good games tonight (GNAC)

[northernGNAChoopfan]

UAA @ WOU - WOU will want revenge for their loss in Anchorage earlier this season. WOU definitely has more depth and athleticism, but they sometimes just don't shoot well or put the whole game together. UAA doesn't have a ton of depth, so will probably need to have a really good night to hold off WOU again and on the road this time.

NNU @ MSUB - Billings has been good at home lately and although NNU has an explosive offense, they sometimes get a bit sloppy. One's gotta know Mick will have a good plan and with any luck they will challenge NNU to keep their league record to only 2 losses.

WWU @ SPU - WWU will want revenge and both teams have been up, down and all over the place this season. Tend to think SPU ought to have this because they are generally more organized and effective, but lately they have been in one of their yearly slumps.

[tsull]

Re: good games tonight (GNAC)

UAA @ WOU - WOU will want revenge for their loss in Anchorage earlier this season. WOU definitely has more depth and athleticism, but they sometimes just don't shoot well or put the whole game together. UAA doesn't have a ton of depth, so will probably need to have a really good night to hold off WOU again and on the road this time.

NNU @ MSUB - Billings has been good at home lately and although NNU has an explosive offense, they sometimes get a bit sloppy. One's gotta know Mick will have a good plan and with any luck they will challenge NNU to keep their league record to only 2 losses.

WWU @ SPU - WWU will want revenge and both teams have been up, down and all over the place this season. Tend to think SPU ought to have this because they are generally more organized and effective, but lately they have been in one of their yearly slumps.

Great games tonight, wish NNU was at home ... MSUB is scary, could beat NNU if they play well.

WOU is talented, sometimes they have big lapses on either side of the ball if not both. Not sure why their best player (Lubom) isn't starting, odd, oh well ... when I saw them twice their interior defense needed improving.

I was impressed with SPU when I saw them, getting Simpson back (hurt last year) has been huge. I think coach Leep is good, too.

[tsull]

Re: good games tonight (GNAC)

Western Oregon defeats UAA 81-61. Lubom goes for 30.

[northernGNAChoopfan]

Re: good games tonight (GNAC)

Wow. And Simon Fraser takes down Saint Martin's @ Saint Martin's... I guess one had to know they were and still are very vulnerable if they let UAF take them to overtime at home earlier this year. It seems like SFU's big guy Roche really causes problems for teams without a big body that can match up with him (UAF's Kluting was shut down by him too) and SMU doesn't really have a classic big guy.

Looks like MSUB and NNU got to OT-bummer, wanted to see MSUB knock them off, sounds like it must've been a good game!

[tsull]

Re: good games tonight (GNAC)

Wow. And Simon Fraser takes down Saint Martin's @ Saint Martin's... I guess one had to know they were and still are very vulnerable if they let UAF take them to overtime at home earlier this year. It seems like SFU's big guy Roche really causes problems for teams without a big body that can match up with him (UAF's Kluting was shut down by him too) and SMU doesn't really have a classic big guy.

Looks like MSUB and NNU got to OT-bummer, wanted to see MSUB knock them off, sounds like it must've been a good game!

The SFU game score was a stunner to me -- Chavez 1 for 10 from the field, 3 points; SMU 34% shooting, SFU got out and defended, it looks like. A strong 1,200+ showed up, really a shocker, though it's a long season and few if any run the table. There's going to be ups and downs for all teams.

Nice to see NNU rise up in a tough place against a good team, 30 points from Bezzant off the bench, he's a good one. I wanted to the Nighthawks to prove it to me this year, they're doing that. Good club.

UAF over Concordia, good to get road win. Not sure what's up with Concordia, in PDX, only D2 school in town.

GNAC tourney should be a good one this year.

[MrGNAC]

Re: good games tonight (GNAC)

The SFU game score was a stunner to me -- Chavez 1 for 10 from the field, 3 points; SMU 34% shooting, SFU got out and defended, it looks like. A strong 1,200+ showed up, really a shocker, though it's a long season and few if any run the table. There's going to be ups and downs for all teams.

Nice to see NNU rise up in a tough place against a good team, 30 points from Bezzant off the bench, he's a good one. I wanted to the Nighthawks to prove it to me this year, they're doing that. Good club.

UAF over Concordia, good to get road win. Not sure what's up with Concordia, in PDX, only D2 school in town.

GNAC tourney should be a good one this year.

Saint Martin's has been living dangerously lately, which might be a good thing for a home stretch wakeup call. In my opinion, Simon Fraser has been the surprise team. With a late season run, they could work their way into the GNAC tournament. They have good, young talent and they have been getting good crowds at their home games. Definitely a team/program on the rise under Coach Hansen.

[CWU Wildcat Nation]

Re: good games tonight (GNAC)

Glad to see CWU didn't lose last night! Oh wait...

[northernGNAChoopfan]

Re: good games tonight (GNAC)

I'm excited to see SMU in Fairbanks this week. Perhaps the long trip will be good for them, to get away from distractions and focus on getting it together again. Most of us who have been following GNAC ball are familiar with Kitchen and Bearlocher as they've been around for a while, then Chavez, Standly and Boyce from last season and now Redix. If the Saint's bounce out of their poor shooting funk they could pummel the Alaska schools, but if not, both schools could play them tight and be in position to win again as they were last month? At least Saint Martin's is playing their cards now, so they can get it together before March?

Agree about Simon Fraser too-they have made steady progress each season under Hansen. They've got to pull off more than big surprise wins to catch the top 6 though--I'd watch for that more next year, but I guess some of that will depend on how Billings does leaving home this week and if WWU can get any sort of consistency going.

[tsull]

Re: good games tonight (GNAC)

Big man for Simon Fraser, Julian Roche (6-11), hit the game-winner and scored 23 points and pulled down 10 boards. Only a sophomore, nice find as he's a transfer from Santa Clara.

[MrGNAC]

Re: good games tonight (GNAC)

Big man for Simon Fraser, Julian Roche (6-11), hit the game-winner and scored 23 points and pulled down 10 boards. Only a sophomore, nice find as he's a transfer from Santa Clara.

Roche is a legit big-man. I'm surprised he isn't in D1. I know there were likely other considerations with his transfer to SFU, but he can play at the level.

[tsull]

Re: good games tonight (GNAC)

Roche is a legit big-man. I'm surprised he isn't in D1. I know there were likely other considerations with his transfer to SFU, but he can play at the level.

He's smart, gets to play, not sit. Also, D-1 is increasingly getting smaller, more guards jacking 3's, less big men playing. From what I've seen in D2, they utilize big men better. Pac-12 doesn't have any good posts this year, maybe guy from Oregon State, who is blocking 4 shots a game, but he's more or a role player.