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SEATTLE (Mar. 9) - Undefeated and top-ranked Seattle Pacific University has been selected as a No. 1 seed and will, as expected, host the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball West Regional beginning Friday (Mar. 14) on its home court. All seven games of the regional tournament will be played in Brougham Pavilion, including the Saturday night (Mar. 15) semifinals and the Monday (Mar. 17) championship game.

Seattle Pacific (27-0), which has won 33 straight at home, will face Chico State (17-9) in the nightcap of the first-round. Games begin at 12:30 Friday. Action starts with No. 3 seed Western Washington (22-5) vs. Northwest Nazarene (19-8), followed by No. 2 seed Cal State Bakersfield, winner of 23 in a row, and Cal State Stanislaus (18-9) at 2:30, and No. 4 seed Montana State Billings (20-6) against Central Washington (17-8) at 5:30 p.m.

This marks the first year of an eight-team regional format. In all, 64 teams received Div. II berths nationwide. Previously it was a 48-team national bracket. Winners of the regional tournaments will advance to the Elite Eight, Mar. 26, 27 and 29 in Saint Joseph, Mo. The national championship game will be televised live on ESPN2.

West Regional tickets will go on sale beginning Monday at 9 a.m. at the SPU Athletics Office (206/281-2085) in the pavilion. Prices are $10 for reserved seating and $7 for general admission ($5 for students and youth).

Ticket office hours are 9-4:30 through Thursday, 9-11 a.m. Friday and 9-4:30 Mar. 17. Box office ticket windows will open at 11:30 a.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Mar. 17.

Seattle Pacific is hosting a women's regional for the second time, having parlayed the home-court advantage to its only previous Elite Eight trip in 1998. It also hosted a first-round game in 1995. The Falcon men won the 2000 regional in the pavilion.

Since going to the top of the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll Feb. 12, Seattle Pacific has attracted three crowds in excess of 1,200, including a record 1,475 for Saturday's regular season finale. SPU has not lost at home since Jan. 18, 2001.

Two other nationally-ranked teams are among the West field. Cal State Bakersfield, which knocked the Falcons out in the first round a year ago, is No. 5 in the most recent poll while Western Washington is No. 24.