Saint Vincent men named PAC hoops preseason favorites 11/1/2019 3:10:00 PM GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--Saint Vincent College was selected as the preseason favorite in this year’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was voted on by the league's nine head coaches. The PAC announced the results of its preseason coaches' poll and its players to watch list Friday afternoon. Saint Vincent and first-year head coach Terrance Smith secured three first-place votes and 65 total points to earn the top spot in the preseason poll. The Bearcats have claimed the top spot in six of the last seven preseason polls. Saint Vincent won four-straight PAC Championship Tournament titles from 2013-16. The No. 1 seed in last year's PAC Championship Tournament, Saint Vincent was dealt a 54-51 loss by No. 4 seed and soon-to-be league champion Chatham University in the semifinal round at the Robert S. Carey Center in Latrobe, Pa. The Cougars' semifinal victory snapped the Bearcats' 14-game home win streak. Chatham locked up last year's PAC Championship Tournament title with a 64-61 win over No. 3 Westminster College at Buzz Ridl Gymnasium in New Wilmington, Pa. It was the first PAC championship for Chatham in any team sport since the school joined the league in 2007-08. The Cougars earned their three championship tournament victories by a combined seven points. Grove City College and Westminster College tied for second in the poll, each totaling 64 points. Grove City, led by 22nd-year head coach Steve Lamie, collected a pair of first-place votes while Westminster, led by eighth-year head coach Kevin Siroki, secured four first-place votes. Washington & Jefferson College finished fourth in the poll with 45 points. Geneva College was fifth (41) and was followed by Chatham in sixth (35), Thiel College in seventh (32), Waynesburg University in eighth (31) and Bethany College in ninth (19). The eight-team PAC Championship Tournament will get underway on Tuesday, Feb. 25 with its quarterfinal round. The semifinals are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 27 while this year's title game is slated for Saturday, Feb. 29. This year's PAC Championship Tournament winner will receive the league’s automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. Team selections for the Division III Championship are scheduled to be announced Monday, March 2 with an online selection show available at ncaa.com. First and second round matchups are scheduled for Friday-Saturday, March 6-7. 2019-20 PAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll School (first-place votes) Points 2018-19 Record (PAC) 1. Saint Vincent (3) 65 22-5 (14-2) T-2. Westminster (4) 64 13-15 (9-7) T-2. Grove City (2) 64 17-12 (10-6) 4. W&J 45 10-16 (8-8) 5. Geneva 41 9-17 (6-10) 6. Chatham 35 19-10 (9-7) 7. Thiel 32 7-19 (5-11) 8. Waynesburg 31 8-18 (7-9) 9. Bethany 19 5-20 (4-12) 2019-20 PAC Men's Basketball Players to Watch Bethany Name Yr. Pos. Ht. Hometown | High School Aiden Albert Sr. F 6-1 Saxonburg, Pa. | Knoch Trey Shifflett Jr. G 5-10 York, Pa. | William Penn Derek White Jr. So. G 6-1 Portsmouth, Va. | Nansemond-Suffolk Academy Chatham Name Yr. Pos. Ht. Hometown | High School Shawn Erceg So. F 6-5 Natrona Heights, Pa. | Highlands Will Sandherr Sr. G 6-1 Allison Park, Pa. | North Allegheny Geneva Name Yr. Pos. Ht. Hometown | High School Noah Damazo Sr. G/F 6-3 Beaver Falls, Pa. | Blackhawk Ethan Moose Sr. G/F 6-5 New Castle, Pa. | Neshannock Nick Rusyn Sr. F/C 6-8 Salem, Ohio | Salem Grove City Name Yr. Pos. Ht. Hometown | High School James Wells Sr. F 6-7 Waterville, Vt. | Worcester Academy Saint Vincent Name Yr. Pos. Ht. Hometown | High School Kyle Pope Jr. G 6-1 Martinsburg, W.Va. | St. Maria Goretti (Md.) Andrew Reed So. G 5-11 Missouri City, Texas | Ridge Point David Stephen Jr. G 6-0 Winter Garden, Fla. | Dr. Phillips Thiel Name Yr. Pos. Ht. Hometown | High School Nyric Gosley Sr. G 6-2 Williamsport, Pa. | Williamsport Daquan Simmons Jr. F 6-4 Capitol Heights, Md. | Central W&J Name Yr. Pos. Ht. Hometown | High School Cameron Seemann Jr. G 6-1 Loveland, Ohio | Archbishop Moeller Zach Queen Jr. G 6-2 Jeannette, Pa. | Hempfield Primo Zini So. G 6-3 Morgantown, W.Va. | Trinity Christian Waynesburg Name Yr. Pos. Ht. Hometown | High School Matt Popeck Jr. G 5-10 Washington, Pa. | Washington Brennan Smith Sr. G/F 6-5 New Cumberland, W.Va. | Oak Glen Westminster Name Yr. Pos. Ht. Hometown | High School Dylan O'Hara Sr. G 6-3 Girard, Ohio | Girard Blake Payne Sr. C 6-7 Ashtabula, Ohio | Jefferson Isaac Stamatiades Jr. G 6-5 Elkridge, Md. | Avalon –top–