Saturday, February 29, 2020

PORTLAND, Ore. – After an exceptional season that saw the team come close to running the table, Seattle Pacific enters as the top seed in the 2020 GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships, which begin Thursday at Royal Brougham Pavilion in Seattle.

After opening the season 0-4, Seattle Pacific rebounded to have an exceptional run through the conference season. The Falcons enter the tournament with a 22-6 overall record and won the program’s first regular-season title since 2014 with an 18-2 conference mark to earn the No. 1 seed and a quarterfinals bye. The Falcons lead the GNAC in field goal percentage.

Western Washington earned the No. 2 seed and the other quarterfinals bye. The favorite in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Vikings finished in second place in the standings at 13-7, 18-10 overall. The Vikings return to the GNAC Championships for the first time since 2018.

Picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll, Western Oregon returns to the GNAC Championships as the No. 3 seed. Under first-year coach Wes Pifer, the Wolves finished the regular season at 19-7 overall and 13-7 in conference play. The Wolves enter the championships having won six of their last seven games and lead the GNAC in scoring offense and free-throw percentage.

After making the tournament last year for the first time in four years, Northwest Nazarene is back in the postseason. The Nighthawks are the No. 4 seed after finishing fourth in the regular-season standings at 12-8, 15-10 overall.

Alaska Anchorage earned the No. 5 seed, returning to the GNAC Championships after a one-year absence. The Seawolves finished at 11-9 in conference play, 18-13 overall. Alaska is in the tournament for the first time since 2016. The Nanooks are the No. 6 seed after finishing the regular season at 11-17, 10-10 GNAC.

The championships commence on Thursday with No. 3 Western Oregon and No. 6 Alaska squaring off at noon in a rematch of the teams’ regular-season finale on Saturday. The winner will face No. 2 Western Washington on Friday at noon. No. 4 Northwest Nazarene and No. 5 Alaska Anchorage will play at 2:15 p.m., with the winner will face No. 1 Seattle Pacific on Friday at 2:15 p.m. The championship final will be played on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Tickets for the GNAC Championships can be purchased online at GNACTickets.com. Live webcasts of all tournament games will be available through the conference’s streaming portal, GNAC.tv. The GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships will be played in conjunction with the GNAC Women’s Basketball Championships, which will also be played at Seattle Pacific from March 5-7.

GNAC MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Royal Brougham Pavilion, Seattle, Wash.
Thursday, March 5 (Quarterfinals)
No. 3 Western Oregon vs. No. 6 Alaska, Noon
No. 4 Northwest Nazarene vs. No. 5 Alaska Anchorage, 2:15 p.m.

Friday, March 6 (Semifinals)
Western Oregon/Alaska winner vs. No. 2 Western Washington, Noon
Northwest Nazarene/Alaska Anchorage winner vs. No. 1 Seattle Pacific, 2:15 p.m.

Saturday, March 7
Championship Game, 5 p.m.