Three teams, two playoff berths, one day remaining in the season

VALLEJO, Calif. – Entering Saturday's 8:30 p.m. Senior Night showdown vs. rival Pacific Union, Cal Maritime is one of three teams (La Sierra and Simpson are the other two) battling for two open spots at the Cal Pac Men's Basketball Championship since all three school hold identical conference records entering the final day of the season.

The Keelhaulers' mission is simple: win and you are in the postseason.

Saturday's full playoff situation is a little more complicated than controlling your own destiny, which is why all eyes will follow action in Vallejo between CSUM and Pacific Union, and Riverside where La Sierra and Simpson will face one another. Coincidentally, these are the final two Cal Pac games to tip-off with action inside PEAC Main Gym scheduled to begin 15 minutes before the Golden Eagles and Red Hawks tip-off (8:45 p.m.).

As the regular season champions, UC Merced will enter the league's postseason tournament, an event it will host next week, as its top seed with Westcliff set at the #2 seed, regardless of what happens in any game this Saturday.

The winner of the Simpson at La Sierra game will clinch the #3 seed; if the Red Hawks lose, they will still advance if CSUM loses to Pacific Union due to the Cal Pac's second tiebreaker, other conference wins in descending order of the conference standings, thanks to a victory over Westcliff.

As stated earlier, Cal Maritime is in full control of its postseason fate: beat PUC and advance as the #4 seed.

If the Keelhaulers lose Saturday's season finale, there is one way they still advance as long as Simpson wins its game.

A loss by the Golden Eagles drops them to 3-7, either behind a victorious CSUM (4-6) or in a tricky three-way tie at 3-7 if PUC downs the Keelhaulers. Since each team defeated the other, and each holds the same results against all the other league teams, the #3 tiebreaker comes into play: road conference wins.

The Keelhaulers notched two Cal Pac road wins — at Simpson and at PUC — while LSU (at Simpson) and PUC (at CSUM) have only one. In this scenario, CSUM advances.

As a Cal Maritime fan, there are two scenarios you want to take place this Saturday, or your team's season is over. The simplest, and clean scenario is the one you want the most: beat your rival from Angwin. If that does not take place, become, albeit briefly, a Simpson fan because a Keelhaulers loss, combined with La Sierra defeating the Red Hawks, is the only combination of events that end CSUM's season Saturday night.