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The Golden State Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament is right around the corner. Hope International University will host the tournament for the second straight season at Darling Pavilion.  The opening round will begin Thursday, February 23rd followed by the semifinals on Friday February 24th with the Championship Game being held Saturday, February 25th.  The seeding for the 2023 GSAC Men’s Basketball Tournament is based upon the final regular season standings.

The number one overall seed in the tournament for the second consecutive season is Arizona Christian University.  The Firestorm went 15-3 in GSAC play and have won eight straight contests as we enter the conference tournament.  ACU will be out for revenge this year after getting knocked off in their opening tournament game last season.  The Firestorm are one of the deepest teams in the NAIA and the top defensive team in the conference.  Arizona Christian holds its opponents to 68 points per game on 41% shooting from the field.  On the opposite side of the court, they hold the third highest offensive efficiency in the league.  The combination of stingy defense and efficient offense is a large part of why the Firestorm are #2 in the NAIA Top-25 Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll.

The second seed is The Master's University.  The Mustangs have found their groove here at the end of the season as they have won eight out of their last 10 games.  Kaleb Lowery, the GSAC Player of the Year, is a walking highlight reel on both ends of the floor.  The sophomore averaged a double-double during the regular season.  Lowery isn't the only show in town though.  Victor Ohia Obioha, the GSAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year,  and Kamrin Oriol, the GSAC Freshman of the Year, provide plenty of support for the Mustangs unit to be able to make a deep postseason run.

Tournament host Hope International is the third seed after piecing together an 11-7 conference record this year.  The Royals love to fly up and down the court as they lead the GSAC average over 83 points a night.  HIU can beat you multiple ways as they have four players who average double figures in the scoring column.  All-GSAC member Jalani Horn leads the way going for 18 points per game.

The last three seeds in the tournament ended the regular season in a three way tie for fourth.  The Westmont Warriors got the nod as the fourth seed due to their 3-1 record against OUAZ and Jessup.  Westmont has also found their groove of late as they enter the conference tournament on a five game winning streak.  The Warriors are third in both offensive and defensive scoring in the conference and are a serious threat to any team given how well they have been playing of late. 

Westmont will face fifth seeded OUAZ in the opening round on Thursday evening.  The Spirit are led by the conference's top center in Josiah De laCerda.  The big man averages over 18 points a game on 57% shooting from the floor.  His teammate, Keshawn Bruner, goes for about 16 points a night.  The two players are arguably the league's best 1-2 punch this season.

Jessup University falls into the sixth seed after losing the tiebreaker with Westmont and OUAZ.  The Warriors from Rocklin can get hot at any time so watch out!  Cash Williams, the 2021-22 GSAC Player of the Year is a walking bucket and could cause some problems if he catches fire later this week.  Jessup has caught the injury bug this season and will try to get healthy as they attempt to make a postseason push.

GSAC Men's Basketball Tournament Schedule
Thursday, February 23rd
Quarterfinal #1 at 5:00 PM  -  #5 OUAZ  vs.  #4 Westmont 
Quarterfinal #2 at 7:15 PM  -  #6 Jessup  vs.  #3 Hope International

Friday, February 24th
Semifinal #1 at 5:00 PM  -  #1 Arizona Christian  vs.  Winner of the #4/5 Game
Semifinal #2 at 7:15 PM  -  #2 The Master's  vs.  Winner of the #3/6 Game

Saturday, February 25th
Championship Game at 6:00 PM  -  Winner of Semifinal #1  vs.  Winner of Semifinal #2

All tickets to the GSAC Men's Basketball Tournament must be purchased online through the HomeTown Ticketing page which can be found on the GSAC website: www.gsacsports.org/tickets.  For fans that cannot make it out to Darling Pavilion this week, all tournament games will be streamed live on the GSAC Sports Network.