotner also is tied for 49th in Division III with 56 steals and leads the Presidents in scoring with an average of 14.3 points per game.
 
THE LAST MATCHUP: W&J and Geneva faced off earlier this season on January 10. The Presidents downed the Golden Tornadoes with a 68-64 victory at Salvitti Gymnasium.
 
Geneva opened the contest with a controlled attack, growing an early 19-10 lead. The Presidents would then go on a 17-6 run to take their first lead at 27-25. The Presidents would stretch the lead to 37-31 by halftime. W&J was able to quickly extend its lead to 11 before Geneva went on a 12-0 run to take a 52-51 lead. The Presidents regained the lead quickly after and would seal the 68-64 victory with key free throws from Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb). Michael Plasko (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) led all scorers with 21 points while Jonathan Bertovich led the Golden Tornadoes with 16.
 
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: W&J has been dominant at home during the last five seasons. The Presidents hold a 48-14 record in the Salvitti Family Gymnasium over the last five seasons.
 
PAC PICTURE: The eight-team PAC Tournament field is set in men's basketball.
 
W&J is the top seed in the PAC South and top overall team in the conference following the regular season and will host the north's fourth seed in Geneva. W&J won this season's matchup 68-64.
 
Westminster is the north's top team and will host Saint Vincent, the fourth seed from the south. Westminster defeated Saint Vincent 89-83 in overtime earlier this season.
 
The south's Chatham will host Grove City as a 2/3 matchup. Chatham won the season's matchup 67-61.
 
The final matchup will be hosted by Allegheny with the Franciscan Barons coming to town. Despite being the lower seed in this contest, Franciscan won the prior matchup with Allegheny this season by a score of 81-66.
 
GETTING HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME: Senior guard Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) bounced back from a slow start to the season in the points department and has averaged 12.9 points per game since the calendars flipped compared to 10.4 beforehand. The 2024-25 PAC All-Tournament Team honoree is looking to once again play his best basketball down the stretch of the season after helping lead the Presidents to a runner-up finish last season.
 
I'LL TAKE THAT: The Presidents have kept their identity of swarming full-court defense intact. W&J has forced 19.52 turnovers per game and holds an average turnover margin of +5.8, ranking 10th and 14th 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                   69-58 (.543)
Westminster                  42-62 (.404)
Total                                  571-506 (.530)
 
PAC LEADERS: Listed below are statistics which have Presidents ranked in the top 10 of the PAC:
 
- Rebounds Per Game: (6.8) Plotner (8th), (6.8) Acosta (9th)
- Field Goal Percentage: (.597) Plotner (1st)
- Assists Per Game: (2.8) Matthew Carte (Ravenswood, W.Va./Ravenswood) (9th)
- Blocks: (65) Plotner (1st), (22) Acosta (t-9th)
- Blocks Per Game: (2.6) Plotner (1st), (0.9) Acosta (t-9th)
- Steals: (56) Plotner (2nd), (53) Seidl (t-4th), (46) Cameron Rowell (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) (7th)
- Steals Per Game: (2.2) Plotner (3rd), (2.2) Rowell (5th), (2.1) Seidl (6th)
- Minutes Per Game: (32.4) Seidl (8th)

* All statistics and rankings through February 22, 2026