SAINTS RIDE INTO GNAC PLAY IN DRIVER’S SEAT: The 2023-24 preseason favorite, No. 6 Saint Martin’s (7-0) cruises into conference play on a seven-game winning streak to start the season. The Saints took care of Dominican 106-73 and Academy of Art 92-81 last week, marking their highest two point totals of the season. SMU will jump into conference play hosting Northwest Nazarene (2-3) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Central Washington (4-2) on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. at Marcus Pavilion.

Featuring one of the most balanced rosters in the conference, SMU has relied on Kyle Greeley as its leading scorer as he ranks third in the GNAC with 17.4 points per game. Tyke Thompson is third in the GNAC with 7.6 rebounds per game, and Jaden Nielsen-Skinner is third in the conference with 4.0 assists per game. The Saints are one of the top shooting teams in the NCAA, ranking eighth in Division II in 3-point % at 43.5, and receive a plethora of scoring as they rank 20th in Division II in bench points per game at 38.14.

Read More: Saints Bring Hot Start Into Home Schedule (SMU Preview)

SEAWOLVES ROCKET INTO RANKINGS: Matching the Saints win-for-win in the early going has been No. 23 Alaska Anchorage (8-0), which leaves its home state for the first time this season to begin conference play at Montana State Billings (3-3) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and at Seattle Pacific (4-6) on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. UAA is coming off back-to-back wins over Adams State last week, topping the Grizzlies 83-67 last Friday and doubling down with a 66-52 triumph in the rematch last Saturday.

Dillon Barrientos ranks second in the GNAC with 4.3 assists per game and Sawyer Storms is fourth with 3.8, a big factor in the Seawolves ranking fifth in Division II with 21.1 assists per game. UAA’s assist/turnover ratio of 1.62 leads the conference and ranks 13th nationally, and the Seawolves’ 55.5 points allowed per game is the third-best mark nationally. Tyson Gilbert is UAA’s leading scorer with 15.1 points per game, while Storms leads the team with 6.3 rebounds per game. The Seawolves are the top team in the GNAC in scoring margin, ranking 20th nationally at plus-20.8.

Read More: #23 UAA Opens GNAC Play At Billings, SPU (UAA Preview)

MONMOUTH Q’D UP FOR GNAC OPENER: Western Oregon (3-3) plays host to CWU and NNU this weekend featuring the NCAA’s leader in assists, Qiant Myers. The junior guard leads Division II with 8.7 assists per game – 52 total – while scoring at a clip of 17.4 points which ranks him fourth in the GNAC. The Wolves will be well-rested heading into Thursday’s tilt against the Wildcats, as they were last on the court on Nov. 21 in an 80-71 win over NCAA DIII Linfield.

Read More: Wolve Pull Away Late Against Pesky Linfield Squad (WOU Recap)

VIKINGS, LEAFS OPEN W/BORDER BATTLE: After a bye on Thursday, Western Washington (6-3) and Simon Fraser (2-7) will kick off their conference slate with a meeting at Sam Carver Gym in Bellingham. The Vikings won their lone game last week 122-61 over Douglas, while the Red Leafs slipped up 64-59 against Regis and 88-59 against MSU Denver over Thanksgiving weekend.

Kai Johnson has been the early scoring star for WWU as he leads the league with 21.2 points per game. Johnson’s 191 total points scored are the most in Division II basketball through the first month of the season. Jonathan Ned is second in the conference with 2.0 steals per game, and is one of the top perimeter shooters with a GNAC-leading 2.8 treys per game. As a team, WWU’s 90.3 points per game are the most in the conference, and its scoring margin of plus-11.3 ranks third.

Read More: Vikings Double Up Douglas (WWU Recap)

SFU has been led by Elliot Dimaculangan who averages 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Sasha Vujisic poses a threat in the paint with a GNAC second-best 1.3 blocks per game, and SFU ranks second as a team with 3.7 denials per game.

FALCONS HOST NANOOKS, SEAWOLVES: Brougham Pavilion will open its doors to conference play on Thursday night, when Seattle Pacific (4-6) plays host to Alaska (1-5) at 7:30 p.m. The Falcons will then face the challenge of the undefeated Seawolves on Saturday with a 4:15 p.m. tipoff. SPU picked up an 82-78 triumph over Sonoma State last week, before falling to MSU Denver 77-75 and Regis 65-56.

GNAC Preseason Player of the Year Shaw Anderson has come as advertised to start the season, ranking second in the conference with 18.7 points per game. Trace Evans is SPU’s top rebounder at 6.8 boards per game, and as a team SPU is in the upper half of the conference in 3-point shooting at 37.4 percent.

Read More: Falcons Open GNAC Play This Weekend (SPU Preview)

For Alaska, Abdullahi Mohamed has paced the team with 15.6 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game which both rank him fifth in the conference. The Nanooks lost 83-64 to Cal State Monterey Bay and 76-52 to Cal State East Bay in last week’s games.

YELLOWJACKETS AMID LONG HOME STRETCH: Montana State Billings opens conference play in the midst of a seven-game homestand and coming off a 71-46 blowout of South Dakota Mines last Saturday. After hosting the undefeated Seawolves on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., MSUB welcomes Alaska on Saturday with a 4:15 p.m. tipoff at Alterowitz Gym.

Newcomer Famous Lefthand has made a positive impression through his first six games as a Yellowjacket, leading the team and ranking 10th in the conference with 13.0 points per game. MSUB’s Daniel Moody ranks second in the league with 7.7 rebounds per game, Jalen Tot is fifth with 3.3 assists per game and Emmanuel Ajanaku is second in field-goal percentage at 65.5. MSUB has relied on a defense that allows a GNAC-third best 68.3 points per game on the way to a .500 record thus far.

Read More: ‘Jackets Down SD Mines In Dominating Fashion (MSUB Recap)

ON THE ROAD AGAIN, CWU FACES BIG EARLY TEST: Playing away from Nicholson Pavilion for the second straight week, Central Washington gets its conference schedule started at Western Oregon Thursday (5:15 p.m.) and at Saint Martin’s on Saturday (5:15 p.m.). The Wildcats are coming off an 81-47 trouncing of Azusa Pacific last Saturday, after a narrow 79-75 defeat to Point Loma the night before in Nampa, Idaho.

CWU boasts a defense that ranks second in the conference with 66.7 points allowed per game, and is among the league’s best shooting teams ranking second in field-goal percentage at 50.4. Samaad Hector is the Wildcats’ top scorer at 12.0 points per game and leads the GNAC with a field-goal percentage of 69.0. Hector also leads the team with 6.3 boards per game, and Seth Dawson has a team-best 3.0 assists per game.

Read More: Wildcats Start GNAC Action On The Road (CWU Preview)

NIGHTHAWKS HAVE FIRST TRUE ROAD CONTESTS: Although NNU will be making its second trip of the regular season to play at Saint Martin’s Thursday (7:30 p.m.) and Western Oregon Saturday (2 p.m.), it will be the first true road environment for the Nighthawks and first-year head coach Jon Hawkins. NNU knocked off Azusa Pacific 67-60 last Friday before a 73-70 loss to Point Loma.

Preseason all-conference selection Gabriel Murphy has been effective through his first five games, leading the GNAC with 9.6 rebounds and ranking ninth in scoring with 13.4 points per game. Tru Allen leads the conference with 3.4 steals per game while ranking eighth with 14.2 points per game.

Read More: NNU Holds Off Azusa Pacific For Thanksgiving Victory (NNU Recap)

Player of the Week – Shaw Anderson, Seattle Pacific

Sixth-career Player of the Week, first this season.

Anderson was instrumental in the Falcons’ 82-78 win over Sonoma State to start the week, making 11 of 18 shots on his way to 29 points. Anderson followed with 17 points against MSU Denver and 16 points against Regis and finished the week shooting an even 50.0% (23-for-46). Anderson added 16 rebounds, maintained an assist-turnover ratio of 1.1 and contributed three blocked shots while making 16 of 20 free throws (80.0%).

“When the game is close down the stretch we lean on him quite a bit,” said SPU head coach Keffrey Fazio, after Anderson averaged 38.3 minutes including playing all 40 against MSU Denver. “That’s something he wants from a leadership standpoint, and we are just lucky he is on our team. He’s a really determined kid who has a lot of confidence, which comes from the work he puts into his game. The combination of being the talented player he is with having the unquestioned trust of your teammates is a special place for him to be operating from.”

Also Nominated: Sawyer Storms, UAA; Abdullahi Mohamed, UAF; Anjaylo Lloyd, CWU; Famous Lefthand, MSUB; Tru Allen, NNU; Marcel Stevens, SMU; Elliot Dimaculangan, SFU; Qiant Myers, WOU; Kai Johnson, WWU.

The 2023-24 GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships will be held March at Nicholson Pavilion on the campus of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash. The top-six teams in the final GNAC regular-season standings will advance to the single-elimination tournament. The winner of the event will earn the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA West Region Championships.