CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The No. 3 seed Cairn University men's basketball team (16-10, 9-5 CSAC) will compete in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Championship game for the third-straight season tomorrow afternoon at 1 PM at No. 1 seed Wilson College (17-7, 12-2 CSAC). The Highlanders are vying for their second-straight CSAC Title and NCAA Division III Tournament appearance.
 
THE SERIES:
 
Cairn holds a 4-3 record in the all-time series against Wilson. The Highlanders won four of their first five matchups against the Phoenix from 2015-2020. Wilson won both contests against the Highlanders this season, a 57-54 victory in Chambersburg on January 18 and a 66-61 victory inside the Mason Activity Center on February 2.
 
TRENDS:
 
Cairn comes into the CSAC Championship game as the hottest team in the conference, being winners of its last five contests. The Highlanders grabbed a 68-65 victory in the CSAC semifinals at No. 2 seed Rosemont College on Wednesday to earn their CSAC Title game spot. The Highlanders have been a significantly better road team than home team this season, boasting a 10-3 record in away matchups, with their last road loss coming at Wilson on January 18. Cairn is the more experienced post-season team in this matchup, as it is making its third-straight appearance in the conference title bout. After steamrolling through most of its regular-season slate, Wilson punched its ticket to the CSAC Championship game after claiming a dramatic 86-77 overtime victory over No. 5 seed Keystone College on Wednesday. The Phoenix started their conference schedule by winning their first 12 games, before dropping two of their last three conference tilts to end the regular season. The No. 1 seed Phoenix are making their first conference title game appearance and this year is their third time in the CSAC playoffs overall.
 
THE COACHES:
 
Cairn University eighth-year Head Coach Jason O'Connell has transformed the men's basketball team from a three-win team in his first season to a premier team in the Colonial States Athletic Conference as well as a formidable program in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The 2019 CSAC Coach of the Year, O'Connell has led the Highlanders to three-consecutive conference title game appearances, as well as the programs' first CSAC Title and NCAA Division III Tournament appearance in 2019-20. The Highlanders boast four-straight winning seasons under O'Connell and have a 59-32 record in the past four years. Wilson first-year Head Coach Mark Seidenburg, the 2022 CSAC Coach of the Year, has led the Phoenix to the most successful season in the programs' history this year after previously serving as the head coach at Delaware Valley University from 2016-2021.
 
DEFENSIVE BATTLE:
 
Points will likely come at a premium in Saturday's bout, as Wilson and Cairn are the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked defenses in the conference, respectively. The Phoenix pace the CSAC, giving up just 66 points per game, while the Highlanders allow just 68.5 points per game. Cairn has the best opponent field goal percentage in the conference, as teams are just shooting 40.3% from the field against the Highlanders this season.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
 
Cairn senior Jesse Rivera (Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks East) earned All-CSAC First Team honors this season and is statistically the best point guard in all of the CSAC, averaging just shy of six assists per game this season. Rivera's 147 total assists also lead CSAC counterparts and his 13.6 points per game are the best on the team. Classmate Kameron Clark (Ewing, NJ / Ewing) has cemented himself as one of the best rebounders in all of NCAA Division III basketball, averaging 13.7 rebounds per game, the most in the CSAC and the third-most in the country. An All-CSAC Second Team selection this season, Clark is second on the team with 13.2 points per game. Cairn sophomore Matt Lucas (Quakertown, PA / Quakertown HS) is statistically the best shooter in the entire conference, shooting at a CSAC-leading 43.7% clip from long range. Highlander junior Dashaun Cain (Wilmington, DE / Red Lion Christian Academy) enters tomorrow's contest as the league's best free throw shooter at an 82.6% mark. Wilson counters with junior Warrick Godwin Jr, the 2022 CSAC Player of the Year, who leads the Phoenix averaging a team-leading 14.9 points per game. Despite Godwin Jr.'s offensive production, it has been junior Daryl Garib who has hurt the Highlanders the most this season, as Garib poured in 33 points the last time the teams met and knocked down the game-winning three-pointer in the first bout between the two teams earlier this season. Clark will likely be matched up with 6'7 junior Antonio Bussey, Wilson's leading rebounder at 8.3 boards per game and 14.4 points per game.