Erie, Pa.—As No. 22/24 Mercyhurst Men's Basketball gets set to host a quarterfinal matchup with Pitt-Johnstown Wednesday, here are five things to know about the Lakers and this year's tournament.
The 5 W's
The Lakers will host UPJ Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip on Owen McCormick Court at the newly renovated Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The winner will advance to the PSAC Tournament semifinals, which will be hosted by the highest-remaining seed in the PSAC West after the quarterfinal round. With the second seed, Mercyhurst can only host the final two rounds if Indiana (Pa.) were to lose their quarterfinal matchup to California (Pa.).
First-Round Bye
Mercyhurst locked up the second seed in the PSAC West with a win at home against Slippery Rock Saturday. They finished the regular season 23-5 overall and 17-5 in conference play, behind only IUP (26-2, 20-2). The Lakers' record is identical to Millersville, who holds the top seed in the East. The top two seeds in each division received byes in the first round of the tournament and will each host a quarterfinal game.
Where They Rank
After a loss at Cal Wednesday and win over Slippery Rock Saturday, the Lakers fell five spots to No. 22 in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches national poll. IUP (3) and Mercyhurst are the only two PSAC teams ranked in that poll. In the latest Division II Sports Information Directors of America national media poll, the Lakers fell three spots to No. 24. IUP is ranked No. 2 in that poll, and no other PSAC team appears on the poll.
Lakers in the PSAC Tournament
Mercyhurst has been a consistent presence in the PSAC Tournament during the last decade, making every tournament since the 2009-10 season. They are 11-10 all-time in PSAC Tournament play, and won the whole thing in 2015-16. The last time the tournament was held in 2019-20, Mercyhurst also had a first-round bye and hosted UPJ on March 4, 2020, in the quarterfinals, winning 84-66 to advance to the semifinals.
The Opponent
The Mountain Cats have gotten hot leading up to both meetings with Mercyhurst this season. They were fresh off dealing IUP a 70-68 loss when the Lakers hosted them on Jan. 26, winning 90-61 over UPJ. They won five of their next seven and began Receiving Votes nationally when the Lakers traveled to Johnstown on Feb. 16, handing the Mountain Cats a 70-58 loss. UPJ split their final two – including a loss to IUP in their regular-season finale – but took down Gannon 78-62 in the first round Monday.
