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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18 --
(#21) Western Washington at (#11) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion (2,650) • Seattle, Wash.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20 --
(#11) Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings, 6:30 p.m. PST (7:30 MT)
Alterowitz Gymnasium • Billings, Mont.

Two nationally ranked teams, who sit one-two atop the Great Northwest Athletic Conference basketball standings, clash on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion. The 11th-ranked Seattle Pacific men (18-3, 9-1 GNAC) hope to extend their first-place lead when they entertain No. 21 Western Washington (22-4, 9-3), the defending league champion. SPU, which owns a two-game advantage in the loss column, won nine of the last 10 games against the Vikings. The Falcons were 73-66 victors on Jan. 21, dealing WWU its only loss in 12 home games this season. First-year coach Ryan Looney is seeking to direct the Falcons to their first league title since SPU won back-to-back GNAC crowns in 2006 and 2007. The Falcons then play four of their last five games on the road, beginning Saturday, Feb. 20 at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time (7:30 Mountain) against Montana State Billings (11-8, 5-5). SPU won the last seven meetings with the Yellowjackets, including a 79-69 decision on Jan. 23 in Seattle. The Falcons host their final home game, on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. against Central Washington, before closing out the year with three straight road games.

Live Coverage
Thursday's Seattle Pacific men's basketball webcast can be accessed at: www.PennAtlantic.com and LiveStats are available at: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball Saturday's webcast and LiveStats can be accessed via the official Montana State Billings athletics website at: www.msubillings.edu/athletics.com

Notable
Senior Brandon Larrieu has 963 career points. He needs 37 more to become SPU's 29th 1,000-point scorer ... Only SPU's 2002 and 2006 teams had better 21-game records (both 19-2) than this year (18-3) ... Senior Rob Diederichs has 115 assists (5.5 apg). He had 104 last year and is the ninth player in SPU history with consecutive 100-assist seasons. Diederichs has 52 more assists than any of his teammates ... The Falcons boast a 17-1 record in games when they score at least 70 points ... SPU's 6-foot-9 senior post Rafael Moreira is sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury. He missed the last six games.

Recent Recap
Ryan Sweet had career highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead Seattle Pacific to an 89-69 home win over Western Oregon on Feb. 11. The Falcons overcame a sluggish start to earn their ninth win in 10 starts. SPU opened the season with nine consecutive victories for their best start in 16 seasons. The Falcons' signature non-conference win was a 78-72 home triumph over then No. 1 BYU-Hawaii (Dec. 5).

GNAC Race
SPU, which is seeking to win the GNAC championship for the third time in five years, leads the league by two games in the loss column. The Falcons captured the 2006 title outright and shared the 2007 crown with Seattle University. They placed third last year, behind WWU and CWU. SPU was projected to win the league title by the annual coaches poll released Oct. 28. Despite having won three GNAC championships, this is the first time the Falcons have been selected atop the conference poll. SPU received four first-place votes en route to its 76-point total. Last year's GNAC champion Western Washington was picked second in the poll. The Vikings tallied 72 points and also had four votes for the top spot.

Scouting Western Washington (22-4, 9-3 GNAC)
> The Vikings went 13-3 in 2009 to win their first outright GNAC championship.

> WWU is the league's stingiest defense, holding opponents to 40.7-percent shooting, while the SPU offense is the most accurate in the GNAC at 51.5 percent.

> The Falcons own a 73-45 series lead, including wins in nine of the last 10 meetings. SPU won this year's first meeting 73-66 on Jan. 21 in Bellingham.

> Western leads the GNAC in scoring margin (+16.4) and SPU is second (+12.1).

> In his first season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 1-0 record against the Vikings.

Scouting Montana State Billings (11-8, 5-5 GNAC)
> MSUB's DaVell Jackson leads all GNAC playmakers with 6.1 assists per game while the Falcons Rob Diederichs ranks second at 5.5 apg.

> SPU won the last seven encounters to claim a 28-26 edge in the all-time series.

> Second-year Yellowjackets coach George Pfeifer came from Idaho. He has a 1-7 record against the Falcons, including 1-4 as the head coach at Lewis-Clark State.

> First-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 1-0 record against MSU Billings.

Marvelous Marksmen
Five players are shooting better than 50 percent for the Falcons, who combine to hit shots at a conference-leading 51.5-percent clip. SPU currently ranks No. 4 nationally after finishing the 2009 campaign as the nation's second-best shooting squad at 51.8 percent. The Falcons shot at or above 50 percent 13 times this year, topped by a 66-percent effort against Carroll College on Dec. 4. They won all 11 games when they surpassed the 50-percent plateau. The SPU men are undefeated in 16 games when their field goal percentage is superior to opponents. Rafael Moreira leads the Falcons, shooting at a 60.2-percent clip. Also above 50 percent for SPU are Ryan Sweet (58.1%), Adam Wardell (56.1%), Jake Anderson (54.0%) and Chris Banchero (52.8%).

Home Sweet Brougham
The Falcons are 12-1 this season at home in Brougham Pavilion where they were victorious in 29 of their last 33 games. SPU was 9-2 last year at home. Brougham Pavilion seats 2,650 spectators. It was built in 1953 and renovated in 1992.

Brilliant Banchero
Junior point guard Chris Banchero posted double-figure points in all but two games this season. He led all SPU scorers 12 times and reached the 20-point plateau on 11 occasions. Banchero poured in a career-high 33 points against Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 28. A two-time GNAC Player of the Week, Banchero is averaging 18.6 points per game, a figure that ranks No. 2 in the conference.

Ticket Talk
Tickets for SPU basketball games can be purchased at Brougham Pavilion (3414 Third Ave. W., Seattle 98119) on game day. Reserved seats are $8 for center court locations and $7 for other sideline areas. General admission tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. Call (206) 281-2085 for group rates.

Ranking Report
Seattle Pacific climbed four spots, to No. 11 in this week's (Feb. 16) NCAA Division II men's basketball rankings compiled by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). The Falcons were included for the first time in two years with a No. 24 listing in the initial regular-season rankings on Nov. 24 after being overlooked in the preseason poll. SPU has been ranked ever since, climbing as high as No. 6 on Dec. 15.

Sweet Success
Junior Ryan Sweet made an immediate impact at SPU after transferring from Whatcom (Wash.) Community College. He leads the Falcons with 153 rebounds (7.3 rpg), grabbing 59 more than any of his teammates. Sweet has four double-doubles. He posted career bests with 20 points and 12 rebounds against Western Oregon (Feb. 11).

Downs Heats Up
Junior Jeff Downs heated up from long range after spending extra time shooting in the gym the last few weeks. He had a 20-point outburst against Alaska Fairbanks (Jan. 30), tying his game best for treys by hitting 6 of 10 behind the arc. Downs shot 23 of 41 from 3-point range (56%) during the last six games he played. He made 5 of 20 treys (25%) during the previous five outings. Downs leads SPU with 40 treys this season.

2010 Preview
Four starters and 12 lettermen return for Seattle Pacific, which posted a 19-10 record last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Falcons were picked first in the GNAC coaches poll. Heading the list of returnees is a trio of conference all-stars. Junior point guard Chris Banchero was a second-team All-GNAC pick who led the team with 15.7 points per game. Senior post Rafael Moreira and senior wing Brandon Larrieu were honorable mention selections. Moreira averaged 11.8 points and 6.4 rebounds while Larrieu scored at a 14.6-point clip last year. The biggest task will be replacing starting forward Casey Reed, a second-team All-GNAC selection. The roster is bolstered by the addition of 6-7 junior post Ryan Sweet (Port Orchard, Wash.) and 6-7 freshman wing Scott Morse (Central Point, Ore).

2009 Review
First-year SPU coach Ryan Looney inherited a team that posted a 19-10 record in 2008-09 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament. The Falcons placed third in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with an 11-5 record. They were the league's last surviving team in the postseason after eliminating champion Western Washington in the first round. SPU advanced to the regional semifinal before losing 80-72 to eventual national runner-up Cal Poly Pomona. Just one letterman, senior forward Casey Reed, and coach Jeff Hironaka departed from last year's team.

Five-Year Run
The Falcons registered a 104-43 record over the previous five seasons, more victories than any Great Northwest Athletic Conference team during that span. SPU compiled a 20-9 record in 2005, 26-6 in 2006, 18-10 in 2007, 21-8 in 2008 and 19-10 last season. The 104 combined wins are the second-highest five-year total in school history, topped only by a 113-win run from 1998 to 2002. The Falcons have competed in five straight NCAA Tournaments (2005-09), advancing to the national semifinals in 2006.

Looney's Ledger
Ryan Looney, who led Eastern Oregon University to the quarterfinals of the 2009 NAIA Division II Tournament, was hired May 26, 2009 as the coach at Seattle Pacific. He won his opening nine games on the SPU sidelines, the first coach to win more than his first three for the Falcons. Looney, 34, has a 113-58 career record and won his 100th game on Dec. 4 against Carroll College. He compiled a 95-55 record in five seasons with Eastern Oregon capped by back-to-back NAIA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009 that stopped the school's five-decase postseason drought. His Mountaineers won the 2008 Cascade Collegiate Conference championship, their first title in 38 years, and shared the conference crown in 2009. Looney who replaced Jeff Hironaka, is the 11th head coach for the SPU program that began intercollegiate men's basketball play in 1946.