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THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 –
(#4) Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser, 5:15 p.m. PST
West Gym / Burnaby, B.C.
•Webcast & LiveStats:
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2 –
(#4) Seattle Pacific at (#2) Western Washington, 7:30 p.m. PST
Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash.
•Webcast & LiveStats:
http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/spu.portal#
 
A trip to Canada and then a clash of top-4 teams is on this week's docket for the fourth-ranked Seattle Pacific men's basketball team. SPU (15-2, 8-1 GNAC) travels to Burnaby, B.C. on Thursday, Jan. 31 for a 5:15 p.m. game against Simon Fraser (6-11, 1-8). The Falcons won all nine previous meetings against the Clan, a third-year Great Northwest Athletic Conference member. On Saturday, Feb. 2, the second-place Falcons visit league-leading and No. 2-ranked Western Washington (18-0, 9-0), the defending NCAA Division II national champion. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. at Carver Gymnasium in Bellingham.
 
Pacific Northwest Powers
Saturday's encounter is a rematch of last season's NCAA West Regional championship game in Bellingham on Mar. 12. The Vikings beat SPU 56-50 to earn a trip to the Elite Eight. They won their next three playoff contests, capped by a 72-65 victory over Montevallo in the national championship game. The SPU men also possess an impressive postseason pedigree. They participated in the last eight NCAA Tournaments, dating to 2005, the longest current playoff streak among Division II competitors. The Falcons advanced to the Final Four in 2000 and 2006, finishing third both times.
 


Something's Gotta Give
The Feb. 2 Bellingham battle of Northwest rivals features a stark contrast in styles. There is a 27-point difference between what the Vikings score and SPU allows. Western, which is in the midst of a school-record 24-game winning streak, ranks seventh nationally with an offense that produces 88.1 points per game. The Falcons counter with the nation's No. 15-ranked defense that surrenders an average of just 60.7 points to opponents. Both teams rank among the national leaders in scoring differential. WWU is third at plus-20.4 and SPU is No. 10 at plus-15.0.
 
Dynamic Defense
The SPU defense ranks No. 15 nationally, surrendering only 60.7points per game. That matches the school-record figure of 60.7 points that opponents were limited to last year. The Falcons have a 7-0 record when keeping opponents under 60 points and just three teams have compiled more than 69 points. Falcons foes are shooting just 40.2 percent and none of them has reached the 50-percent plateau.
 
Ranking Report
Seattle Pacific climbed one spot, to No. 4, in this week's national coaches poll. That is the Falcons highest ranking in six seasons, since the 2006-07 squad opened at No. 4 in the preseason poll. Since starting at No. 9 in this season's preseason poll, the SPU men have been in the top-10 every week except one, when they were 13th on Nov. 27.
 
Next Week
The Seattle Pacific men remain on the road for a single game when they visit Montana State Billings on Saturday, Feb. 9. Tip-off is 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
 
Scouting Simon Fraser (6-11, 1-8 GNAC)
> Located in Burnaby, B.C., Simon Fraser became the first college from outside the United States to join the NCAA and the GNAC in 2010-11.
 
> SPU won all nine previous meetings vs. Simon Fraser, six of them at home, including an 86-69 decision on Jan. 5.
 
> The Falcons won 104-75 on Feb. 25, 2012 in their last visit to Simon Fraser.
 
> In his fourth season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 5-0 record against the Clan.
 
Scouting Western Washington (18-0, 9-0 GNAC)
> The second-ranked Vikings have a school-record winning streak of 24 games, covering the final six outings last year and their opening 18 contests this season.
 
> Saturday's encounter is a rematch of last season's NCAA West Regional championship game in Bellingham. The Vikings beat SPU 56-50 to earn a trip to the Elite Eight. They won their next three playoff contests, capped by a 72-65 victory over Montevallo in the national championship game.
 
> The Falcons own a 76-48 series advantage and won 12 of 13 meetings before losing the last four encounters. The Vikings won this season's first meeting, a 66-56 decision on Jan. 3 in Seattle.
 
> SPU lost in its last three visits to Carver Gym directly after winning six straight games in Bellingham, The Vikings won 79-71 on Dec. 3, 2011, 72-70 on Feb. 23 2012 and 56-50 on Mar. 12, 2012.
 
> Western is coached for the first season by Tony Dominguez, who served as an assistant coach on the staff for the last 17 years. He replaced 27-year coach Brad Jackson who is now an assistant at Washington. Dominguez is 1-0 vs. SPU.
> In his fourth season at SPU, Ryan Looney has a 4-4 record against the Vikings.
 
Falcons Fast Fact
As a prep pitcher at Faith Christian Academy, SPU senior forward Jobi Wall tossed a perfect game and hit for the cycle in a five-inning contest during the 2008 Colorado state Class 3A playoffs.
 
Famous Uncle
SPU sophomore starting guard Riley Stockton is the nephew of NBA Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton, who distributed a record 15,806 assists during his 19-season career with the Utah Jazz (1984-2003). Riley Stockton prepped at Ferris High School in Spokane, Wash.
 
Prolific Passers
The Falcons rank No. 7 nationally with 19.1 assists per game. That figure is all the more remarkable considering they rank 71st in scoring at 75.7 points per game. SPU registered assists on 24 of 26 baskets in an 85-79 victory at Alaska Anchorage (Dec. 1). Junior point guard David Downs leads the GNAC and ranks 17th nationally with 5.7 assists per game. For the season, SPU's 72-percent rate of assisted field goals (324 of 452) is significantly higher than last year's final figure of 64 percent.
 
All-GNAC Talent
Fourth-year coach Ryan Looney returns four starters from last season's 23-8 squad that made its eighth straight playoff appearance. Heading the list of returnees are 2012 All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference selections David Downs and Andy Poling. Downs (6-2, Jr., PG) is the top returning scorer in the GNAC who led SPU with 15.6 points per game. Poling (6-11, Sr., C) transferred from Gonzaga prior to the 2010-11 season. He is the league's leading returning rebounder with 7.4 rebounds per game in 2012 while scoring at a 15.4-point clip. Those two are joined on this year's preseason All-GNAC team by Jobi Wall and newcomer Patrick Simon. Wall (6-6, Sr., F) averaged 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season. Simon (6-8, Jr., F) is a transfer from Washington State who averaged 2.6 points in limited duty last year.
 
Terrific Transfers
The Falcons roster is bolstered by the addition of NCAA Division I transfers Shawn Reid and Patrick Simon. A 6-foot-4 junior forward, Reid was the second-leading scorer at Montana State, averaging 10.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 2012. He started 10 games, including a Feb. 15 contest against Weber State during which he made five 3-pointers en route to a career-high 31-point performance. Reid participated in the last four games after being sidelined with an injured hand. Simon is a 6-8 junior forward who played two seasons at Washington State. He averaged 2.6 points in limited duty for the Cougars, getting 15 of his 22 baskets from 3-point range.
 
Looney's Ledger
Ryan Looney is in his fourth season after directing Seattle Pacific to postseason berths in each of his first three campaigns. He has an 80-26 record at SPU. The Falcons registered a 23-8 record last year and finished third in the GNAC with a 13-5 mark. They won two playoff games and advanced to the West Region final before losing 56-50 to eventual national champion Western Washington. In 2011, SPU was 20-10 and upset fifth-ranked Central Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Looney led SPU to a 22-6 record in 2010 and became the first coach to direct the Falcons to a conference championship in his inaugural season. He was voted the 2010 GNAC Coach of the Year. Looney, who led his alma mater Eastern Oregon University to the quarterfinals of the 2009 NAIA Division II Tournament, was hired May 26, 2009 as the coach at SPU. He won his opening nine games on the SPU sidelines, the first coach to win more than his first three for the Falcons. Looney, 37, has a 175-81 career record, including a 95-55 ledger in five seasons with Eastern Oregon. He directed EOU to back-to-back NAIA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009.
 
Eight Great Years
Seattle Pacific boasts the longest current playoff streak among NCAA Division II men's basketball programs, a stretch of eight years that dates to 2005. The Falcons posted a 169-67 record over those previous eight seasons, more victories than any GNAC team during that span. SPU compiled a 20-9 record in 2005, 26-6 in 2006, 18-10 in 2007, 21-8 in 2008, 19-10 in 2009, 22-6 in 2010, 20-10 in 2011 and 23-8 last season. The 169 combined wins are the second-highest eight-year total in school history, topped only by a 174-win run from 1995 to 2002. The Falcons advanced to the national semifinals in 2006.
 
GNAC Coaches Poll
Seattle Pacific, which returns four starters from a team that advanced to the 2012 West Region final, was selected as the favorite to capture the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball championship by the preseason coaches' poll. In addition, SPU placed a league-high four players on the 15-man preseason all-conference team. The Falcons collected eight of 10 first-place votes en route to a 97-point total. Defending national champion Western Washington was projected to place second, receiving the remaining two first-place votes for 90 points. Among the Falcons four individuals honored were unanimous preseason picks David Downs and Andy Poling, who were all-conference team members in 2012. They are joined on this year's early GNAC squad by Jobi Wall and newcomer Patrick Simon. SPU claimed four league championships in the past 11 seasons.