Sunday, March 10, 2024
by Evan O'Kelly, Assistant Commissioner For Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – A trio of Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball teams punched their tickets to the NCAA West Region Championships, as the eight-team regional field was unveiled on Sunday night.

GNAC regular-season champion Montana State Billings earned the No. 3 seed, and will square off against No. 6 seed Chico State. GNAC Championships title winner Central Washington claimed the No. 5 seed and will take on No. 4 Cal State Dominguez Hills, while Alaska Anchorage claimed the No. 7 seed and will face No. 2 seed Cal State San Bernardino.

Cal State LA earned the region’s top seed, and will play host to the event which kicks off next weekend. Championship details, including game times and ticket information, will be provided ahead of the tournament’s opening round.

The Wildcats clinched their first NCAA regional berth since 2011 by virtue of an inspirational tournament victory on their home floor over the weekend. The No. 4 seed entering the tournament, CWU knocked off Seattle Pacific, Montana State Billings and Alaska Anchorage on consecutive days to earn the conference’s automatic berth into the regional championships. The Wildcats went 21-9 leading up to the regional and tied for third in the GNAC standings with a conference record of 11-7. CWU also completed its 2023-24 home schedule with a stellar 16-1 record.

The Yellowjackets endured a heartbreaking 81-80 loss to the Wildcats in Friday’s GNAC Championships semifinals, but boasted a strong enough resume to earn an at-large berth into the regional championships. MSUB enters the championship tournament with a record of 20-9, and claimed its first-ever GNAC regular-season championship after going 14-4 in conference games. MSUB reached the regional tournament for the second straight season, after falling 63-57 last year to eventual regional champion Cal State San Bernardino in the opening round.

Alaska Anchorage proved its mettle by advancing to the GNAC Championships title game, where it fell to CWU 78-69 on Saturday night. The Seawolves upset No. 3 seed Saint Martin’s and No. 2 seed Northwest Nazarene on their way to an at-large regional berth – their first since the 2012 season. UAA enters the regional tournament with a record of 22-10 on the season, and finished 10-8 in conference play to tie for fifth place.