THIS WEEK IN ALASKA ANCHORAGE MEN'S BASKETBALL...

Thur., Feb. 16 — 7:15 pm AST — LCEF Court — Portland, Ore.
Alaska Anchorage (19-5, 13-3 GNAC)
at Concordia, Ore. (10-13, 6-10 GNAC)
&
Sat., Feb. 18 — 6:30 pm AST — New P.E. Building — Monmouth, Ore.
Alaska Anchorage at Western Oregon (13-11, 10-6 GNAC [Thu. vs UAF])

LIVE VIDEOSTREAM & STATS: Both games free at gnac.tv

UAA PROBABLE STARTERS (2016-17 stats)
G—Diante Mitchell, 6-1, Sr. (11.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.3 spg, .458 FG, .378 3FG, .875 FT)
G—Sekou 'Suki' Wiggs, 6-4, Sr. (24.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg, .458 FG, .377 3FG, .745 FT)
G—Spencer Svejcar, 6-4, Sr. (14.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.5 apg, .489 FG, .487 3FG, .903 FT)
F—Corey Hammell, 6-6, Sr. (7.9 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, .417 FG, .798 FT)
C—Connor Devine, 6-10, Sr. (8.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.0 spg, 2.4 bpg, .513 FG)

PLAYOFF RACE SHAPING UP: With two weeks left in the regular season, the Seawolves find themselves tied for the GNAC lead with Western Washington and with a 3-game lead over upcoming foe Western Oregon for one of two GNAC Tournament quarterfinal byes; the top six finishers make the GNAC Tourney, Mar. 2-4 in Lacey, Wash. ... meanwhile, UAA will find out Wednesday where it sits in the race for an NCAA West Regional Tournament bid when the NCAA unveils the first of three weekly regional rankings.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Despite sitting in 10th place, Concordia is only two games out of fifth and still in contention for one of the league's six GNAC Tournament spots ... in their second season of NCAA Div. II and GNAC membership, the Cavaliers are led by Drew Martin (17.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, .505 FG, .719 FT) and Latrell Wilson (13.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.1 spg, .350 3FG) ... defending GNAC regular-season and tourney champ Western Oregon had a 5-game winning streak stopped with last week's road losses to Western Washington and Simon Fraser, but the Wolves still hold the inside track for the No. 3 seed in the GNAC Tournament ... WOU is led by Tanner Omlid (15.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.5 apg, 3.4 spg, .364 3FG) and Ali Faruq-Bey (14.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.4 spg, .745 FT).
 
TEAM COMPARISONS     UAA    CU   WOU
UAA Road/Opp. Home   5-5   6-3   5-4
Points per Game     78.9  78.7  74.8
Points Allowed/Game 63.9  77.6  72.0
Rebounding Diff.   +12.1  +0.2  -3.7
Assists per Game    14.9  14.8  12.9
Turnovers per Game  11.7  12.6  11.9
Steals per Game      6.8   7.3   9.1
Blocks per Game      3.8   4.0   4.0
FG%                 .450  .460  .432
3-pt FG%            .369  .343  .337
FT%                 .748  .667  .722

ALL-TIME vs CU: UAA leads 3-2 overall, 1-0 in Portland
Streak: UAA 3
Last Meeting: UAA 77-75 (1/21/17 at UAA)
Notes: UAA won the first two meetings as GNAC opponents last season, 93-67 at home and 90-71 in Portland ... CU surprised UAA in back-to-back non-conference meetings in the fi rst men's basketball games played at the Alaska Airlines Center, winning 79-74 and 75-73, Nov. 7-8, 2014.

ALL-TIME vs WOU: UAA leads 21-12 overall, 9-7 in Monmouth
Streak: UAA 1
Last Meeting: UAA 81-73 (1/19/17 at UAA)
Notes: WOU has taken four of the last six after UAA won nine straight from 2010-14 ... UAA has lost two straight in Monmouth, including 76-66 last season ... UAA leads 21-10 in GNAC regular-season meetings (since 2001-02) … first and only non-GNAC meeting came when programs were Pac West foes, with WOU winning 91-81, Jan. 28, 1999.

SEAWOLVES REEL IN RIVALS TO EXTEND STREAK: The Seawolves remained the GNAC's hottest team last week with victories over their two oldest rivals, beating Alaska Fairbanks 68-61 on Feb. 7 in Fairbanks and Montana State Billings 74-58 on Feb. 11 in Anchorage ... against the Nanooks, Sr. G Spencer Svejcar delivered 24 points (9-15 FG, 4-7 3FG) and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first career double-double, and Sr. PG Diante Mitchell added 21 points (7-13 FG, 4-8 3FG, 3-3 FT) to beat the Nanooks for the 22nd time in their last 23 meetings ... Sr. G Suki Wiggs scored a career-low 11 points but managed 8 rebounds as UAA earned a 48-26 edge on the boards ... against MSUB, the Seawolves used a 28-point, 9-rebound, 3-steal effort from Wiggs and a 46-24 rebounding advantage to avenge their last loss and sweep the season series from the Yellowjackets ... Svejcar had 17 points and 9 rebounds and Sr. F Corey Hammell collected 10 points (8-8 FT) and 10 rebounds as UAA also remained unbeaten in 14 home games this year.

TEAM NOTES: The Seawolves have clinched qualification to the GNAC Tournament for the seventh straight year since the event was born in 2011; the top six finishers earn the right to play in Lacey, Wash., Mar. 3-5, with the top two teams getting quarterfinal byes ... UAA has already clinched the program's 12th straight winning season and the 34th in 40 years, plus its seventh straight winning GNAC record ... the Seawolves are among the top 50 NCAA Div. II stats leaders in nine categories, including four marks in the top 20 – rebound margin (2nd, +12.0), scoring defense (7th, 64.1), scoring margin (17th, +14.8) and offensive rebounds per game (11th, 14.25) ... in the GNAC stats, UAA paces the 11-team league in scoring defense, scoring margin, FG% defense (.411), and five of the seven rebounding categories, and ranks 2nd in assists (15.4 apg) and 3rd in steals (6.8 spg) and FT% (.748) ... UAA's defensive efforts of five straight games with under 55 points allowed (Dec. 17-Jan. 5) and three straight games with under 50 points allowed (Dec. 29-Jan. 5) were both program firsts, while the 30-13 halftime lead against Simon Fraser on Feb. 4 marked the Seawolves' fewest points allowed in the first half of a GNAC game.

SUKI SMOOTH: The 2016-17 GNAC Preseason Player of the Year, Sr. G Sekou 'Suki' Wiggs has put his scoring skills on display with at least 20 points in 17 of 24 games – including his school-record 46 points at Central Washington on Dec. 1 – and a  program-record string of four straight games with at least 30 points, Jan. 26-Feb. 4 ... the 2015-16 D2CCA Third Team All-American and GNAC Newcomer of the Year already ranks 8th on UAA's career scoring list with 1,353 points, crushing the program record by reaching 1,000 in just 42 games ... in addition to capturing back-to-back GNAC Player of the Week awards, the former transfer from Div. I Idaho has jumped from 12th to 5th in the nation in scoring since Jan. 25, now at 24.3 ppg, while taking over the league lead as well ... in the other GNAC stats, he is 17th in assists (2.7 apg), 20th in rebounding (5.2 rpg), 7th in 3FGs per game (2.3) and 1st in FTs made per game (6.1) ... Wiggs currently ranks 3rd on UAA's single-season scoring average list, on pace to become the first Seawolf to average more than 24.0 ppg in two different seasons ... with 11 30-point efforts, Wiggs is just the third Seawolf with that many in a career (Jason Kaiser [13], Jesse Jackson [16]), while his 22 25-plus performances rank the same ... after 54 games in a Seawolf uniform, Wiggs has risen on UAA's career lists to 1st in scoring average (24.2 ppg), 2nd in FTs made (389), 1st in FTs made per game (6.9), 16th in assists per game (3.0), 12th in steals per game (1.4) and 17th in double-doubles (8).

SPOT-ON SPENCER: An honorable mention All-GNAC performer last season and a preseason all-league pick this year, Sr. G Spencer Svejcar has emerged as UAA's 2nd-leading scorer this year and ranks 15th in the GNAC with 14.2 ppg, tallying double figures in 20 of 24 contests ... the Colorado native is one of the GNAC's most accurate free throw shooters from any distance, leading the league in both FT% (.903) and 3FG% (.487), along with other league ranks of 18th in assists (2.5 apg) and 5th in 3FGs per game (2.4) ... in the national stats, he is 15th in FT% and would rank 7th in 3FG% if he met the minimum 2.5 made per game ... Svejcar dished a career-high 7 assists in the victory over Seattle Pacific and has 11 games this year with at least three dimes ...the former Laramie (Wyo.) CC transfer has tallied double figures in 40 of 54 games as a Seawolf, drawing 53 starting assignments ... on UAA's career lists, he is 4th in FT% (.872) and 13th in 3FG% (.416), while on the single-season lists he is currently 4th in FT% and 5th in 3FG%.

HAMMELL TIME: After leading the GNAC by nearly three boards per game in his debut season, Sr. F Corey Hammell paces the league again this year with 10.3 rpg, picking up his seventh double-double in Saturday's win over MSUB ... the 2015-16 2nd Team All-GNAC selection and '16-17 preseason all-GNAC pick ranks 5th in NCAA Div. II with 4.6 offensive rebounds per game and stands 15th in overall rebounding ... in 56 games as a Seawolf, Hammell has 34 double-digit rebounding efforts and is on pace to break Todd Fisher's UAA career record of 9.7 rpg, currently at 10.2 rpg; Hammell's 10 games with 15-plus boards are 2nd-most in program history ... the Santa Rosa (Calif.) JC transfer is also one of the most productive players in program history at the free throw line, ranking 8th in FTs made (286), 17th in FT% (.819) and 3rd in FTs made per game (5.1) ... on the other career lists, he is 6th in total rebounds (573, needs 18 to reach top 5) and 4th in double-doubles (21).

DIANTE'S EN FUEGO: Sr. G Diante Mitchell has been one of the most effective floor generals in the GNAC this season, ranking 8th in the league with 3.2 assists per game and 30th in scoring at 11.8 ppg ... the former Western Nebraska transfer ranks 3rd in the GNAC in FT% at .875 -- including clinching charities against Cal State LA, Saint Martin's and Western Washington, and the game-winning 3-point play with 4.8 seconds left in overtime at Seattle Pacific -- while his .904 rate in league games is better by a fraction over teammate Spencer Svejcar (.887) ... the Seawolves' 3rd-leading scorer has recorded 12 games with 12 or more points, including 25 in the home victories over WWU and SPU, plus 21 in the road win over UAF ... Mitchell was the Seawolves' representative on the GCI Great Alaska Shootout after helping UAA to a discretionary exhibition victory over Div. I Drake ... on UAAs career list the Utah native currently stands 5th in FT% (.865) and 15th in 3FG% (.412).

DEVINE PRESENCE: Sr. C Connor Devine has been UAA's first true post presence in recent seasons and its best shot-blocker in the GNAC era since transferring from Div. I mid-major power South Dakota State in the off-season ... the former 4A state player of the year at Wasilla High has emerged as UAA's 4th-leading scorer (8.3 ppg) and 3rd-leading rebounder (4.5 rpg), while leading the way with 2.4 blocks per outing ... with 47 blocks in 16 GNAC games, Devine has vaulted to 2nd in the league and 15th nationally in blocks per game – on pace to threaten the Seawolf single-season records for both total and average blocks ... entering the Concordia game, he is just six swats shy of Serge Using's UAA record of 63 in 1998-99 ... Devine sports additional GNAC ranks of 9th in FG% (.513) and 16th in steals (1.0 spg) ... in November, Devine had 14.5 ppg and 7.0 rpg in the Seawolf Jamboree to earn all-tourney honors and help UAA to critical West Region victories over Cal State LA and BYU-Hawaii.

THE OSBORNE FILE: Now in his 13th year as head coach, Rusty Osborne (248-135) has led the Seawolves to 11 straight winning seasons, along with five NCAA Tournaments and a trip to the 2008 NCAA D-II Semifinals … the longest tenured coach in program history and currently with the second-longest tenure in the GNAC, he became the first UAA basketball coach to reach 200 career victories when the Seawolves beat Alaska Fairbanks on Jan. 10, 2015 … Osborne captured his first career GNAC and NABC West District coach-of-the-year awards in 2008 after becoming the second coach to lead UAA to three consecutive NCAA berths (2006-08), and in 2011-12 his Seawolves posted a 24-10 record to equal the 2nd-most victories in program history; Osborne's 2007-08 club holds that record with a 29-6 mark … before taking over the head job in 2004-05, the Texas native previously served 13 seasons (1991-04) as a UAA assistant, including 11 years as the top assistant … the Seawolves have won over 60 percent of their games with Osborne on the staff, claiming four conference titles and eight trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament ... Osborne is assisted in 2016-17 by Cameron Turner (6th season), Scott Friel (1st season) and former Seawolf guard Jesse Brown (1st season).

2016-17 Seawolf Individual Honors
Connor Devine
Seawolf Jamboree Player of the Game vs BYU-Hawaii, Nov. 18
Seawolf Jamboree All-Tournament Team
Corey Hammell
Preseason All-GNAC Team
Seawolf Jamboree All-Tournament Team
Jackson McTier
NABC All-State Good Hands Team nominee
Diante Mitchell
GCI Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team
Spencer Svejcar
Preseason All-GNAC Team
Suki Wiggs
Preseason All-GNAC Team (unanimous)
GNAC Preseason Player of the Year
The Sporting News Preseason First Team All-American
Division II Bulletin Preseason Honorable Mention All-American
GNAC/Pac West Challenge All-Tournament Team
Seawolf Jamboree Most Outstanding Player
GNAC Player of the Week, Jan. 23-29
GNAC Player of the Week, Jan. 30-Feb. 5
USBWA National Player of the Week, Jan. 30-Feb. 5