Three wins in three days.
That’s what it would take for the Seattle College males’s basketball workforce to earn its first NCAA event berth since 1969.
The Redhawks (20-11, 11-7) obtained one among 4 first-round byes within the first spherical of the Western Athletic Convention event because the No. 4 seed within the convention.
They open play within the event — going down in Las Vegas — within the quarterfinals, taking part in Grand Canyon, which defeated Texas Arlington 82-77 on Tuesday — at 2 p.m. Thursday. The Redhawks defeated the Lopes in each earlier conferences this season.
Seattle College wanted to win its regular-season finale to get that fourth seed, and it did that with an 80-56 win over Texas Arlington. That it occurred Friday on Senior Evening, with Riley Grigsby and Emeka Udenyi being honored, made it much more particular.
“We wished to have a very good night time for Mek and Riley, we wished to get that 4 seed, and to get to twenty wins was large for this system, so there was loads of positives that got here from that,” mentioned Seattle U coach Chris Victor.
The victory additionally was vital in erasing any dangerous ideas from Seattle U’s earlier recreation, a 93-56 loss at Utah Tech, which completed twelfth within the WAC within the common season.
After beginning the WAC slate 7-0, the Redhawks had been inconsistent. For instance, they gained on the street at WAC regular-season champion Utah Valley, however misplaced by 15 factors at residence to Abilene Christian, which completed seventh within the convention.
“After we put together the precise approach, and we’ve the precise mentality going into video games, we will beat anybody within the convention,” Victor mentioned. “Then we’ve additionally confirmed that after we’re not ready and never able to play, we will lose by 20 to any workforce within the convention. So we’ve been focusing just a little extra on ourselves.”
Victor mentioned he’s assured that “classes have been discovered” within the workforce’s losses and that the Redhawks might be able to play their greatest.
“Going right into a recreation, we all know that we will management our effort, we will management our communication, and we will management, for probably the most half, our protection and our rebounding,” Victor mentioned. “These are the issues that we wish to be sure that we’re taking good care of.
“However in some unspecified time in the future, somebody’s going to should make some pictures. You would possibly win one recreation ugly. However you don’t win three video games in a row in opposition to these groups that we’re going to play with out a number of guys taking part in nicely on the offensive finish and making some pictures for us.”
Reaching the NCAA event has been the purpose for the reason that Redhawks started the transition again to Division I 15 years in the past. Victor believes he has a workforce that may obtain that elusive purpose.
“We play nicely in opposition to the highest groups on this convention and we’ve proven we will beat anybody on this convention,” Victor mentioned. “So if we get to the purpose the place we play three video games nicely in a row, we will beat anybody on this event.”
Seattle U girls reaches quarterfinals
The Seattle College girls obtained their largest win of the season Monday, with an 80-78 win over Texas Arlington within the first spherical of the WAC event.
The Redhawks (6-23), who misplaced their first 11 video games of the season, are the No. 11 seed. Texas Arlington (14-17) was the No. 6 seed and gained 75-49 at Seattle U three weeks in the past.
Seattle U performs No. 3 seed Grand Canyon (20-9) within the quarterfinals in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
