The Grand Canyon University men’s and women’s basketball teams debuted at No. 5 in the newly released NCAA West Region poll. This was the first regional rankings of the 2012-13 season.
The top-eight in the region poll will advance to the NCAA tourney that begins on March 15. The highest seeded teams in the region are afforded the opportunity to serve as the host institution.
The women’s squad owns a 21-5 overall record and 13-2 mark in the Pacific West Conference to sit atop the conference standings. The men’s team also sports a 21-5 overall record and is tied for second in the Pacific West Conference with a 12-3 record.
The GCU women have won six of the past seven PacWest Conference crowns and are currently one game ahead of California Baptist. The ‘Lopes have made back-to-back postseason appearances, having advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2010-11 and to the second round last season.
The 21 wins for the men are the most in the Pennell era and most in a season for GCU since the 2006-07 season. The last time a ‘Lopes team won 22 games was during the 1996-97 campaign when GCU won 23. The 40 wins over the past two years has not been done since the Antelopes won 40 games during the 2005-06 (19) and 2006-07 (21) seasons.
The ‘Lopes will host Hawai’i Pacific on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 4:30 (women) and 6:30 p.m. (men). The day will feature a tribute to this season’s senior class and will also be a part of the school’s Homecoming an Canyon Day festivities. The Antelopes will play their final home game of season on Tuesday, Feb. 26 against BYU-Hawai’i.
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here for the full list of men’s rankings.
Click
here for the full list of women’s rankings.