ORANGE, Calif. – For the first time since 2022, the Chapman University men's basketball team is headed to the SCIAC Tournament Championship Game. The Panthers take on Redlands at 2 p.m. on March 1.
Before the teams take the floor on Sunday, read the five things to know heading into the championship game.
No. 1 – Tournament History
The Panthers are in the championship game for the first time since 2022 when Chapman fell to Pomona-Pitzer but still earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. This year's title game trip is the fifth in program history after the Panthers also made three straight title games from 2014-16. Chapman won the tournament in 2014 as the No. 3 seed and again in 2016 as the No. 1 seed. Both wins came inside the Hutton Sports Center.
No. 2 – Senior stars
Senior stars Cruz Billings and Jake Heberle have each etched their name into Chapman history this season. With over-1600 points, Heberle became the all-time leading scorer in Chapman's Division III era. He ranks third in the Panther's 100-plus year history of men's basketball. No one has had more assists than Cruz Billings in Chapman history. With his third double-double of the season in the regular season finale, Billing surpassed 400 career assists. He became the all-time assists leader in Chapman history.
No. 3 – In the national rankings
Chapman has neared the top of the national rankings in a few statistical categories. The Panthers have made 77 percent of their free throws this season, ranking 16th nationally and second in the SCIAC. They hare also hitting three-pointers at a clip of 36.7 percent – 27th nationally and tops in the SCIAC. Cruz Billings ranks seventh nationally, shooting 90.4 percent from the free throw line.
No. 4 – Active leader
Cruz Billings 405 career assists rank as the eighth-most among active players in Division III. He is averaging a career-best 5.3 assists per game as a senior to boost his career average to over four per game. Billings is also averaging career-highs with 14.6 points per game and 2.8 rebounds per game.
No. 5 – Giant slayers
The Panthers' semifinal win over CMS was their third win over a nationally-ranked team. Chapman has wins over Redlands and CMS on its home floor when both were ranked in the top-10. For the first time this season, the Panthers beat a ranked team on the road with the win over No. 15 CMS.on Friday. Chapman used a SCIAC Tournament record 16 made three-pointers to pull off the upset.
