By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. – A playoff race that came down to the final day of the season concluded on Saturday night throughout the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, as the men’s basketball conference tournament seeding was finalized.
Saint Martin’s won its third regular-season title in the last five years and fourth overall, cruising to a record of 15-3 in league play and going 23-5 overall on their way to the No. 1 overall seed. SMU secured the crown with a 77-65 win over Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday, adding to its trophies won in 2023, 2022 and 2019. It moved them into a tie with Seattle Pacific for the second-most regular-season titles by any GNAC program. The Saints are the top-ranked GNAC team nationally, checking in at No. 22 in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches top-25 rankings released last week.
This marks the third time that the GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships will be played within Western Washington’s Sam Carver Gym, with the Vikings also hosting the event in 2023 and 2019. The winner of the GNAC Championships earns the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA West Region Championships, which run March 13-16 at the site of the top overall regional seed. Selections for the regional championship tournament will be made on Sunday, March 8.
All relevant tournament information, including how to purchase tickets,
can be found online here.
2026 GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships
March 5-7 at Bellingham, Wash. – Hosted by Western Washington University
All times listed are Pacific.
Thursday, March 5
Quarterfinal 1: 5:15 p.m. – No. 6 seed Alaska Fairbanks vs. No. 3 seed Northwest Nazarene
Quarterfinal 2: 7:30 p.m. – No. 5 seed Seattle Pacific vs. No. 4 seed Central Washington
Friday, March 6
Semifinal 1: 5:15 p.m. – Winner Quarterfinal 1 vs. No. 2 seed Alaska Anchorage
Semifinal 2: 7:30 p.m. – Winner Quarterfinal 2 vs. No. 1 seed Saint Martin’s
Saturday, March 7
Championship: 7:30 p.m. – Winner Semifinal 1 vs. Winner Semifinal 2
Dae’Kwon Watson hit a long, buzzer-beating 3-pointer on Saturday night at the Alaska Airlines Center, giving Saint Martin’s a narrow, 57-56 win over Alaska Anchorage in the final game of the regular season. The improbable shot at the buzzer helped the Saints close the regular season on a four-game winning streak, as they swept the season series against the Seawolves. Despite its regular-season success, SMU has never hoisted the GNAC Championships tournament trophy. The Saints will be making their eighth all-time appearance at the conference tournament. They will await the winner of No. 5 seed Seattle Pacific and No. 4 seed Central Washington, whom they will play in the semifinals on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. (Pacific).
Alaska Anchorage claimed the other first-round bye, finishing 20-9 overall and going 12-6 in conference play to tie for second place. Like SMU, UAA will be on a quest for its first-ever conference tournament title, after coming up just short in its last appearance reaching the championship game in 2024. Overall this will be the 12th conference tournament berth under the guidance of long-time head coach
Rusty Osborne, who recently announced his retirement from coaching upon the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. The Seawolves’ semifinal opponent will be the winner of No. 6 seed Alaska and No. 3 seed Northwest Nazarene, with their first game of the tournament set for 5:15 p.m. (Pacific) on Friday evening.
Northwest Nazarene took care of business on Saturday night with an 87-84 win over Western Washington, securing the No. 3 seed and setting itself up for a quarterfinal matchup against No. 6 seed Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. (Pacific). NNU finished the regular season with a record of 18-9 overall, and went 12-6 in conference play to tie UAA for second place in the standings. The Nighthawks will look for their second GNAC Championships tournament title, having won their first in 2023. NNU will be making its ninth overall appearance at the conference tournament.
Seattle Pacific, Central Washington and Alaska Fairbanks each won crucial games on Saturday to punch their tickets with the final three spots. The Falcons knocked off Montana State Billings by a bucket, 87-85, while CWU raced past Simon Fraser 86-66 and Alaska defended its home court with an 82-74 triumph over Western Oregon.
Central Washington finished the regular season 15-14 overall and went 9-9 in conference play to tie for fourth place and earn the No. 4 seed by virtue of the conference tiebreaker procedure. The Wildcats, who won the 2024-25 GNAC regular-season title and were the 2025-26 preseason favorites, are two years removed from winning the 2024 GNAC Championships tournament title. Overall CWU has won two conference tournaments, with the first coming in 2011. It will be CWU’s fifth-consecutive GNAC Championships appearance and 10th overall since the event began in 2011.
Seattle Pacific picked up the No. 5 seed after going 14-11 overall and 9-9 in league play during the regular season. Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup against the Wildcats will mark the third time this season the teams have met, with the Falcons winning 66-63 on Jan. 15 in Seattle and the Wildcats returning the favor with an 86-60 triumph on Feb. 14 in Ellensburg, Wash. The reigning tournament champion Falcons will look to make it back-to-back titles, a feat achieved only by the SPU unit that won three straight tournament crowns from 2013-15. SPU’s five overall GNAC Championships titles are the most of any school in the conference, with its other win coming in 2019.
Taking the sixth and final seed, the Alaska Nanooks earned their second straight GNAC Championships berth and seventh in program history. The Nanooks finished the regular season with a record of 14-13 overall and went 9-9 in conference action. Alaska’s lone conference tournament title came in 2022, when it went on an improbable run as the No. 10 seed to not only hoist the GNAC trophy but advance all the way to the NCAA Sweet 16. The Nanooks will look for their first win over the season against the Nighthawks, with NNU claiming a 74-68 victory on Jan. 10 in Nampa, Idaho and repeating with a 78-64 triumph on Feb. 5 in Fairbanks, Alaska.