Floor shows ahead. Thus far, they’ve been high-rollers. But over the next week Seattle Pacific University men’s basketball team will be a longshot to emerge unscathed from a three-game swing through Nevada. The undefeated and 5th-ranked Falcons (5-0) are on the road until New Year’s Eve, and the stretch begins Tuesday night (Dec. 13) in Reno against Nevada (6-0), ranked 17th in one Div. I poll. The scene shifts south to Las Vegas and the High Desert Classic tournament for the weekend. SPU meets Missouri Southern (6-3) Saturday (Dec. 17) and Pittsburg State (4-5) Sunday (Dec. 18). The final pre-Christmas game is Dec. 21 at Cal Poly Pomona.

Rarified air. It’s early, it’s the best start in six seasons and surprisingly Seattle Pacific has quickly climbed into the top five of the NCAA Division II coaches rankings. Quite a change from being picked fourth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason poll. In fact, it’s the Falcons’ best ranking in 12 years, since going 11-0 and climbing to No. 4 to begin the 1993-94 campaign. A week ago they were No. 11.

Watching, waiting. SPU will have been idle from play for 10 days when it takes to the hardwood in Reno. A Dec. 3 home victory over Hawaii Pacific, 69-54, was followed by final exams and a weekend off. Another 10-day break comes between playing Pomona and the GNAC opener Dec. 31. Meanwhile, the Wolf Pack is in the midst of a busy and challenging period. Nevada hopes to continue its best start in 54 years when it meets No. 16 UCLA in the Wooden Classic Dec. 10. Nevada won at Kansas, 72-70, Dec. 1.

And still going. The difference between Christmastime in Vegas and the rest of the world is that the lights stay up (and on) all year on The Strip. Known for its night life, the City of Lights will offer an all-day buffet of basketball during daylight hours. Eight High Desert Classic games will be held daily on the UNLV campus. In addition to Seattle Pacific, No. 9-ranked Central Missouri State is participating. This is the Falcons’ seventh trip to the tourney since ‘97-98. They are 8-4, including a pair of wins last season.

Second-half Tony. In the last two ballgames, the difference has clearly been Seattle Pacific’s strong second halves, and nobody has figured more prominently in those games than point guard Tony Binetti (Sr., 6-1, Enumclaw, Wa.). After scoring 22 in the final 20 minutes at Cal State L.A., Binetti scored 11 of his 19 in the second half versus Hawaii Pacific, and the team is a combined plus-23 in the second halves of those two contests. That enabled the Falcons to pull away for their biggest winning margin since opening night. Binetti is now averaging 16.0 points–second on the squad–and he leads the GNAC at 6.4 assists per game.

Trading D for O. All along, Coach Jeff Hironaka had thought his team’s strongest suit was its shooting. That may well come true. But in the meantime, SPU is winning the old fashioned way, with defense. The Falcons held the Sea Warriors to just 39 percent on field goals and it was the lowest opponent score in 26 games. For the season, foes are shooting just .411–second-lowest in the GNAC. Over the last three games, the defense has held teams to 38 percent shooting, including just 16 of 50 three-pointers. Hopefully, the Seattle Pacific’s perimeter eye will refocus. Currently, it is ninth in the GNAC, hitting just .465 from the field and .333 on treys, compared to .501 and .383, respectively, last year. Not since ‘97-98 has an SPU team shot below .480 for the season.

Block party. On both ends of the court, center Robbie Will (So., 6-10, Seattle, Wa./O’Dea-Bellevue CC) continues to make his presence known. Following an impressive offensive display in Los Angeles, Will came home and essentially left Hawaii Pacific out in the cold, blocking six shots–the most by an SPU player since Brannon Stone swatted six in ‘98-99 (Stone also holds the single game mark of eight). Will is the GNAC leader, averaging 3.20 blocks and is seventh in rebounding (6.8) and eighth in field-goal accuracy (.615). He’s averaging 11.6 points.

The 800 club. With six more points, Dustin Bremerman (Jr., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) will surpass the 800-point plateau in career scoring. Bremerman, the team’s top scorer at 20.2 over the first five games, pumped in 15 last week while taking only eight shots. Bremerman started off with 62 points in the first two outings, and is on a pace to finish among the school’s top six career scorers. He is currently No. 3 in the GNAC in scoring and No. 2 in free throw accuracy (.950).

Put-backs. So far, three GNAC teams have beaten D-I opponents. SPU has not done so in its last 16 tries, since a win at Eastern Washington in 1986-87...Nevada is the highest-ranked D-I opponent since the Falcons played then 6th-ranked Kansas in 1991-92...SPU is shooting 75.0 percent from the foul line, second in the GNAC. Thanks to Will, the Falcons are the co-leader in blocks (4.00). They are ninth in rebounding margin (-0.8) after being out-boarded 47-30 by Hawaii Pacific...Jared Moultrie (Jr., 6-2, West Point, Ut./Clearfield-Salt Lake CC) had a season-high seven points vs. HPU...Reserve post Mike Bushmaker (Sr., 6-8, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) has proven efficient in his last three games, with 19 points and 11 rebounds in 50 minutes...Seattle Pacific’s highest ranking last season was No. 8. Western Washington is No. 4 in this week’s NABC poll.

Coaching Staff. In his first season Jeff Hironaka won more games (16) than all but one other first-year SPU coach, and he took a team to the NCAA tournament in only his third year–faster than any predecessor. His record entering this season is 50-33. A former aide at Idaho State and The Master’s, Hironaka became Ken Bone’s top assistant in 1991 and from there the Falcons won 236 of 253 games, claimed five conference championships and qualified for eight NCAA tournaments, including a Final Four in 2000. Hironaka is the second Japanese-American head coach of a four-year collegiate program. Brock Veltri is in his second season as the chief assistant.

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 can qualify for discounts by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance.

Missing links. For the latest and best information on Seattle Pacific University athletics, stay where you're at -- on The Falcons Online. For updated standings and statistics, see the Great Northwest Athletic Conference web site.