October 26, 2007

Lady Jacket Basketball Picked Sixth
Click HERE for complete GNAC preview

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings women’s basketball team will have to earn respect all over again in 2007-2008.  A year after winning the Heartland Conference championship and qualifying for their eleventh NCAA Tournament, the Yellowjackets have been picked to finish sixth in the 10-team Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

The coaches poll released on Friday tabbed defending conference champion Seattle Pacific as the preseason favorite, although not by a large margin.  The Falcons received 99 points and five first place votes, while Alaska Anchorage received 95 points and four first place votes.  Western Washington garnered the final first place vote and 80 points.  Seattle Pacific has won four of the last six conference crowns.

Including the Yellowjackets, who were 22-10, seven teams had winning campaigns last season.  That will make for a competitive conference schedule from top to bottom, which would be expected from one of the top women’s basketball conference in the West.  Last year, three GNAC teams (SPU, UAA, and WWU) qualified for the NCAA Tournament.  The year before, four GNAC teams went to the big dance.

MSU Billings plays Rocky Mountain twice and Montana State once during the exhibition schedule.  The regular season tips off with the Chinook Wireless/Clock Tower Inn Yellowjacket Classic on Nov. 23 and 24.  The Jackets will face Northwest Missouri State and Regis University at the tourney.  MSUB’s first GNAC contest will be Jan. 3 at Alaska Anchorage.

2007-08 GNAC Coaches Poll
   1.      Seattle Pacific (5)                   20-9, 12-4          99
  2.       Alaska Anchorage (4)              23-6, 11-5         95
  3.       Western Washington (1)          18-10, 10-6        80
   4.      Seattle                                  18-9, 9-7            71
  5.       Northwest Nazarene                16-11, 10-6        57
  6.       Montana State Billings             22-10, 7-3*        56
  7.       Central Washington                 17-10, 7-9          43
  8.       Saint Martin’s                          10-17, 6-10        24
  9.       Western Oregon                        3-24, 2-14        19
            Alaska Fairbanks                     10-17, 5-11        19

(Note: First-place votes in parenthesis.  Points awarded on 11-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. MSUB records from Heartland Conference).