PORTLAND, Ore. – The Western Washington University men’s basketball team is the No. 2 seed for the upcoming 2018 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships that opens play Thursday in the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska.

The Vikings (21-7, 16-4 GNAC) received a first-round/quarterfinal bye after placing 2nd in the regular-season standings and open championships play on Friday at 12 pm AKT/1 pm PT against the winner of the quarterfinal game between No. 6-seed Central Washington and No. 3-seed Saint Martin’s. Western Oregon is the No. 1 seed for the third time in the last four seasons after finishing the regular season 27-1 and 19-1 in GNAC play.

WWU has appeared in the GNAC Championships in all eight years of its existance, posting a 7-4 all-time championships records. WWU and Alaska Anchorage are the only men’s teams to appear in all of the GNAC Championships since it originated in the 2010-11 season.

For the third time in four years, Western Oregon will be the team to beat as the Wolves are the No. 1 seed in the 2018 GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships, which begin on Thursday at the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center.

Western Washington, the only team to have beaten Western Oregon this season, is the tournament’s No. 2 seed. The Vikings have won six of their last seven games and ended the regular season with a 92-81 win at Concordia on Saturday. The Vikings and Wolves met in the final of last year’s tournament, held in Lacey, Wash., with WWU winning 71-69.

Saint Martin’s, the No. 6 seed in 2017, is the No. 3 seed in this year’s tournament after finishing with a 22-6 overall record and a 15-5 GNAC mark. The Saints enter the tournament having won 12 of their last 13 games and ended the regular season with a 75-68 victory over Central Washington.

Seattle Pacific returns to the GNAC Championships after a one-year absence, claiming the No. 4 seed on tiebreaker over Alaska Anchorage. The Falcons clinched their spot with an 82-69 victory over Central Washington and closed the regular season with a 67-56 loss to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. Seattle Pacific enters the tournament with a 16-11 overall record and finished 11-9 in the GNAC.

Alaska Anchorage, the tournament host, rallied to make the postseason by winning its last three games and five of its last six. The No. 5 seed, the Seawolves ended the regular season with a 15-13 overall record and an 11-9 GNAC mark and closed with a 59-52 win at Montana State Billings.

Central Washington, the No. 6 seed, enters the tournament with a 15-12 overall record and a 10-10 GNAC mark. The Wildcats enter the tournament having lost five straight, but secured the playoff berth thanks to a six-game win streak through the last week of January and the first week of February. The Wildcats have lost three straight entering their Thursday rematch with Saint Martin’s.

Saint Martin’s and Central Washington will open the quarterfinal round of the GNAC Championships on Thursday at noon (Alaska time) with the winner advancing to meet Western Washington on Friday at noon. Seattle Pacific and Alaska Anchorage will square off on Thursday at 2:15 p.m., with the winner advancing to meet Western Oregon on Friday at 2:15 p.m. The championship will take place on Saturday at 5:15 p.m.

The quarterfinals and semifinals will be streamed live at GNAC.tv. The championship game will be streamed on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app as part of the NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase.

Tickets are available for advance purchase by visiting gnachooptickets.com.