Game #27 - PAC Semifinals
Franciscan (21-5 | 12-4 PAC) vs. Washington & Jefferson (20-6 | 12-4 PAC) 
Thursday, Feb. 26th | 8:00 p.m. 
Salvitti Family Gymnasium | Washington, PA  

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The Latest
- The Barons earned a gritty 66-62 comeback win over Allegheny for the program's first quarterfinal win
- They trailed by as much as 13 in the first half before a huge run gave them a two-point halftime lead
- Sawyer Butler had 24 points and seven rebounds, and Zach Oliver had 20 points and 10 rebounds
- The Barons will face Washington & Jefferson in the semifinals, in a rematch of last year's quarterfinal loss

The Bracket
Scouting the Presidents
- Washington and Jefferson comes into this matchup 20-6, with a 12-4 PAC record
- The Presidents earned a spot in the semifinals with an 85-59 win over PAC North #3 Geneva
- Reigning PAC Defensive Player of the Year Nathan Plotner has been the go-to guy this season 
- He is 13th in the PAC in scoring at 14.0 points per game, ninth in rebounding at 6.7 per game, and first in blocks at 2.5 per game
- Alex Acosta also averages 12.2 points and is seventh in rebounding with 6.8 rebounds per game
- Matt Seidl, Matthew Carte, and Michael Plasko all average double figures as well
- The Presidents are first in the PAC in field goal percentage, but last in three-point field goal percentage
- They have the third-highest scoring offense at 81.7 points per game, just above the Barons at 81.1 points per game
- They also have the best turnover margin in the PAC at +6.19

Matchup History
- The Barons are 5-14 all-time against the Presidents
- Since becoming Division III, the Barons are 3-13
- Their last win came in the 2023-24 season, when they defeated the Presidents 66-61
- Josh Zimmerman '25 led the team with 22 points and nine rebounds in that game
- The two teams faced each other twice earlier this season, with the Presidents winning both games by four points each
- After this game, these teams will have faced each other three times in both of the last two seasons
- The Presidents have won all five of those matchups coming into this semifinal game
- Last season, the Presidents defeated the Barons 73-62 in the PAC Quarterfinals

Playoff Barons
- The Barons are 3-3 all-time in the PAC playoffs
- Since becoming a Division III program, they are 3-6 overall in postseason games, including the AMCC and ECAC tournaments
- By clinching a playoff berth this season, they have made back-to-back postseason appearances for the second time 
- The #3 seed is the Barons highest playoff ranking so far
- By beating Allegheny, they secured their first quarterfinal win and first trip to the semifinals in program history

A Historic Season
- The Barons continue to set a Division III program record for wins with 21, breaking last season's record of 15
- For the first time since joining the PAC, they led the conference in overall wins and point differential
- They ended the regular season in a four-way tie for the most conference wins, which is also the first time they have led the conference
- They are 11-1 when playing at home, which is the best in the PAC
- Sawyer Butler is the first Franciscan player since Sean Hickey in 2020-21 to lead the PAC in scoring
- With his 8.0 rebounds per game, Zach Oliver is looking to be the first Franciscan player to lead the PAC in rebounding, as he is currently first

Heavy Hitters
- This matchup features the two highest-ranked PAC teams in the most recent Division III NPI rankings
- Washington & Jefferson sits at #69, while the Barons have steadily climbed to the #79 spot
- No other PAC team has cracked the top 100

Big Time Butler
- Sawyer Butler has scored 20+ points in 33 of his 75 career collegiate games. He has scored 30+ points seven times.
- He has scored 574 points this season, which is the most by a Baron in a season all-time
- He sits 6th with 1,421 points on the all-time scoring ranks that go back to 1947. He trails Josh Zimmerman with 1,438 for 5th.
- Butler broke the program record for most free throws made by a Baron. He sits at 424 makes while shooting 84.3% for his career.
- He is third all-time in field goals with 431
- His 22.1 points per game would be the highest ever single-season average by a Baron
- He leads the PAC in scoring
- With 135 made three-pointers, he has passed Keoni Sablan for second all-time 

WesBanco Money
- The Barons lead the PAC in three-point field goal percentage this season at 36.2%.
- In the PAC Quarterfinal, the Barons shot 19.0% (4-21) from beyond the arc. That was their worst outside shooting performance since they shot 18.5% (5-27) in a loss at Penn St. Altoona.
- 19% is the worst three-point field goal percentage in a win for Franciscan, since they won at Thiel 64-61 last season, while shooting 0-12 from beyond the arc.
- This is the second time since joining the PAC that the Barons have led the conference in three-point percentage
- They are third in three-pointers per game at 8.9
- They have hit more than 10 threes in a game 13 times this season

Defense Wins Championships
- The Barons allow 70.3 ppg, which is the second-fewest among the 12 PAC schools. Grove City allows 68.2 ppg
- They hold opponents to 28.2% shooting from beyond the arc, which is a PAC best mark.
- Their turnover margin of +4.12 is second-best in the PAC.
- The Barons are second in steals per game (9.15), trailing Washington & Jefferson
- They are also second in blocked shots per game (4.31), behind W&J
- They have the highest point differential in the conference at +10.7

The Coaching Matchup
- Head Coach Joe Wallace is in his 10th season at the helm for Franciscan. He has won 88 games while improving their win total in each of the last four seasons. Wallace took over the Barons, who were coming off a 1-23 season in 2015-16.
- Coach Wallace has led the Barons to postseason play in half of his seasons. 
- This is Coach Wallace's first 20+ win season since he was at the College of Charleston. 
- Ethan Stewart Smith is in his 11th season at W&J, and he has helped restore the program to success like Coach Wallace.
- This season is his 4th 20+ win season at W&J. His 135 wins are tied with David Scarborough (1965-67) for fourth-most in program history.
- In the 2021-22, Stewart-Smith led the Presidents to a PAC Championship and was named PAC Coach of the Year. He has another chance to achieve those feats in 2025-26, but Coach Wallace and the Barons may have something to say about it.

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