Only the top six teams in the GNAC are qualified to compete in the tournament, which makes Seattle Pacific University’s fourth and fifth-placed men’s and women’s teams pressed for time.

The Division II championship tournament for the Great Northwest Athletics Conference is fast approaching. The tournament will be held in Ellensburg, Washington from March 7 through March 9.

With three games remaining in the regular season, men’s basketball’s greatest focus is to win one game after another. Aware of the need to keep a qualifying spot, Keffrey Fazio, the head coach for men’s basketball, knows his team can handle the pressure.

“We’re fourth [and] very close to [the] other [teams], one game apart or tied, so for these next three games, starting [Feb. 24], we’re trying to win,” Fazio said. “We need to keep winning basketball games to give us the best chance to make it to the conference tournament and get the best seed we can get for placement in there. Our focus is one at a time … so we’re just preparing for that and hopefully we can play well and win.”

Rather than expanding the team’s scope to the whole tournament, Fazio is employing a small-picture and blunt-truth mindset to keep the team loose and ready to play.

“At this stage, it’s not so much big ideas or big picture things that we’re doing. It’s about refining details [in] preparation to be successful in the court. [We’re] trying to stay strong so we can put our best games out there,” Fazio said.

Most importantly, Fazio hopes the team keeps their confidence alive and remembers their full potential.

“I think it’s just a belief that we are as good as anybody in our conference. Our record has us at fourth place, but I think that when we play and do the things that we’re supposed to do and that we’re capable of doing, we can beat anybody in our conference,” Fazio said. “It’s just maintaining belief and confidence even when adversity comes for us. When we do that, we’re a good basketball team.”

Assistant coach for men’s basketball Donald Rollman sees the team’s greatest obstacle to be whether they can keep their focus short, but he is confident they will be able to do so.

“Anytime you get towards the end of the season and standings are as jam-packed as they are, you’re trying to figure out who’s gonna win, and who’s going to lose in this,” Rollman said. “That can sidetrack you pretty easily, [but] these guys are smart dudes, and they understand what’s at stake and they understand the opportunities that we have in front of us and the opportunity that they have as individuals.”

Rather than a concern to deal with, Rollman sees pressure as a privilege to look forward to.

“That’s something that you work for early on in the season so that when these moments come, hopefully, you’re prepared for them as best as possible. If you’re trying to prepare for the pressure right now, that’s probably already too late. We’re not trying to create any unnecessary or any extra pressure [but] like I said, these guys are smart, and they want to win and they want to compete.”

Nearing their final games before the championship, the women’s team is on the run to keep or move up from their fifth-place slot. Head coach for women’s basketball Mike Simonson explains the team’s outlook is to not become the seventh man out.

“It’s a tight battle for the fourth and sixth positions. The biggest thing is we want to not be the seventh man out,” Simonson said. “Realistically, it starts with winning the games that you should be able to and then stealing more. We know what we need to do to make the conference tournament, [and] we want to be the hottest team going in because those teams tend to perform well.”

Simonson clarifies that the team’s upcoming games will only strengthen their resolve and their skill for a tournament run.

“One thing I love about our end of the year is it’s a tough trip. It’s such a blessing … because you don’t want to be the team that’s limping into the conference tournament,” Simonson said. “You want to be the team that solidifies themselves [and] makes a run. When we have to work to get in, that makes it even sweeter when we get there and it makes [winning] more attainable. We’re going to be battle-tested.”

Hailey Marlow, a senior guard on the women’s basketball team, believes the team’s greatest strength is their bond with each other and belief in their talent on the court.

“It’s definitely one of the greatest advantages [to have]. We just know how to work together on and off the court and it’s created some deep bonds that I think really helped us grow this year,” Marlow said. “We’re so close and it’s been so fun that it’s just as easy to play. It’s easy to play together for each other [and] have each other’s backs. It almost helps alleviate pressure in general.”

Come what may, the greatest asset for any team to have in their back pocket is the ability to play around their weaknesses and adapt to their opponent’s strengths.

“Our main focus is one game at a time and making sure we scout and game plan accordingly to get the job done right,” Marlow said. “We need to be analyzing what each team’s strength is, make sure we’re prepared for it, make sure our defense is ready to adapt to whatever those teams throw at us and make sure our offense can work around what they’ve shown us in previous games.”