With its winning streak now at 30, the Western Washington University men's basketball team travels north, seeking a conference record third straight Alaska sweep as it meets University of Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday, Feb. 21, and University of Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, Feb. 23, in a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests.
Webcasts and live stats for both games are available at wwuvikings.com.
The Vikings, the defending national champions, are ranked No. 2 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches/NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll. They have been rated among the Top 10 in all 12 weekly polls this season, a school record.
WWU's current rating, its fifth straight, is tied for the school's highest ever. The Vikings were also ranked No. 2 one time during the 2005-06 campaign. Overall, they are working on a school-record 20 straight top 25 weekly rankings.
WWU, 24-0 this season, has won 30 straight overall, beginning with six to capture the 2011-12 national title. Both the start and streak broke school records set during the 1971-72 campaign as well as conference marks.
The Vikings lead the GNAC standings at 15-0, 2 1/2 games ahead of second-place and No. 5 nationally ranked Seattle Pacific. The best GNAC record ever posted was 16-2 three times. Those finishes were by WWU last season, Alaska Anchorage in 2007-08 and Central Washington in 2010-11.
Since the GNAC was founded in 2001, 12 teams have posted sweeps of two-game road trips to Anchorage and Fairbanks. The Vikings have done that a league best four times (2002, 2009, 2011, 2012). They are working on a string of two and are looking to become the first to do it three straight times.
Nineteen of WWU's wins this season have been by 10 or more points, the other margins being seven in overtime, six, four, three and one.
WWU WOMEN
Leading the league by two games with four to play, the Western Washington University women's basketball team makes its final regular-season home appearances this week, playing host to Northwest Nazarene University on Thursday, Feb. 21, and Central Washington University on Saturday, Feb. 23, in a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus.
A webcast and live stats for both contests are available at wwuvikings.com.
Thursday will be the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Pink Zone contest with fans asked to wear pink to increase breast cancer awareness. Saturday is the final regular-season home game for four WWU seniors - center Britt Harris, forward Erika Ramstead, guard Corinn Waltrip and forward Trishi Williams.
The Vikings moved up one spot to No. 8 in this week's USA Today Sports/ESPN NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll following two conference road wins last week over Montana State Billings, 71-54, and Seattle Pacific, 80-76 in overtime. That improved their overall record to 19-3 and GNAC mark to 13-1.
Simon Fraser, ranked No. 11 nationally, is second in the conference at 11-3 (18-4 overall).
WWU won GNAC titles in 2002 and 2006 and claimed the regular season crown in 2011.
The Vikings are working on a 15-game winning streak at home over the last two years and are 11-0 at Carver Gym this season.
