Biggest game to date. Forget about the big win streak for awhile because its the conference and playoff picture which will be affected most by the outcome of Saturday's (Jan. 12) men's basketball game between No. 10-ranked Seattle Pacific University and defending regional champion Western Washington. The Falcons (4-0, 12-1), currently riding the second-longest winning skein in school history at 12 games, are tied with the Vikings (4-0, 10-3) atop the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings. SPU concludes its seven-game homestand next week by hosting Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Anchorage.

The name of the game. National rankings and school records are all fine and good but the name of the game is to make the NCAA Division II postseason tournament and, beyond that, wrest the home-court advantage away from everyone else in the West. Currently, the GNAC is a four-horse race between SPU, Western, undefeated and 12th-ranked Humboldt State and Alaska Anchorage, although a couple other teams cannot be counted out of the race with eight week to go. Meanwhile, Cal State San Bernardino is the frontrunner in the region at 11-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country. In six of the past seven seasons, the team which was the top seed and host of the West Regional went on to claim the regional title. Seattle Pacific did so in 2000 and the Vikings followed suit last season, with both teams advancing to the Final Four.

Both teams on a roll. Seattle Pacific's 12-game win streak is the longest since reeling off 14 in a row in 1965-66 and the 12-1 start equals the best ever. The Falcons have not fallen since a 68-67 loss at home on opening night to Indianapolis. Western Washington, after being ranked as high as No. 2 in one preseason poll, lost two of its first three games but has now won five straight and nine of 10. The Vikings' last loss was to the nation's new No. 1 team, Northeastern State (Ok.), 71-70, in Las Vegas Dec. 15.

Aziz as you please. Without question, the early favorite for GNAC newcomer of the year is the Falcons' transfer forward, Yusef Aziz (Jr., 6-4, Seattle, Wa./Foster-Highline CC). In the last six games, Aziz has taken charge as the go-to guy in the offense, averaging 19.3 points while hitting 62 percent of his field goals. His game is not unlike that of a Charles Barkley: lots of power and versatility in a relatively small but strong package. He has been selected as GNAC player of the week twice in the last three weeks and leads the team in scoring (16.1), steals (2.1) and field-goal accuracy (.605). Aziz is coming off his first double-double of the season, 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 72-67 win over Seattle University.

Ever so balanced. The secret to Seattle Pacific's success is not so much Aziz as it is the team's balance. Everything builds from the defensive end of the court and Coach Ken Bone's players pride themselves on stopping people, first and foremost. SPU is the top defensive team in the GNAC, allowing only 63.6 points and 41 percent shooting. Only one team has scored more than 68 points. Offensively, all five starters average between 8.8 and 16.1 points. Forward Brannon Stone (Sr., 6-9, Oak Harbor, Wa.), a preseason All-America, is surprisingly at the low end, down from 15.6 points from a year ago. Stone has focused on playmaking and leads the team with 4.6 assists per game. Center Eric Sandrin (Sr., 6-10, Bothell, Wa./Shorecrest) has, along with Aziz, given the team a solid lowpost presence, averaging 11.5 points. Nick Johnson (Sr., 6-3, Burlington, Wa./Burlington-Edison) leads the team in minutes (30.5) and is No. 2 in scoring (12.0). Point guard Maurice Cato (Jr., 6-0, Fairfield, Ca.) is scoring 10.5 and has flipped in a team-high 21 3-pointers.

Coming off the bench. Bone's bench includes some effective role players, including a couple forwards who proved extremely valuable in the first half of the season. Gene Woodard (Jr., 6-4, Edmonds, Wa./O'Dea) contributed 20 points in 30 minutes last week, hitting 7-9 shots from the floor. Daniel Sandrin (Jr., 6-7, Bothell, Wa./Bothell-Portland), is the squad's top-scoring non-starter, averaging 6.8 while shooting 56 percent from the field. Adam Harris (Jr., 6-0, Fox Island, Wa./Gig Harbor), who missed the first eight games due to injuries, has become the top backcourt reserve since returning. The SPU bench has outscored its counterparts in 10 of 13 games.

Put-backs. The No. 10 ranking is the highest for Seattle Pacific since finished No. 10 in the final poll of 2000...SPU has had fewer turnovers than its opponent in 12 of 13 games this season...The Falcons finished 2001 with a streak of 22 consecutive December wins dating back to 1998...SPU leads the conference in free throw accuracy (.770) and rebounding margin (+6.2) and is second in scoring margin (+16.4). Aziz is second among GNAC leaders in steals, third in field goal percentage and ninth in scoring. Stone is third in steals (2.0), fourth in assists and eighth in blocks (1.1). Johnson is fourth in free throw percentage (.871)...Aziz, Cato and Johnson each made the Oak Harbor Freight Lines Holiday Classic all-tournament team.

Opponent & series notes. Seattle Pacific's dominance over Western Washington during the Bone era was broken last season as the Vikings swept both games to snap a streak of eight consecutive Falcon wins in the series. Western is the GNAC's top 3-point shooting team, No. 2 on offense (88.5) and No. 3 in field goal percentage defense (.411). It has won 15 straight conference games, including an 89-82 win at Brougham Pavilion to conclude the 2000-01 regular season. Overall, SPU leads the series 58-37, including 19-4 since Bone became coach in 1990.

Tickets, please. Reserved tickets for all SPU home games are priced $7 and $6. General admission is $5 with youth, students and senior citizens $3 with proper identification. Groups or teams can qualify for discounts by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance.

SPU Coaches. In his 11 years as coach of his alma mater, Ken Bone has directed the Falcons to seven NCAA tournament berths, five conference titles and 11 consecutive winning records. His winning percentage of .712 is the best in school history, surpassing even the legendary Les Habegger. From 1995-2000 Bone's teams advanced to the regional championship game five times, including a record 27 wins and Final Four appearance in 2000. Jeff Hironaka is in his 11th year as associate head coach. Jarrett Mentink returns to the staff after a four-year absence this season. George Parker who first served as an assistant in 1986, returns for his 13th year on the staff. Former all-conference forward Reggie Paul joins the staff after five seasons of playing professionally in Europe and Asia.