SEATTLE (Mar. 3) -- As expected, both Seattle Pacific University basketball teams are bound for the NCAA Division II tournament yet again.

The Falcon men and women begin play at their respective West Regionals Thursday in Southern California.

It marks the sixth straight year that Seattle Pacific has made the women's playoffs and seventh time in eight years. The men were selected for the tournament for the fifth consecutive season, the eighth time in nine years and 15th time overall.

In the men's bracket, 9th-ranked SPU (23-4) is seeded No. 3 faces BYU Hawaii (19-9) in the first game (5:30 p.m.) of a doubleheader Thursday in San Bernardino. The Seasiders apparently nipped Western Washington for the sixth and final seed in the region.

If Seattle Pacific wins, it advances to face Humboldt State (24-3) in the regional semifinal round Friday. The Falcons defeated the Lumberjacks 81-78 in the final regular season game for both teams Saturday night at Brougham Pavilion.

"We feel very fortunate to get the No. 3 after splitting at home in the final week," said SPU Coach Ken Bone. "We're familiar with BYU Hawaii, having been in the same conference for three of the last four years, and we have a lot of respect for their program."

Bone added that center Eric Sandrin is expected to play after missing the Humboldt game with an ankle sprain.

SPU and Humboldt tied with Western Washington for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship.

Cal State San Bernardino (26-1) earned the top seed in the region and the right to host. The Coyotes, ranked third nationally, await the winner of the first round game between Cal State Bakersfield (23-4) and Montana State Billings (21-6).

Thirty miles west of the men's regional, Pomona is the site of the women's tournament for the third year in a row. Seattle Pacific (22-5), ranked No. 7 in last week's poll, will meet No. 22 Cal State Bakersfield (22-5) in a first-round game Thursday at 7:30. The winner of that game advances to face top seed and host Cal Poly Pomona (23-4) Friday night. The Broncos are the defending NCAA champion and defeated the Falcons 63-62 in the West championship a year ago.

"We have battled back against some long odds and we're excited for the chance to play Bakersfield," said Coach Gordy Presnell, whose team won its final six games. "They're a young program (only two years in existence), one that we saw at last year's playoffs but never faced ourselves."

The remainder of the women's bracket has GNAC champion Western Washington (23-4) seeded No. 2. The Vikings earned a bye and will play either Montana State Billings (23-4) or Sonoma State (20-7).

Championship games for both regionals will be Saturday night with winners advancing to the Elite Eight, Mar. 21-24.