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Graphic displays the 2025 PSUAC Men's Basketball Championship bracket.
Graphic displays the 2025 PSUAC Men's Basketball Championship bracket.
Graphic displays the 2025 PSUAC Men's Basketball Championship bracket.
Posted: Feb 26, 2025

Top Seeds Advance to Semis as Men's Basketball Team Vie for Championship Spots

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State University Athletic Conference men's basketball quarterfinals played out according to seeds on Monday, with each of the top two teams in the East and West Divisions advancing to the PSUAC semifinals.

Penn State Mont Alto and Penn State DuBois held serve as the no. 1 seed in their divisions, toppling Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Penn State Beaver, respectively. They're joined in the semifinals by the no. 2 seed in each division, Penn State Schuylkill and Penn State Greater Allegheny. 

HOW WE GOT HERE

  • DuBois beat Beaver for the third time this season, with Niare Poplar stepping up to score a season-high 32 points, including 10-for-13 shooting from the field and 11-for-12 from the free throw line to give DuBois an 80-72 victory. Poplar was joined in double figures by Beau Verdill (17) and Kaleb Pryor, who scored 12 off the bench. Despite an even match-up from the charity stripe, DuBois made eight three-pointers to Beaver's three. Beaver did out-rebound the home team, 38-30, and was led by Trevor Franklin's double-double that included 13 points and 11 rebounds. Frankline was one of three Beaver players to finish with 13 points, while Alex Green led the team with 18.
  • Greater Allegheny continued its hot streak in the postseason. Since February 4th, the team has gone 6-1, including four straight regular season wins to claim the no. 2 seed in the West. Despite playing just six players on Monday, Greater Allegheny had four starters in double figures, led by Shyheim Flanagan's 18 and Xavier Gaffney's 16. Elijah Hannon was a monster on the boards, grabbing 18 to go along with his 14 points as Greater Allegheny won handily, 77-57 over Penn State New Kensington. Greater Allegheny dominated the glass, outrebounding New Kensington 45-19 and picking up 12 offensive rebounds. New Kensington also had four players in double figures, including 13 from Mekhi Murray off the bench. Ta'Rasi Means also added 13 and Jadyn Benson scored 12 as New Kensington's season came to a close. 
  • After splitting the regular season series, Mont Alto came away with a convincing 74-52 win over Wilkes-Barre to punch their ticket to the semifinals. Despite a game-high 19 from Christopher Killings and a 38-35 rebounding advantage, Wilkes-Barre was unable to force Mont Alto into many mistakes. The hosts committed just six turnovers and shot better than 50 percent from the field, going 30-for-59. Tevin Venson and Bryson Fleming provided 16 and 12 points, respectively, while Saihou Mbergan and Richard Burke added 10 points each. 
  • Schuylkill won the closest game of the bunch, capitalizing on a late Penn State York foul that sent Amir Gray to the free throw line for two shots in a tie game. Gray missed the first, but made the second to give Schuylkill its final 72-71 advantage. York's last gasp attempt from the middle of the lane fell short and Schuylkill clinched its semifinal berth. Issac Lane led all scorers with 29 while also grabbing 12 rebounds. Gray and Antwuan Byrd added 11 points each, while Byrd also dished out five assists. Terrell Neal led York in scoring with 15, as a balanced offense with six players scoring eight points or more, almost sent York back to the semifinals with a chance to defend their title.

WHAT'S NEXT

Semifinal 1: West Division Final

Penn State Greater Allegheny at Penn State DuBois, Wednesday, February 26th

These two teams have already met twice in 2025, with the home team coming away victorious in each game. DuBois captured the first match-up 88-76 back on January 25th while Greater Allegheny repaid the favor with a 94-88 win just two weeks ago. Two of the hottest teams in the conference, the game will come down to pace. DuBois leads the conference in scoring at nearly 88 points per game. Looking to push tempo and get up shots, DuBois leads the PSUAC in shot attempts and is second in made baskets. They also lead the league with 808 three-point attempts, 100 more than their closest competitor.

Meanwhile, Greater Allegheny has the fifth-best scoring defense in the PSUAC, allowing nearly 79 points a game while scoring 72 on average. However, Greater Allegheny's 94 points in their win over DuBois on February 12th tied their season-high.

In a game that may be a race to 90 points, DuBois will be led by Kaleb Pryor and Beau Verdill who each average 17 points a contest. Greater Allegheny will be without its leading scorer Bryce Phillips, but Elijah Hannon is an efficient scorer and an incredible rebounder, leading the PSUAC with more than 13 rebounds per game, which is nearly three more on average than his closest competition. 

DuBois has not played in the conference championship since 2012, which is also the last year it won. Greater Allegheny, meanwhile, has played in each of the last two championship games, winning in 2023.

Semifinal 2: East Division Final

Penn State Schuylkill at Penn State Mont Alto, Thursday, February 27th

A season sweep from Mont Alto included a 98-86 victory in mid-January and a dominant 83-61 win in early February. Led by Veron Talla's nearly 17 points and 11 rebounds per game, Mont Alto will look to complete the trifecta against Schuylkill in 2025. 

Issac Lane will be Schuylkill's answer to anything Mont Alto throws at them, averaging 20 points a game and eight rebounds. Lane is supported by Antwuan Byrd and Amir Gray, both standout defenders who can also pick up the scoring burden if needed. Mont Alto has it's own shutdown defender in Bryson Fleming, who averages more than two steals per game while averaging more than 10 points per contest. In fact, Fleming is one of four Mont Alto players to average double-figures, with Jonathan Pang and Caleb Eckert joining Talla in the starting lineup.

The teams are nearly identical offensively, with Schuylkill holding a slight edge in scoring offense. The visitors have averaged 80 points per game to Mont Alto's 78. However, on the defensive end is where Mont Alto shines brightest, allowing just 64.5 points per game, which is nearly seven better than the second place team. Schuylkill sits sixth in the PSUAC, allowing 79 points per game.

Mont Alto has been a perennial contender in both the PSUAC and USCAA, but has not participated in a PSUAC Championship since their victory in 2020. Schuylkill, meanwhile, searches for its first ever PSUAC Men's Basketball Championship.

HOW TO WATCH

Both semifinal games will stream live on the PSU Campus Athletics Network. You can watch at www.psucampusathletics.com or by downloading the PSU Campus Athletics Network on your phone, tablet, smart TV or streaming device. 

CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION

The winners of the PSUAC semifinals will advance to the 2025 PSUAC Men's Basketball Championship game slated for Sunday, March 2nd at 1:00 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus. A full championship preview with fan information will be available on Friday, February 28th. The winner of that contest will receive the PSUAC's automatic bid to the USCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship scheduled to begin March 9th in Buffalo, NY.