Washington & Jefferson (22-6, 12-4) vs. #13 Mount Union (23-3, 14-2 OAC)
 
When: Friday, March 6, 2026
Where: Newport News, Va. / Christopher Newport University
Court: Freeman Center
Time: 3:15 P.M.

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THE SERIES: The Washington & Jefferson Presidents and Mount Union Purple Raiders face off for the eighth time in the history of men's basketball at the schools. The Presidents claimed the win in the first ever matchup in 1939, 39-29. The teams would play again in 1948, with Mount Union picking up a 48-38 win. The teams would not play again until the 1980's when the teams played each year from 1984 to 1988. W&J won the first two of those meetings, but the Purple Raiders would claim the following three.
 
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 junior was named the PAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season for his efforts leading the W&J press. The big man is tied for sixth in the division with 73 blocks. Plotner also is tied for 43rd in Division III with 60 steals and leads the Presidents in scoring with an average of 14.3 points per game. Plotner shot 20-27 (.741) from the field and scored 44 points in the PAC Tournament. He also added eight blocks, including four in the championship game, and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament by the conference.
 
CARTE BLANCHE: W&J head coach Ethan Stewart-Smith embraces the sometimes-dangerous style of play brought by his junior point guard Matthew Carte (Ravenswood, W.Va./Ravenswood). Carte's aggressiveness played a big role in the Presidents' PAC Championship win. The junior scored 16 in the title game and hit multiple contested jumpers in the second half, including a long two with 1:55 remaining in the game to give W&J its first two-score lead over Westminster in the half. Carte was named to the PAC All-Tournament Team for his efforts.
 
LEADERS OF THE PAC: The W&J Presidents won their 11th Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship and first since the 2021-22 season. The Presidents have the second most league titles trailing only Bethany, which has 14. W&J makes its fourth NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament appearance and looks to win its first tournament game since 1994, when the Presidents appeared in the Elite 8.
 
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. Seidl shot 13-26 from the field and 4-10 from three in this season's PAC Tournament as the senior helped lead the Presidents to the conference title. Seidl was named to the All-Tournament Team for the second consecutive season for his efforts.
 
SCOUTING THE PURPLE RAIDERS: Mount Union has been able to put together an impressive season thus far, going 23-3 overall and 14-2 in Ohio Athletic Conference play. The Purple Raiders are led offensively by guard Chance Casenhiser, who averages 17.5 points per game on 44.7% shooting from the field. The team is strong defensively, ranking second in the country in blocks per game, led by defensive specialist Shaun Vaden, who is third in the country with 88 blocks.
 
I'LL TAKE THAT: The Presidents have kept their identity of swarming full-court defense intact. W&J has forced 19.29 turnovers per game and holds an average turnover margin of +5.7, ranking 9th and 12th in each respective statistic.
 
THE STATISTICS:
W&J Player Top 50 Rankings
- Blocks: (73) Plotner (t-6th)
- Field Goal Percentage: (61.1%) Plotner (t-14th)
- Steals: (60) Plotner & Seidl (t-3rd)
 
W&J Team Top 50 Rankings
- Blocks Per Game: 4.9 (18th)
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.2% (47th)
- Free Throw Attempts Per Game: 24.1 (35th)
- Steals Per Game: 12.6 (7th)
- Turnover Margin: +5.7 (12th)
- Turnovers Forced Per Game: 19.29 (9th)
 
Mount Union Player Top 50 Rankings
- Blocks: (88) Shaun Vaden (3rd)
- Double Doubles: (10) Elijah Farrington (38th)
- Free Throw Percentage: (93.1%) Kevin Hamilton (1st)
- Free Throws: (125) Elijah Farrington (49th)
 
Mount Union Team Top 50 Rankings
- Blocks Per Game: 6.3 (2nd)
- Field Goal Percentage Against: 40.4% (34th)
- Free Throw Percentage: 75.6% (38th)
- Scoring Margin: +12.5 (24th)
- Turnover Margin: +3.2 (49th)
- Turnovers Per Game: 10.5 (36th lowest)
 
* All statistics and rankings through March 1, 2026