Games get huge. Short of the postseason, basketball games don’t get much bigger than this week at Brougham Pavilion. A conference crown and home-court advantage in the men’s NCAA Division II West Regional could be determined one evening, while distinguished careers will be celebrated on Senior Night. The final home stand of the regular season starts with No. 8-ranked Seattle Pacific University (11-2, 19-3) trying to reclaim first place in the region and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference from No. 2 Western Washington (11-1, 19-2) Thursday (Feb. 16). On Saturday (Feb. 18), Central Washington (6-6, 11-10) visits. The Falcons stay in town to begin next week, playing at Seattle University Feb. 23.

Wins might mean return. By winning these two games, Seattle Pacific can take a huge stride toward bringing the West Regional tournament back to Brougham in March. SPU and Western have swapped the top spot in the GNAC and West the past two weeks, and the No. 1 team at the end of the regular season will host the first three rounds of the NCAA tourney Mar. 10, 11 and 13. The Falcons have only hosted a regional twice before (1965, 2000) and each time they parlayed that edge to win West championships and trips to the Elite Eight.

A good thing going. Although its five-game win streak was snapped by Alaska Anchorage (89-75), Seattle Pacific is still enjoying its second-best season on record; only the 20-2 opening to 2001-02 is superior. And at home, SPU has been unbeatable, winning 11 in a row, including a 10-0 mark this season. The Falcons execute exceptionally well on offense at home, averaging 91.4 points and shooting 55 percent overall, 46 percent on three-pointers. They have outscored visitors by an average of 10.0 in the second half. The last team to go unbeaten at home was in 1996-97.

Gold Dust. February’s the shortest month of the year, and it’s also been the hottest for Dustin Bremerman (Sr., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower). In the last four games, Bremerman has been shooting very, very well. He has hit 58 percent from both inside and outside the three-point arc and averaged 24.5 points. Bremerman connected on a career-high eight treys and scored 34 points in an 88-82 comeback win at Alaska Fairbanks last week, and at home this year he’s averaging 21.4 and shooting 52 percent outside the arc. He leads the team in season scoring (19.0) and is eighth in NCAA three-point percentage (.464).

Comeback kids. It’s difficult to keep a good team down, which became apparent up in Alaska. The Falcons rallied from a 16-point deficit at Fairbanks and sliced a 17-point UAA lead to six in the final minutes before succumbing at Anchorage. Seven times this season SPU has come from at least eight points behind to win, including three on the road. Along with Bremerman, Tony Binetti (Sr., 6-1, Enumclaw, Wa.) fulfilled a vital role in Fairbanks. Binetti scored 22 of his 24 points in the second half, including 13 (three consecutive treys) during a 26-9 run which reversed the game’s course. Binetti made 8 of 9 second-half shots, including 4-5 threes. He is No. 2 in season scoring (18.5) and has committed only two turnovers (with 15 assists) in the last three games.

Alter egos. Talk about a split personality. Often times Coach Jeff Hironaka will make a substitution involving his low port force, Robbie Will (So., 6-10, Seattle, Wa./O’Dea-Bellevue CC), and slender sixth man, Mike Bushmaker (Sr., 6-7, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower). Both average about 11 points but the nature of their game is totally different and it seems to confound foes. Will can be overpowering and dominant underneath, alternately flipping in feathery jump-hooks and driving home dunks. In the last six games he has averaged 13.7 points and converted 67 percent of his field goals, and he leads the league in shot-blocking (2.14). Bushmaker, operating at the high post, tends to slash to the basket and combine with teammates on some slick back cuts to the basket. He is the highest-scoring nonstarter (11.5 points) in six years and ranks No. 3 in GNAC shooting percentage (.649).

Put-backs. Binetti, Bushmaker, Tim Gabelein (Sr., 6-6, Langley, Wa./South Whidbey), Jeff Knudson (Sr., 6-7, Mukilteo, Wa./Kamiak) and Chad Williams (Sr., 6-8, Burlington, Wa./Burlington-Whatcom CC) will be honored prior to Saturday’s tip-off...After averaging 9.8 points over a five-game span, Drew Matzen (Jr., 6-4, Lynnwood, Wa./Bothell) has not taken more than three shots in his last five outings...Binetti has scored in double figures in all 22 games...Bremerman has scored 30 points or more five times this season. His eight treys was one short of the SPU record set by Drake Hudgins in 2000...Following a career-best four treys Feb. 2, Williams has scored just 14 points in the last three games...The comeback at UAF matched the 16-point rally at Cal State L.A. Nov. 26...The Falcons are only 3-3 when outscored in the second half and 3-2 when allowing opponents to shoot 50 percent or higher...Jared Moultrie (Jr., 6-2, West Point, Ut./Clearfield-Salt Lake CC) has 14 assists in the last three games...Seattle Pacific is No. 1 in conference blocked shots (4.09) and overall shooting (.520, 3rd in the NCAA). It’s No. 2 in field goal percentage defense (.449) and No. 3 in scoring (86.0, 16th nationally), free throw percentage (.760, 8th in the nation) and three-point accuracy (.409, 11th in Div. II). Individually, Will leads in blocked shots (2.14, 17th in nation) and Binetti in three-point accuracy (.529). Binetti is No. 4 in assists (5.2) and fifth in steals (1.82)...A shakeup in the national rankings resulted in Fort Hays State (Ks.) replacing Virginia Union at No. 1, followed by Western Washington. Seattle Pacific slid three spots but remained in the top 10 for the 11th week in a row...Regionally, Western will likely overtake SPU at No. 1. No. 3 Sonoma State was the only other team in the top eight to avoid at least one loss... Seattle Pacific and WWU are now four games ahead of the pack in the GNAC win column with three weeks remaining.

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.