Mansfield Hosts Kutztown Tuesday in First Home PSAC Playoff Game Since 1997 
– PSAC Final Four and Regional Rankings on the Line

Mansfield – The Mansfield University men’s basketball team will put its PSAC and NCAA Division II Championship hopes on the line Tuesday evening when they host Kutztown University in a PSAC Quarterfinal playoff game in Decker Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

The Mountaineers, with a 21-6 overall and 8-4 PSAC East regular season record, are the second seed in the PSAC East behind Cheyney University and will host PSAC East third seed Kutztown University. Cheyney will host fourth seeded West Chester .

The PSAC Final Four will be hosted by the highest remaining PSAC East school after Tuesday’s games. Mansfield split its season series with Kutztown posting a 78-64 victory at home while dropping a 77-67 decision at Kutztown.

“It obviously a huge advantage to host the PSAC Championship,” said fifth year head coach Vince Alexander. “We’re 12-1 at home this year and if we hadn’t lost that one home game we would probably be the top seed. We’ve beaten Cheyney, Kutztown, and West Chester at home this season as well as PSAC West playoff teams California and IUP.”

To get the chance to host the PSAC Final Four on March 6-7, the Mountaineers must beat Kutztown on Tuesday night with Cheyney losing to West Chester.

Mansfield won the PSAC title in 1997, the last time Decker Gymnasium served as the host of the Final Four Tournament. That team went on to the NCAA East Regional and finished with a school best 26-4 record.

The 2003-04 team is the seventh team in school history to win 20 or more games. Five of the six previous teams that hit the 20 win milestone went on to win the PSAC crown.

“This is a great group of players who have already accomplished a lot,” Alexander said. “Winning the PSAC Championship would enhance a terrific season and ranks this team among the greats in school history.”

While winning is the only requirement to capture the PSAC Championship, getting a berth to the NCAA East Regional is another matter.

Mansfield is currently ranked sixth in the East Region with the top eight team moving on the Regional Championship Tournament. The conference champion from the PSAC West Virginia Intercollegiate Conference (WVIAC) and the Carolina-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) will automatically advance to the tournament leaving five teams to be selected.

The WVIAC and CVAC tournaments include all conference member schools no matter what the record. The PSAC takes only the top four school from each Division. Despite 22 wins, a Mansfield loss in the quarterfinal could be a fatal to their regional hopes depending on the results from the other two conference championship tournaments.

Mansfield has the top offense in the PSAC behind UNLV transfer Omari Pearson who has been the conference top scorer and rebounder for much of the season. Pearson gets plenty of outside help from senior sharpshooter Brett Longpre’ who ranks fifth in the PSAC in scoring is closing in on Tommy Harvey’s (1997-2000) all-time scoring record of 1,778 points. Sophomore Bill McNeal and Ian Connor also average in double figures.

PSAC Quarterfinals
Tuesday, March 2

Eastern Division                                    Western Division

Kutztown at Mansfield                          IUP at Edinboro

West Chester at Cheyney                     Clarion at California

PSAC Championship Tournament (Final Four) hosted by highest remaining seeded PSAC East school. 

NCAA DIVISON II
EAST REGION RANKINGS

1.         Pfeiffer (NC)                            22-2
2.         California (Pennsylvania)           20-5
3.         West Virginia State                   20-5
4.         Cheyney                                   19-6
5.         District of Columbia                  17-8
6.         Mansfield                                 20-5
7.         Alderson-Broaddus (WV)        18-6
8.         Queens (North Carolina)          18-6
9.         Mount Olive (NC)                    18-6
10.       Concord (WV)                         20-6

Tickets are $7 for adults and $2 for students. The first 400 MU students to the game will be admitted free compliments of SGA, COF and Student Affairs