MATCHUP

No. 1 seed Mount Union will host No. 5 seed Heidelberg in the semifinals of the Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament on Thursday, February 26 at 7 p.m. in the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex in Alliance.

Fans can follow the action with the radio broadcast on WDPN AM 1310 and online with Live Audio | Live Video | Live Stats

You can buy your tickets here.

The Purple Raiders (23-2, 14-2 OAC) rank second in the OAC in scoring offense averaging 82.3 points per game and have the third ranked scoring defense allowing just 69.2 points per game.

Sophomore Chance Casenhiser (Uniontown / Lake) leads the way for the Raiders offensively and ranks third in the conference, averaging 17.2 points per game, junior Elijah Farrington (Massillon / Massillon Washington) also ranks in the top 10 in the OAC with 15.8 points per game. Farrington also ranks second in rebounds per game, averaging 8.3 per game. Junior Kevin Hamilton (Akron / St. Vincent St. Mary) ranks in the top 10 in both assists and assist/turnover ratio. Mount Union is led defensively by senior Kevin Moore (Youngstown / Campbell Memorial) and junior Shaun Vaden (Cleveland / Cornerstone Christian), Vaden leads the OAC in blocks with 3.4 per game, which is 2.1 blocks more than the next highest total.

The Student Princes (14-12, 7-9 OAC) are led by Markell Johnson-Nichols and Trey Killens who both average 13.9 points per game, Johnson-Nichols also leads the team in rebounding with 5.8 per game. Marcos Vazquez leads the way with 5.3 assists per game which leads the OAC.

Heidelberg has the sixth ranked scoring offense in the conference, averaging 78 points per game and have the fifth ranked scoring defense, giving up 79 points per game.

OAC Tournament History

It is the 66th OAC Tournament appearance for Mount Union as the Raiders have a 42-60 record and won titles in 1997, 2015, 2020 and 2023.

Heidelberg is making its 62nd OAC Tournament Appearance and have a 48-59 record and won the title in 2008.

Mount Union and Heidelberg have met nine previous times in the OAC Tournament with the Raiders holding an 8-1 series lead in tournament game. This will be the fifth consecutive season the Raiders and Student Princes have met in the semifinals.

2025- No. 2 Mount Union 77, No. 3 Heidelberg 66 (Semifnals)

2024- No. 2 Mount Union 91, No. 3 Heidelberg 85 (Semifinals)

2023- No. 2 Mount Union 83, No. 3 Heidelberg 67 (Semifinals)

2022- No. 2 Mount Union 68, No. 3 Heidelberg 65 (Semifinals)

2020- No. 1 Mount Union 97, No. 5 Heidelberg 66 (Second Round)

2019- No. 2 Mount Union 77, No. 7 Heidelberg 66 (First Round)

2016- No. 3 Mount Union 102, No. 6 Heidelberg 96 (Quarterfinals)

1982- No. 6 Mount Union 73, No. 3 Heidelberg 75 (First Round)

1973- No. 2 Mount Union 58, No. 3 Heidelberg 50 (Second Round)

Up next…

The winner will advance to Saturday's OAC Tournament Championship game and will play the winner of No. 2 Otterbein and No. 3 Ohio Northern at a time to be determined with the highest remaining seed hosting the game.

Coaches

Mike Fuline (Kent State '98) is 285-116 (.711) in his 15th season at Mount Union.  Fuline has led Mount Union to seven 20-win seasons, OAC regular season titles in 2013-14, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2022-23 and 2025-26, OAC Tournament titles in 2015, 2020 and 2023, NCAA Sweet 16 appearances in 2015 and 2020 and the NCAA National Championship game in 2023 and became the All-Time Winningest Coach in program history with his 251st career win last season. Before coming to Mount Union, Fuline spent eight years as a high school head coach at Rootstown and Massillon Jackson.  His 2010 Jackson team won the OHSAA Division I State Championship.

Mike Summey (North Carolina State '97) is in his first season at Heidelberg and leading the Student Princes to a 15-11 record and a fifth-place finish in the OAC. He most recently served as the General Manager of the Men's Basketball program at the University of Utah. Summey has also previously held positions at Division I University of Miami, St. Francis (Pa.), North Carolina State and Bowling Green State, he also served as the head coach at Division III Bethany in 2008-09, leading the Bison to a 17-win season.