The PacWest Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships are headed to Point Loma Nazarene University’s Golden Gymnasium in San Diego March 7-9, where the PacWest’s top six women’s teams and top six men’s teams will battle for the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division II regional championships.
Who’s In:
Azusa Pacific (17-0 PacWest, 23-3 overall): For the third consecutive season, the Cougars claimed the PacWest regular-season title, and with it, the #1 seed to the upcoming PacWest Basketball Championships. Azusa Pacific remained perfect in PacWest play and ran its overall winning streak to 19 with a 50-47 road win over Biola on Saturday, Feb. 17, after Kelly Heimburger sank the game-winning 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left.
Fresno Pacific (12-4 PacWest, 18-6 overall): The Sunbirds are in position for the program’s highest finish in the conference standings since joining the PacWest in 2012-13. FPU has won 6 of its past 7, including a 65-61 home win over Dominican to seize control of second place in the conference standings. The Sunbirds currently hold a 1.5-game margin over Dominican and Point Loma for the #2 spot in the standings.
Spots Up For Grabs:
Five teams continue to battle for the four remaining spots in the PacWest Championships, with Dominican and Point Loma currently tied for third place in the conference standings with 11-6 conference records, and the upcoming head-to-head battle between Point Loma and Dominican in San Rafael on Feb. 29 should play a significant role in the final conference standings. Concordia (10-8) holds a slim half-game margin over Biola (9-8) for fifth place, while Hawai'i Hilo (8-9) has won 5 of 6 to keep a top-6 finish within reach. The Vulcans close out a 4-game mainland road trip this weekend with visits to Fresno Pacific and Westmont.
If The Season Ended Today:
#1 seed: Azusa Pacific (clinched #1 seed)
#2 seed: Fresno Pacific
#3 seed: Point Loma (head-to-head tiebreaker with win over Dominican)
#4 seed: Dominican
#5 seed: Concordia (head-to-head tiebreaker with season sweep of Biola)
#6 seed: Biola
Impact Matchups:
Thursday, Feb. 22: Hawai'i Hilo at Fresno Pacific
A challenging visit to Fresno Pacific looms for Hawai'i Hilo, which faces an FPU squad which owns a perfect 10-0 record at home in the Special Events Center this season and has a 14-game home win streak dating back to January of 2023.
Saturday, Feb. 24: Concordia at Azusa Pacific
The only matchup of the weekend featuring two teams in the current top-6 of the conference standings pits fifth-place Concordia at recently-crowned regular-season champ Azusa Pacific in the Cougars’ final regular-season home game. Concordia snapped a 3-game losing streak with a hard-fought 68-63 win over Hawai'i Pacific on Monday, Feb. 19, and the Eagles hope to build on that momentum in Saturday night’s visit to APU.
Upcoming Schedule:
Wednesday, Feb. 21: Westmont at Point Loma
Thursday, Feb. 22: Dominican at Academy of Art
Thursday, Feb. 22: Hawai'i Hilo at Fresno Pacific
Thursday, Feb. 22: Hawai'i Pacific at Azusa Pacific
Saturday, Feb. 24: Academy of Art at Fresno Pacific
Saturday, Feb. 24: Concordia at Azusa Pacific
Saturday, Feb. 24: Hawai'i Pacific at Biola
Saturday, Feb. 24: Hawai'i Hilo at Westmont
PacWest Championship Tickets (on sale Monday, Feb. 26, 12:00 pm Pacific):
Single-day tickets to the 2024 PacWest Basketball Championships will go on sale on Monday, Feb. 26, at 12:00 pm Pacific, at
https://thepacwest.com/sports/2020/12/7/GEN_1207205334.aspx
Single-day ticket prices are $12 for adults, $5 for students with ID, military with ID, seniors (age 65+), and children (12-18), with 3-day tournament passes available for $30 (no discounts for tournament passes). Children under the age of 12 are admitted free.