By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. – Two weeks remain in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball regular season as the title race begins to come into full focus.
Central Washington (17-7, 11-3 GNAC) holds a one-game lead in the win column ahead of Seattle Pacific (14-12, 10-5) as the Wildcats have a slight edge in pursuit of their second GNAC regular-season title and first since the 2010-11 campaign. The Falcons meanwhile are looking for their fifth conference title, which would tie them with Western Washington for most by any GNAC school if they can catch CWU in the standings.
Ahead of Thursday’s action the crowded standings feature eight teams who still have the chance to clinch the five remaining GNAC Championships tournament berths. Among the teams on the outside looking in, Alaska Fairbanks (10-13, 6-8) holds the best positioning as it sits two games behind Saint Martin’s (19-8, 8-6) for the final berth. Simon Fraser (9-16, 5-10) and Alaska Anchorage (11-16, 4-10) are each also still in the race but face must-win games the rest of the season.
| This Week's GNAC Men's Basketball Schedule |
| Home Team |
Thursday, Feb. 20 |
Saturday, Feb. 22 |
| Alaska Anchorage |
Montana State Billings (7:30 p.m. AK) |
Seattle Pacific (7:30 p.m. AK) |
| Alaska Fairbanks |
Seattle Pacific (7:30 p.m. AK) |
Montana State Billings (3:15 p.m. AK) |
| Central Washington |
Western Oregon (7:30 p.m. PT) |
Saint Martin's (6:15 p.m. PT) |
| Northwest Nazarene |
Saint Martin's (7:30 p.m. PT) |
Western Oregon (7:30 p.m. PT) |
| Western Washington |
BYE |
Simon Fraser (3 p.m. PT) |
The 2025 GNAC Men’s and Women's Basketball Championships will be held March 6-8 at Marcus Pavilion on the campus of Saint Martin's University in
Lacey, Wash. The top six teams in the GNAC standings at the end of the regular season will advance to the GNAC Championships (tiebreakers will be applied as necessary). The top two seeds earn byes to the semifinal round. The quarterfinal round will match the Nos. 3 and 6 seeds in one game and the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds in the other game. Quarterfinal winners will advance to Friday's semifinals. Semifinal winners will meet on Saturday for the championship. The winners of the GNAC Championships will automatically qualify for their respective NCAA Division II Championships events.
| Initial NCAA Regional Rankings Released |
The first NCAA regional rankings of the 2024-25 season, which will ultimately determine the eight-team regional playoff field upon the conclusion of the regular season, were unveiled on Wednesday. Teams under consideration were posted in alphabetical order, with Central Washington, Montana State Billings, Northwest Nazarene, Saint Martin’s and Western Washington giving the GNAC half of the 10 teams in the rankings. Next week’s rankings will be the first released in numerical order.
NIELSEN-SKINNER NEARS 600 ASSISTS: Entering this week’s games, Saint Martin’s senior guard
Jaden Nielsen-Skinner is fourth in GNAC history with 593 career assists. He is just seven shy of becoming the second player in league history to eclipse the 600-career assist plateau, and he leads the league with 5.6 assists per game this season.
| GNAC Career Assists Leaders (as of Feb. 19, 2025) |
| Rank |
Player |
Assists |
School |
Career |
| 1 |
Luke Cooper |
800 |
Alaska Anchorage |
2004-08 |
| 2 |
Kevin Tyner |
600 |
Western Oregon |
2002-06 |
| 3 |
Mark White |
594 |
Humboldt State |
2000-04 |
| 4 |
Jaden Nielsen-Skinner |
593 |
Saint Martin's |
2021-25 |
| 5 |
David Downs |
561 |
Seattle Pacific |
2010-14 |
| 6 |
Ryan Webb |
548 |
Seattle |
2003-07 |
| 7 |
Jake Linton |
496 |
Saint Martin's |
2005-09 |
| 8 |
Michael Provenzano |
482 |
Simon Fraser |
2016-20 |
| 9 |
Tony Binetti |
461 |
Seattle Pacific |
2002-06 |
| 10 |
Riley Stockton |
444 |
Seattle Pacific |
2011-15 |
| GNAC In The National & Regional Rankings |
National top-25 rankings are released weekly by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (coach poll) and the D2 College Sports Communicators (media poll). The D2CSC also releases weekly regional top-10 rankings. Additional ranking information, including RPI projections, can be found in real time via
Inkblot Sports online here. The official NCAA regional rankings, which will eventually determine the eight-team field for the 2025 NCAA West Region Championships, will be released towards the end of the season beginning in February, 2025.
| NABC National Top-25 Poll |
| Poll |
Team 1 |
Team 2 |
| Preseason (10/30) |
15. CWU |
RV MSUB |
| Week 1 (11/18) |
16. SMU |
RV WWU |
| Week 2 (11/26) |
17. SMU |
RV WWU |
| Week 3 (12/3) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 4 (12/10) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 5 (12/17 |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 6 (12/31) |
22. SMU |
RV NNU |
| Week 7 (1/7) |
18. SMU |
RV NNU |
| Week 8 (1/14) |
17. SMU |
RV NNU |
| Week 9 (1/21) |
RV NNU |
RV SMU |
| Week 10 (1/28) |
25 SMU |
|
| Week 11 (2/4) |
None |
|
| Week 12 (2/11) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 13 (2/18) |
None |
|
| D2CSC National Top-25 Poll |
| Poll |
Team 1 |
Team 2 |
| Week 1 (11/11) |
16. SMU |
RV MSUB |
| Week 2 (11/18) |
12. SMU |
RV WWU |
| Week 3 (11/25) |
15. SMU |
RV WWU |
| Week 4 (12/3) |
T25. SMU |
|
| Week 5 (12/10) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 6 (12/17) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 7 (1/7) |
11. SMU |
RV NNU |
| Week 8 (1/14) |
8. SMU |
|
| Week 9 (1/21) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 10 (1/28) |
19 SMU |
|
| Week 11 (2/4) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 12 (2/11) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 13 (2/18) |
None |
|
| D2CSC West Region Rankings |
| Poll |
Team 1 |
Team 2 |
Team 3 |
Team 4 |
Team 5 |
| Week 1 (11/4) |
4. CWU |
6. MSUB |
10. SMU |
RV NNU |
RV WWU |
| Week 2 (11/11) |
3. SMU |
4. MSUB |
T6. WWU |
RV CWU |
RV NNU |
| Week 3 (11/18) |
2. SMU |
4. WWU |
6. MSUB |
10. NNU |
|
| Week 4 (11/25) |
3. SMU |
6. WWU |
T7. MSUB |
9. NNU |
|
| Week 5 (12/2) |
4. SMU |
T6. WWU |
8. MSUB |
10. CWU |
RV NNU |
| Week 6 (12/9) |
4. SMU |
6. CWU |
7. MSUB |
9. NNU |
RV WWU |
| Week 7 (12/16) |
T3. SMU |
7. CWU |
8. MSUB |
10. NNU |
RV WWU |
| Week 8 (1/6) |
1. SMU |
T4. NNU |
10. MSUB |
|
|
| Week 9 (1/13) |
1. SMU |
T5. NNU |
10. CWU |
RV MSUB |
|
| Week 10 (1/20) |
4. SMU |
5. NNU |
6. CWU |
|
|
| Week 11 (1/27) |
2. SMU |
5. NNU |
7. CWU |
|
|
| Week 12 (2/3) |
3. SMU |
6. CWU |
8. NNU |
|
|
| Week 13 (2/10) |
4. SMU |
5. CWU |
7. NNU |
RV WWU |
|
| Week 14 (2/17) |
5. CWU |
6. NNU |
8. SMU |
9. WWU |
RV MSUB |
| Date |
Player of the Week |
School |
| 11/4 |
Myles Samuels |
Saint Martin's |
| 11/11 |
Will Wilson |
Western Washington |
| 11/18 |
Louis Grante-Halliday |
Western Washington |
| 11/25 |
Irish Coquia |
Simon Fraser |
| 12/2 |
Garrett Anderson |
Central Washington |
| 12/9 |
Bishop Tosi |
Alaska Anchorage |
| 12/23 |
Kye Dickson |
Northwest Nazarene |
| 1/6 |
Sean Evans |
Alaska Anchorage |
| 1/13 |
Jaxon Nap |
Seattle Pacific |
| 1/20 |
Will Wilson |
Western Washington |
| 1/27 |
Kael Robinson |
Montana State Billings |
| 2/3 |
Brendon Johnson |
Montana State Billings |
| 2/10 |
Garrett Anderson |
Central Washington |
| 2/17 |
Tijan Saine |
Western Washington |
Feb. 17 GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Tijan Saine – Western Washington University
First-career player of the week.
Saine led the Vikings to a pair of road victories putting up off the charts offensive numbers. The sophomore guard led all GNAC players with 66 points on the week, including a career-high 37 in the team’s 87-78 victory over Western Oregon last Thursday. He followed that effort with 29 points and eight assists in WWU’s 91-81 triumph over Saint Martin’s on Saturday. Saine knocked down 17 of 30 shots (56.7%) including 8 of 13 threes (61.5%), and made 24 of 25 free throws (96.0%). He added 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game to his stellar stat line, and played all 80 minutes on the week.
WWU Head Coach Tony Dominguez: “Tijan has been a strong leader for us all year and stepped up this weekend offensively when needed. He has a great ability to make guys around him better and was picking his moments well. He has a positive energy that really showed through on the road.”
Also Nominated: Bishop Tosi, Alaska Anchorage; Isaiah Saams-Hoy, Alaska Fairbanks; Maverick Sanders, Central Washington; Kael Robinson, Montana State Billings; Omar Ege Peksari, Saint Martin’s; Mason Landdeck, Seattle Pacific; Irish Coquia, Simon Fraser.
| 2024-25 All-Tournament Selections |
D2CCA Tipoff Classic at the Trailhead
Nov. 1-3 at Billings, Mont. (Montana State Billings, Host)
Alaska Anchorage: Tyler Burraston
MSU Billings: Famous Lefthand; Kael Robinson
D2CCA Canadian Tipoff Classic
Nov. 1-3 at Langley, B.C. (Simon Fraser, Host)
Saint Martin’s: Myles Samuels; Jaden Nielsen-Skinner; Jayshawn Moore
West Region Crossover
Nov. 8-9 at Bellingham, Wash. (Western Washington, Host)
Simon Fraser: Luke Howard
Western Washington: Will Wilson (MVP); Grant Kepley; Trevor White
| 2024-25 GNAC Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team |
| Preseason Player of the Year: Jalen Tot, Montana State Billings |
| Name |
School |
Position |
Height |
Year |
Hometown |
Previous School |
| Dillon Barrientos |
Alaska Anchorage |
Guard |
6-1 |
Senior |
Santa Clarita, CA |
College of the Canyons |
| Bishop Tosi |
Alaska Anchorage |
Forward |
6-6 |
Junior |
Anchorage, AK |
Bellevue College |
| Jordan Clark |
Central Washington |
Guard |
6-2 |
Sophomore |
Renton, WA |
Seattle Christian |
| Maverick Sanders |
Central Washington |
Forward |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
Spokane, WA |
Mt. Spokane |
| Famous Lefthand |
Montana State Billings |
Guard |
6-3 |
Senior |
Crow Agency, MT |
United Tribes Tech. Coll. |
| Jalen Tot |
Montana State Billings |
Guard |
6-0 |
Senior |
Dallas, TX |
Dawson CC |
| Ryzin Bergersen |
Northwest Nazarene |
Guard |
6-4 |
Senior |
Boise, ID |
Borah |
| Aaron Murphy |
Northwest Nazarene |
Forward |
6-7 |
Senior |
Tracy, CA |
Modesto Christian |
| Jaden Nielsen-Skinner |
Saint Martin's |
Guard |
5-10 |
Senior |
Salem, OR |
Portland State |
| Myles Samuels |
Saint Martin's |
Guard |
6-5 |
Junior |
West Palm Beach, FL |
Northeast Oklahoma A&M |
| Owen Moriarty |
Seattle Pacific |
Guard |
6-2 |
Junior |
Seattle, WA |
O'Dea |
| Jaxon Nap |
Seattle Pacific |
Guard |
6-7 |
Junior |
Newcastle, WA |
Montana |
| Jason Gallant |
Western Oregon |
Guard |
6-4 |
Senior |
Simi Valley, CA |
Colorado Christian |
| Tijan Saine |
Western Washington |
Guard |
5-11 |
Sophomore |
Everett, WA |
Mariner |
| Will Wilson |
Western Washington |
Guard |
6-4 |
Senior |
Lorton, VA |
Mt. Hood CC |