University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

FAIRBANKS, Alaska-- The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team has a big week in store at home, as they challenge No. 1-ranked Western Oregon on Thursday and host Senior Day on Saturday against Concordia. Tip-off against the Wolves on Thursday is set for 7 p.m., while Senior Day will start at 2 p.m. against the Cavaliers.

The Nooks open the second-to-last week of the regular season in third place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings, as they lead No. 25 Seattle Pacific by a half game after the Falcons fell at Saint Martin's on Tuesday. Alaska is 11-5 in GNAC games, while they are 17-7 overall. For Western Oregon, the No. 1-ranked team in stands alone in first place by three games, as they are 15-1 in league play and are 22-2 overall. Concordia University is 5-11 and stands in ninth place in the GNAC. The Cavaliers are 6-17 overall in their first NCAA Division II season.

Where to Watch
Fans can catch all of this week's action on GNAC.tv. This is a free streaming service provided by Stretch Internet.

All-Time Series

No. 1 Western Oregon: The Nooks trail the all-time series vs. WOU 21-18. The Wolves have won three-straight in the series, which includes a 64-59 loss at Monmouth earlier this season on Jan. 23.

Concordia: Alaska enters this week's matchup with the Cavaliers with a 3-2 advantage in the short series between the two schools. The Nanooks collected a 99-76 victory over Concordia in the first game between the two schools as GNAC teams back on Jan. 21.

Last Time Out
Senior Travante Williams hit a pair of back-to-back 3-point baskets in final minute of play to help the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team to a 66-61 victory at Montana State Billings last Saturday afternoon.

#PackThePatty
Thursday's game against No. 1 Western Oregon will be the men's basketball team's #PackThePatty event. Fans will have a chance to purchase special buy one, get one free tickets to the game. Help the Nanooks defend their home court against the No. 1-ranked team in the nation.

Good to Be Home
After a successful road trip, where they went 3-1, the Nanooks return to the Alaska Airlines Court this Thursday for the first time since Jan. 30 against Saint Martin's. The AAC has been good to the Nooks this season, as they are 9-3 at home going into the final home stand of the year. If Alaska can capture one victory this weekend, it will mark the third time in the last four seasons that Nanooks have won at least 10 games on their home court.

GNAC Player of the Week
On Monday, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference named Alaska Nanooks men's basketball senior Travante Williams as this week's GNAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week. It is Williams' second GNAC weekly honor this season. The 6-4 swing player averaged 24 points and seven rebounds against the Alaska Anchorage and Montana State Billings, while providing two assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Making It Hard on the Opposition
Defense has played a key role in the Nanooks success this season. They are currently holding teams to just 40.5 percent from the field, which is the second-best mark in the GNAC. That mark is also puts the Nooks inside the Top 25 in field goal defense, as they are 20th in NCAA Division II entering this week.

Senior Travante Williams has spearheaded the defensive effort for Alaska, as he is 56 steals this season not only leads the conference, but the ninth-highest total in all of NCAA Division II this season. His steals per game mark of 2.33 is also ninth-best in the nation.

Elite Company
Senior Travante Williams is one of just two players in the GNAC to be ranked inside the top three in scoring and rebounding. The Anchorage, Alaska native leads the team with 18.6 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per contest. Those marks are third and second in the GNAC, respectively.

The Big Man is Hitting His Shots
Senior Almir Hadzisehovic leads the GNAC in field goal percentage, as he is hitting a remarkable 62.0 percent of his shots this season. The Belgrade, Serbia native's 62 percent performance from the field is 16th-best in NCAA Division II. Hadzisehovic is second on the team in scoring with his 12.7 points per game average.

Scouting the Opposition – No. 1 Western Oregon
The Wolves have won 13-straight games coming into Thursday's contest against the Nanooks. Western Oregon is 22-2 on the year, with one of those losses coming against NCAA Division I team, Oregon. WOU leads the GNAC by three games, as they are 15-1 entering the second-to-last week of conference play.

Offensively, Western Oregon is averaging 79.4 points per game. They are led by preseason GNAC Player of the Year, Andy Avgi, who is second in the conference in points per game with a 22.0 average. Avgi is one of three double-digit scorers for the Wolves, as Julian Nicholas is averaging 12.1 points per game and Jordan Wiley's 10.8 points per game.

Defensively, WOU is one of the premier defensive teams in the conference, as they are allowing just 68.6 points per game. Teams are shooting 43.1 percent against the Wolves.

Scouting the Opposition – Concordia 
Concordia comes to Alaska fresh off of snapping a three-game losing streak. The Cavaliers took down Western Washington, 80-76, last Saturday. CU, who is in their first year as an NCAA team after transitioning from the NAIA, is 7-16 overall on the year.

Drew Martin is the team's top scorer, as he is averaging 15.2 points per game, which is the ninth-highest per game average in the GNAC. As a team, Concordia is second-to-last in the conference in scoring, as they are putting up 71.3 points per game.

On defense, the Cavaliers are giving up a league-high 85.6 points. Teams are also shooting 47.6 percent against them, which is also the highest opponent field goal percentage a team is allowing in the GNAC.

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter.