Wednesday, February 14, 2024
by Evan O'Kelly, Assistant Commissioner For Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – With three weeks remaining in the 2023-24 Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball regular season, all 10 teams remain in the mix for a postseason berth.

The Yellowjackets of Montana State Billings lead the way at 17-6 overall and 11-2 in conference play, holding a 1.5-game lead over second-place No. 13 Saint Martin’s (19-3, 9-3 GNAC). Northwest Nazarene (13-8, 9-4) and Central Washington (15-7, 8-5) are the other GNAC teams with winning conference records and occupy the third and fourth spots, respectively.

If the season ended today, Western Washington (14-10, 6-7) and Seattle Pacific (13-13, 6-7) would claim the final two GNAC Championships berths. But Alaska Anchorage (15-8, 5-7) sits just a half game back of those two and holds home court advantage in this week’s games. A late surge from Simon Fraser (6-18, 4-9) has brought the Red Leafs playoff hope, while both Alaska (5-15, 3-9) and Western Oregon (5-15, 2-10) remain in the hunt with six games left on their schedules.

‘JACKETS LOOK TO KEEP BALL ROLLING AT HOME: Winners of three straight, Montana State Billings will look to bolster its grip on the top spot in the conference with home games against Western Oregon on Thursday (7 p.m. MT) and No. 13 Saint Martin’s on Saturday (2 p.m. MT). The Saints emerged with a 69-63 triumph over the Yellowjackets the first time the teams met in Lacey on Jan. 18, holding MSUB to its lowest point total of the 2023-24 season.

Read More: Yellowjackets Down WWU (MSUB Recap)

MSUB has never won a GNAC regular-season title, with its closest bid being last year’s second-place finish one game behind the two-time reigning champion Saints. MSUB rode the performance of senior Zharon Richmond to a pair of victories last week, while Jalen Tot sits sixth in the conference in scoring (15.1 ppg) and Daniel Moody is second in rebounding (8.3 rpg).

BENZEL BIG FOR WOLVES: Western Oregon senior Cameron Benzel has fueled the offense this season, and ranks eighth in Division II basketball with a field-goal percentage of 62.9. The Wolves are in need of a breakthrough to snap out of their current four-game losing skid as they hit the road this week. WOU has competed closely more often than not, with three of their last four losses being by two possessions or less.

SAINTS HAVE 3-PEAT ON MINDS: Saint Martin’s has been the conference’s top-ranked team in the national polls all season long, and has its sights set on becoming just the second team to win three consecutive regular-season titles since the GNAC was founded in 2001. A win on Saturday afternoon in the Magic City would increase the likelihood of the rare feat, as the Saints will have to get through the first-place Yellowjackets a second time in order to get to the top of the GNAC standings.

Jaden Nielsen-Skinner is among the top point guards in the country, leading the GNAC and ranking fourth nationally with an assist-turnover ratio of 3.6. The junior’s 4.8 assists per game lead the conference and rank 38th in Division II as well. Kyle Greeley is one of the league’s top all-around players, ranking third in scoring (17.3 ppg) and sixth in rebounding (7.1 rpg).

Read More: Saints Soar In Monmouth (SMU Recap)

WILDCATS, NIGHTHAWKS CLASH IN NAMPA: Central Washington bounced back nicely last week, beating both Alaska schools after enduring a pair of road losses the week before. CWU begins a three-game road stretch with a Saturday night matchup against Northwest Nazarene (7 p.m. MT), as the Wildcats look to secure a berth for the event’s first-time appearance at their home Nicholson Pavilion. Northwest Nazarene meanwhile hopes to maintain its one-game advantage over its travel partner and make its fifth straight GNAC Championships tournament appearance dating back to the 2018-19 season.

The Wildcats are fueled by Samaad Hector, who leads the GNAC with 8.6 rebounds per game and 1.4 blocks per game. Hector (13.4 ppg) and Anjaylo Lloyd (13.5 ppg) provide the bulk of the scoring for CWU. NNU meanwhile relies on the presence of Gabriel Murphy under the bucket, as the big man averages 7.5 rebounds per game to rank fourth in the league. Murphy is coming off a pair of big performances last week, including his third 20-point game of the season in NNU’s 80-74 triumph over Alaska Anchorage. Tru Allen leads the GNAC with 2.6 steals per game, a figure that ranks sixth nationally.

Read More: Wildcats Earn 11th Home Win (CWU Recap)

ANDERSON SCORING AT WILL: Seattle Pacific’s Shaw Anderson had another headline scoring week, totaling 52 points in the Falcons’ road losses to Western Washington and Simon Fraser. Anderson poured in a season-high 32 points against the Vikings, marking his GNAC-leading fifth 30-point game of the season. The GNAC preseason player of the year climbed to No. 9 in GNAC history with 1,854 career points. SPU will look to take advantage of being on its home court this week, with important matchups against No. 13 Saint Martin’s (Thursday, 7 p.m. PT) and Western Oregon (Saturday, 2 p.m. PT).

Read More: Falcons Return Home For Crucial Conference Games (SPU Preview)

JOHNSON AT TOP OF SCORING LIST: Western Washington’s Kai Johnson remains atop the GNAC scoring list, averaging 21.9 points per game to rank ninth nationally. The junior just missed his first double-double of the year against Seattle Pacific, pouring in 21 points and adding nine rebounds in 36 minutes of action. The Vikings will look to keep a grip on their current playoff spot in the standings with an important road trip to the Last Frontier this weekend.

Read More: Vikings Drop Tight Game Vs. First-Place MSUB (WWU Recap)

SEAWOLVES, NANOOKS PLAY HOST: Both Alaska and Alaska Anchorage host crucial conference contests this week, as Simon Fraser and Western Washington make the trek north. Both teams were beaten by Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene last week on the road, as they look to right the ship and remain in postseason contention. Alaska’s Abdullahi Mohamed is among the conference’s top players, ranking fourth in scoring (15.7 ppg), 10th in rebounding (6.1 rpg), and fourth in blocks (1.1 bpg). The Seawolves’ Tyson Gilbert is among the conference’s elite guards, ranking second in assist-turnover ratio (3.0) and seventh in scoring (14.9 ppg).

Read More: Men Host Critical Clashes With SFU, WWU (UAA Preview)

Eric Beckett – Simon Fraser

The Red Leafs’ sudden jolt has correlated with Beckett’s insertion into the starting lineup, as he has reached double figures in scoring in each of the team’s last four games. Beckett played a total of 55 minutes in four games through the end of January, but has averaged 23.3 minutes per game since joining the starting lineup on Feb. 1 in the team’s 88-87 overtime win at Western Oregon. Since then the junior has shot 63.0% from the field (17-for-27) and has keyed the team’s surge up the GNAC standings.

Read More: Red Leafs Win 3 Of Last 4 Contests (SFU Recap)

The Saints held at No. 13 in the latest NABC rankings, and moved up one spot to No. 8 in the latest D2CSC national poll. SMU jumped back into the top spot in the D2CSC regional rankings, while MSUB climbed to fifth and CWU jumped back into the regional rankings at No. 9.

The initial Bevo Francis Award top-100 list featured the name of Saint Martin’s senior guard Kyle Greeley. The award honors the top player within small college basketball annually, and will be refined later in the season as the field of candidates is narrowed down.

With non-conference play having concluded for the 2023-24 season, the GNAC realized notable success among the three NCAA Division II west region conferences. GNAC schools went 29-23 (.558) against CCAA and PacWest opposition during early season competition. Saint Martin’s led the way going 5-0 against the PacWest and 2-0 against the CCAA, while Central Washington went 4-2 against regional foes.

Read More: GNAC Post Winning Marks Against CCAA, PacWest Hoops Opposition (GNAC Commissioner’s Corner)

Through games Feb. 13.