MONMOUTH, Ore.—After going 6-0 to start the season, the Western Oregon University men's basketball team will open conference play on the road this week with contests at Simon Fraser and Western Washington.
ABOUT SIMON FRASER (4-2): The Clan were picked to place 11th in the GNAC according to the league's coaches' preseason poll… SFU went 4-24 overall last season with a 2-18 record in GNAC competitions… JJ Pankratz was a preseason All-GNAC selection and is averaging 15.2 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game… Kedar Salem leads the team with 15.5 points per game… SFU opened the season with four straight wins before falling to Azusa Pacific (66-56) and Point Loma (79-55) last week… SFU defeated WOU 68-63 at home on Feb. 11 last season while WOU won in Monmouth, 85-60, on Jan. 12.
ABOUT WESTERN WASHINGTON (3-2): The Vikings were the preseason favorites in the GNAC according to the GNAC Coaches' Poll… WWU went 25-6 overall last season with a 17-3 mark in conference play…WWU is led by Preseason All-GNAC picks Deandre Dickson, Daulton Hommes, both forwards, and guard Trey Drechsel… Hommes leads the team with 18.2 points per game while Dickson averages 17.4 a game… Logan Schilder nearly averages a 'double-double' for the Vikings with 11.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game… WWU defeated WOU, 71-69, in the GNAC title game last season and went 3-0 against the Wolves last season.
ABOUT WESTERN OREGON (6-0): The Wolves were picked to place second in the GNAC in the preseason poll after a third-place result a year ago… The Wolves lead the GNAC by scoring 92.0 points per game and are second in the league with a +21.7 scoring margin… WOU holds the league's top field goal percentage (.527) and 3-point percentage (.466) but are ranked 10th at the free throw line (.608)… Four different players have led the team in scoring for a game this season with
Demetrius Trammell leading the way with three occurrences… Five players average at least 10 points per game.
NCAA DII RANKINGS: Adding two more wins last week, the WOU climbed two positions for a No. 13 ranking in the latest NABC/NCAA DII Ranking on Nov. 28… The Wolves are the top team listed in the West Region with California Baptist falling from No. 7 to No. 14 following a loss to the GNAC's Saint Martin's University. SMU received eight votes in the poll but did not crack the top 25.
|
|
|
WOU SEASON-OPENING WINNING STREAKS |
|
1981-82 |
22 |
|
1952-53 |
15 |
|
2015-16* |
11 |
|
2017-18* |
6 |
|
* NCAA DII Era |
|
FAST STARTS: The Wolves 6-0 record to start the season is the second best start of WOU's NCAA DII-era (since 2000) while also representing the fourth best start for the program since 1950… The 1981-82 team started the season with a school record 22 straight wins while the 2015-16 team holds the DII-era record with an 11-0 start.
DII SHOOTOUT RECAP: Hosting a four-team tournament for the second straight week, WOU moved to 4-0 on the season with a 99-87 win over Azusa Pacific followed by a 97-86 victory against Dixie State... WOU was the lone team to go 2-0 in the tournament with Eastern New Mexico the fourth team involved.
GNAC/PACWEST CHALLENGE RECAP: The Wolves escaped with a 70-69 win over Point Loma in the season opener and came back to trounce Fresno Pacific, 123-67, in the tournament finale… Six different players scored at least 10 points for the Wolves against FPU with
Demetrius Trammell notching a game-high 26 points after connecting on 8-of-9 from 3-point range.
PRESEASON GNAC POY: Returning as the Defensive Player of the Year, senior forward
Tanner Omlid was picked as the GNAC Preseason Player of the year… Omlid was a Second Team NABC All-West Region selection after averaging 15.6 points per game and recording a GNAC record 97 steals (3.21 steals per game).
FARUQ-BEY PRESASON ALL-GNAC: Along with first team selection
Tanner Omlid,
Ali Faruq-Bey was also named to the All-GNAC Preseason team by the league's coaches… Faruq-Bey averaged 15.0 points and 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game last season while earning honorable mention All-GNAC honors.
2017-18 GNAC PRESEASON POLL: The Wolves were picked to place second in the league standings following returning champion Western Washington… WOU received three of the 11 first-place votes for 108 total points in the poll to WWU's 116… Central Washington received one first-place vote and 91 total points for third to edge Alaska Anchorage (90) by a single point.
2016-17 REVIEW: The Wolves went 18-13 overall last season and 13-7 for the conference slate… As the No. 3 seed, WOU defeated No. 6 MSUB, 72-61, in the opening round of the GNAC Tournament and then survived a triple overtime affair in the semifinals, defeating Alaska Anchorage, 91-84… Top-seeded Western Washington captured the title with a 71-69 win over the Wolves in the championship bout.
