BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The postseason has arrived, and the Nanooks men's basketball team is set to take on the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks in the opening round of the GNAC Championships on Thursday. Tip-off is set for 5:15 p.m. PST, 4:15 p.m. AKST, inside Carver Gymnasium in Bellingham, Wash.
Thursday, March 5
vs. No. 3 Northwest Nazarene | 4:15 p.m. AKST
Carver Gymnasium | Bellingham, Wash
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Last Time Out - 2/28 vs. Western Oregon
The Nanooks officially clinched their spot in the postseason after securing an 82-74 win over Western Oregon to close out the regular season last Saturday. The 'Nooks led from the jump, but survived a late scare after the Wolves cut their lead to four with just over three minutes left in the game. Jalai O'Keith had other plans, however, as he connected on a three following a Luke Fotheringham offensive board to make it a three-score game with 2:29 remaining. From there, they were able to close out the eight-point victory. Tyriq Luke led the way with 20 points, going 8-16 from the field and 3-7 from three. He added three assists and a steal.
A Look at the 'Nooks
The Nanooks enter the GNAC Championships as the sixth seed after finishing their regular season with an overall record of 14-13 and a 9-9 conference record. They have won three of their last four contests, picking up a pair of road wins vs. Seattle Pacific (78-74) and Montana State Billings (101-97, OT), before defeating WOU in their regular-season finale at home. This is Alaska's second straight conference championship appearance after missing out on the tournament the previous two seasons. They also entered the GNAC Championships last season as the sixth seed.
4+14
Mike Miller and Davis Crilly both earned 2025-26 GNAC All-Conference honors, the conference announced on Wednesday. Miller garnered All-Conference Second Team honors, while Crilly secured his spot as an Honorable Mention.
Miller was a key figure on both ends of the floor for the Nanooks this season, leading the team in both points and steals. The 6-4 guard out of San Bernardino, Calif., proved what he could do this season after redshirting in 2024-25, scoring 406 points on a 42.6% field goal percentage for an average of 15.6 per game, and tallying 47 steals for an average of 1.8 per game. Those averages ranked eighth and sixth in the conference. Miller had a season-high 25 points in Alaska's 91-76 win over Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 17, going 5-10 from beyond the arc while notching six rebounds and two steals.
Crilly made his mark in his first season in the Blue and Gold, playing in 25 games and starting 24, while finishing the season as the Nanooks' third-leading scorer with 330 points on 42.4% shooting for an average of 13.2 points per game. The 6-5 junior from Casper, Wyo., joined the Nanooks out of San Jose City College, and made an impact, crossing the 20-point mark three times during the season, and scoring a season high 21 points at Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 14. Crilly finished second on the team in rebounds with 153 (6.1 rpg), third in assists (49) and steals (31), and led the 'Nooks with 19 blocks.
Double Figures
The Nanooks have four players averaging 10 or more points this season. Mike Miller leads the way with 15.6 points per game, while Tyriq Luke (14.9 ppg), Davis Crilly (13.2 ppg) and Jalai O'Keith (11.8 ppg) have also cracked the double-digit mark.
Grab the Rock
Jalai O'Keith leads the Nanooks with 6.4 rebounds per game. His 4.7 defensive rebounds per game rank sixth in the GNAC.
New Contributors
In addition to Crilly, the Nanooks have had multiple other newcomers this season who made big contributions to the team.
Luke Fotheringham is averaging 8.6 points per game on a 50.6% shooting percentage, the latter of which leads the squad among players with 100 attempts. The big has tallied a team-high 48 offensive rebounds, and his 104 total rebounds give him an average of four per game. He has also added 49 assists, 23 steals and 14 blocks in his first season in Fairbanks.
Tariq Weiser has been Alaska's primary distributor this season, with the guard posting a team-high 107 assists for an average of 4.1 per game. Those marks rank sixth and fifth in the GNAC, respectively, while his 1.7 assist/turnover ratio is seventh in the conference. He has also tallied 32 steals to put him second on the team, and has scored 207 points for an average of 7.7 per game.
Downtown Living
The Nanooks have made a living from beyond the arc this season, knocking down 9.9 three-pointers per game. That puts them at the top of the GNAC and ranks 25th in Division II. As a team, they are shooting 36.3% from deep, which is 44th in the nation.
The Nanooks have four players in the GNAC top-15 in threes per game, with Jalai O'Keith (2.2 3ptr per game) ranking 10th, Mike Miller (2 3ptr per game) ranking 12th, Davis Crilly (1.9 3ptr per game) ranking 14th and Tyriq Luke (1.9 3ptr per game) ranking 15th. This gives the 'Nooks the most players in the GNAC's top 15 in threes per game. O'Keith's 41.7% three-point percentage leads the squad among players with at least 50 attempts from deep, and ranks sixth in the conference.
Make the Easy Ones
The Nanooks are one of the most efficient free-throw shooting teams in the country, posting a 78% free-throw percentage this season. That mark leads the GNAC and ranks 12th in Division II. Mike Miller is knocking down his attempts from the charity stripe at a 77.8% clip, putting him eighth in the conference. Tyriq Luke sits 11th in the conference with a 76.2% field goal percentage.
Rest of the Field
Saint Martin's enters the tournament as the top seed, finishing the season 21st in the NABC DII Coaches Poll and going 15-3 in GNAC play. Alaska Anchorage follows as the two seed, earning the second bye after finishing the season with a conference record of 12-6. Northwest Nazarene matched UAA's conference record, going 12-6 in the GNAC, but took the third seed as the Seawolves held the tiebreaker.
The final three teams in the tournament all tied for the same conference record. Central Washington posted a 9-9 GNAC record, claiming the fourth seed, and will face fifth-seed Seattle Pacific, who also went 9-9 in GNAC play this season. That leaves the Nanooks, who edged out Montana State Billings for the final spot in the tournament.
The Nanooks will face NNU in the opening round of the tournament, looking to avenge their two losses to the Nighthawks earlier this season. The last time these two teams squared off in the postseason, it was the 'Nooks who came out victorious, claiming an 83-62 win in the quarterfinals of the 2021-22 GNAC Championships en route to the GNAC crown.
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