Tuesday, March 6, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – With the conference basketball championships in the rear-view, six GNAC teams look to make a deep run in 2018 NCAA Division West Regionals this weekend. Western Oregon head men’s basketball coach Jim Shaw, Saint Martin’s athletic director Bob Grisham and Montana State Billings athletic director Krista Montague all joined Insider to talk about their respective basketball programs tonight at 7 p.m., Pacific. The show was hosted by Rob Lowery.

In his third year at the helm, Shaw has made tremendous strides with a senior-heavy Wolves team. Earning its second regular-season title and GNAC championship in three years, Western Oregon will host the NCAA Division II Men’s West Regional this weekend as it enters with the nation’s longest win streak at 22. Western Oregon defeated Saint Martin’s in the GNAC Championships final, 65-55, Saturday and will host No. 8 seed Point Loma in the opening round of the regional tournament on Friday. The Wolves are 3-1 all-time in regional play and are 5-0 against PacWest conference teams this season.

In his 32nd year as director of athletics at Saint Martin’s, Grisham will watch the Saints play in its first-ever men’s basketball regional contest. Knocking off No. 2 seed Western Washington in the GNAC Championships semis, Saint Martin’s enters the Division II West Regionals as the No. 5 seed and will take on No. 4 seed Cal Poly Pomona this Friday at 5 p.m. Currently at 24-7, SMU has eclipsed the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign.

Speaking of program-firsts, Montana State Billings women’s basketball won its first-ever GNAC championship Saturday night at the Alaska Airlines Center after taking down No. 3 seed Seattle Pacific. Serving a four-year term on the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball National Committee, Montague is one of eight NCAA Division II regional advisory representatives. The Yellowjackets enter the regional as the No. 7 seed and will take on PacWest champion, No. 2 seed Hawaii Pacific on Friday in Azusa, Calif.