Commissioner's Corner with Bob Hogue - PacWest hoops coming down to the proverbial wire

HONOLULU, HI - Saturday night, I went to an amazing night of basketball that really showcased our great PacWest Conference.

First, in the women’s basketball contest, BYU-Hawaii, a team that started the year with a new head coach and who struggled quite a bit early in the season, showed its tremendous improvement this season by giving nationally-ranked Dixie State a scare.

The game went down to the final seconds before the Red Storm finally prevailed 75-70. That tough win kept Dixie State in a first-place tie with Grand Canyon and just two games up on defending champion Hawai‘i Pacific, who the Red Storm play tonight.

In between games, I received word that defending PacWest Player of the Year Samantha Murphy of GCU had been selected to the Capital One Academic All-America First Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

That’s an historic first for the conference, and a huge accomplishment for Murphy, who continues to the lead the NCAA Division II in scoring. She guided the Antelopes to yet another impressive win on the road at University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

Then, to cap off an incredible evening, I watched in awe as the BYU-Hawaii and Dixie State’s men’s basketball teams played 40 minutes of thrilling end-to-end action that couldn’t be settled in regulation.

The Seasiders and Red Storm, who shared the PacWest title last year, played not one, but two overtimes before Dixie State prevailed 99-96. The win was the first-ever by Dixie State in Laie, and appropriately, the Red Storm cheer squad ran onto the court to celebrate with their victorious players.

Amazingly, that was just the start of an incredible week of basketball in the PacWest.  In this seven day period, from Saturday to Saturday, the PacWest will crown two champions - and we will see who finally earns the coveted berths in the upcoming NCAA II West Region Tournament. It’s likely that for the first time in the history of the conference we will receive multiple berths in both men’s and women’s basketball.

Currently, Chaminade, Dixie State and BYU-Hawaii are ranked in the Top 10 in the men’s regional poll, with Grand Canyon sitting on the cusp. Based on all the scenarios possible, every one of these great PacWest teams has a chance to claim the championship and a berth in the regionals by the end of this week.

On the women’s side, Grand Canyon, Dixie State and Hawai‘i Pacific all are ranked in the regional Top 10 and have a chance for at least a share of the conference title - and a spot in the regionals.

It’s the second year in a row that the conference title in men’s and women’s basketball has come down to the final week.  As a sports fan, you can’t ask for anything more.

So on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday of this week, get out to a game, or stay close by your computer. Watch the big games in Honolulu, Laie, and Hilo featuring all the title contenders from Hawai‘i, Utah and Arizona - and keep tabs on the great rivalry contests Thursday and Saturday in the San Francisco Bay Area where Academy of Art, Dominican and Notre Dame de Namur are battling for bragging rights in Northern California.

It’s the final week of an amazing and historic season in the PacWest! Enjoy the great ride!