Thursday, March 3, 2016

LACEY, Wash. – The only that is certain entering the 2016 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championships is that nothing is certain.

In the first five years of the tournament, only twice has the top seed emerged as the champion. And with only the No. 1 seed secured before the final week of the season, there are no guarantees for any team as action begins on Thursday afternoon at Saint Martin’s University’s Marcus Pavilion.

If there is any certainty in the tournament field it is that the No. 1 seed will be hard to beat. Western Oregon won its second straight GNAC regular season championship with an 18-2 record (25-3 overall) and at one point owned a 13-game win streak. The Wolves are currently the No. 1 ranked team in the West Region and this week ranked fourth in the D2SIDA Division II Media Poll and No. 6 in the NABC Division II Poll.

Led by two-time GNAC Player of the Year Andy Avgi, who averages 20.6 points per game, the Wolves have succeeded with defense and taking care of the ball. Western Oregon is limiting teams to 69.2 points per game and leads the GNAC in steals (8.64 per game), paced by Tanner Omlid’s 2.38 steals per game, which ranks ninth in Division II. On the offensive end, the Wolves are second in Division II in fewest turnovers with 254, averaging just over nine per game.

While Western Oregon hopes to return a No. 1 seed to the podium, Seattle Pacific aims to continue its tournament dominance. The No. 4 seed, the Falcons are the three-time defending champions and won last year as the No. 2 seed. Seattle Pacific finished the regular season at 21-7 and tied with Alaska Anchorage for third in the GNAC standings at 14-6. The Falcons enter the tournament ranked No. 24 in the D2SIDA Division II Media Poll.

The Falcons are the strongest defensive team in the league. They enter the tournament leading Division II in rebounding margin (12.5) and are ranked second in three-point defense (.292), fourth in scoring defense (64.9 points allowed per game) and 13th in field goal defense (.401). First Team All-GNAC forward Mitch Penner leads the team offensively, averaging 18 points per game, while senior center Gilles Dierickx is fourth in the league in field goal shooting (.572) and fifth in rebounding (6.9 per game).

Alaska used a strong second half to secure the No. 2 seed, winning eight of its last nine games. The Nanooks have also benefitted from stingy defense, ranking 16th in Division II in field goal defense (.403), 18th in turnover margin (+4.7) and 25th in scoring margin (10.5). Alaska also leads the GNAC and is 21st in Division II in assists, averaging 17 per game.

Senior forward Travante Williams earned First Team All-GNAC honors. The transfer from Adams State College ranks third in the GNAC in scoring at 18.4 points per game and is second with 7.6 rebounds per game. Defensively, Williams leads the GNAC and is eighth in Division II with 2.39 steals per game. Senior center Almir Hadzisehovic is the conference’s most accurate shooter with his .622 field goal percentage ranking 13th in Division II.

The No. 3 seed in the tournament, Alaska Anchorage brings a very athletic lineup to Lacey. The Seawolves are led by junior transfer guard Sekou Wiggs, who was named First Team All-GNAC selection and the league’s Newcomer of the Year. Wiggs leads the GNAC and is ninth in Division II in scoring at 24.2 points per game while also ranking third in rebounding with 7.2 boards per contest. He is bolstered by the league’s top rebounder in junior Corey Hammell (10.2 rebounds per game) and one of the top three-point shooters in Diante Mitchell (.453).

The Seawolves enters the week ranked 28th in Division II in scoring margin, outscoring teams by an average of 10.1 points per game, but do their most damage at the free throw line. Alaska Anchorage is second in Division II, having made 80.2 percent of their free throws, and leads the nation with 680 free throws made.

Central Washington is the No. 5 seed and is one of the most potent offensive teams in the league. The Wildcats enter the tournament second in the GNAC in scoring (84.0 points per game), field goal percentage (.475) and three-point percentage (.374). The Wildcats are also a solid defensive team, ranking third in rebounding (39.4 rebounds per game) while ranking 25th in Division II with 4.6 blocked shots per game.

Senior forward Joseph Stroud picked up First Team All-GNAC honors and was selected as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. The Wildcats’ leading scorer and rebounder with averages of 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, Stroud enters the week 11th in Division II with 2.68 blocked shots per game. Senior guard Gary Jacobs adds significant support, averaging 14.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Western Washington enters as the No. 6 seed, but proved a year ago that anything can happen in the tournament as it advanced to the championship game as the No. 5 seed. The Vikings lead the GNAC with an average of 84.1 points per game while ranking third in the GNAC in field goal percentage (.473).

The Vikings are the only GNAC team with three players in the conference’s top-10 in scoring. Senior forward Jeffrey Parker is fifth with 17.7 points per game and led the GNAC with 2.48 three-pointers made per game, earning First Team All-GNAC honors. Senior guard Ricardo Maxwell is seventh at 16.1 points per game while senior guard Kyle Impero is ninth at 15.1 points per game while also ranking fourth in rebounding at seven per game.

No. 3 Alaska Anchorage and No. 6 Western Washington will square off in the first quarterfinal on Thursday at noon. The winner will advance to face No. 2 Alaska in the semifinals on Friday at noon. The second quarterfinal on Thursday features No. 4 Seattle Pacific and No. 5 Central Washington at 2:15 p.m. The winner will face No. 1 seed Western Oregon on Friday at 2:15 p.m.

The championship game will take place on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The game, along with the women’s final, will be aired nationally by the American Sports Network as part of the Division II Basketball Showcase. All GNAC Championships games will be video streamed at GNAC.tv.