BILLINGS, Mont.- The Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets will head "North to the Future" as they take their final road trip of the year to square off against the University of Alaska Anchorage and the University of Alaska Fairbanks this coming weekend. With only four games remaining until the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament, MSUB is not eliminated but will need to win out and need some help from above. MSUB cannot lose another game and will hope for Central Washington University to lose three of their last four games. 
 
"We are hoping to put together two consistent 40 minute games," said head coach Mick Durham. "We are coming off one of our best games on both ends of the court last Saturday. I am hoping to finish the season competing to the end."
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Yellowjackets (10-14, 5-11 GNAC) split games last week as they fell to GNAC's first place team Seattle Pacific University 79-59 then defeated Saint Martin's University 79-59. The win snapped a four game losing streak and gave the 'Jackets their 10^th win.
 
Brendan Howard led MSUB in points with 21 and flirted with a double-double as he finished with nine rebounds. Senior Tyler Green had 14 points on 4-12 from three point range. Psalm Maduakor finished with 10 points, five rebounds and five assists as he played a very balanced and efficient game.
 
 BY THE NUMBERS: The 'Jackets currently have the seventh ranked offense (75.8 points/game) and the eighth ranked scoring defense (79.0 points game).
 
MSUB is the best rebounding team in the GNAC with an average of 38.2 per game. The Yellowjackets are third in the GNAC with 3.3 blocked shots per game.
 
The Yellowjackets are hitting 43.6 percent of their shots from the field and 34.2 percent from beyond the arc. The team ranks third in Division II in fewest fouls (311) and fourth in personal fouls per game (13.0).
 
Howard is second in the GNAC and 30^th in the nation in scoring with 21.7 points per game and is fifth in rebounding with 7.5 per game. The sophomore has scored 968 points in his short time at MSUB and will need to average just eight points per game in the final four games to reach to 1,000 points milestone. He would join teammate Green who crossed the 1K mark last week against Seattle Pacific.
 
Making his first official appearance in the rankings, Zharon Richmond is second on the team and sixth in the GNAC with 16.3 points per game. Richmond leads MSUB and is fourth in rebounds averaging 7.8 per contest.
 
Green is tenth in the GNAC with 15.2 points per game. He is tied with Chrishon Dixon for fifth in the GNAC with 3.3 assists per game and leads the conference in free throw percentage converting 52-58 attempts (89.7 percent). He is also second in the GNAC and 16^th in all of Division II in three point shots made with 76 (3.45/game). Green is 10^th in the country with 202 three point attempts.
 
 Scouting the University of Alaska Fairbanks
Game Day: Thursday, February 20 – Fairbanks, AK-9:30pm MST
2019 Record: 10-15, 9-8 GNAC, 4-5 home, 5-5 away, 1-5 neutral
2018 Record: 5-22, 2-18 GNAC, 1-9 home, 1-11 away, 3-2 neutral
Head Coach: Greg Sparling (2nd Season)
 
Had Coach Greg Sparling has the Nanooks in the sixth and final playoff spot after a 94-81 point loss to UAA this past Tuesday. But with three games left, UAF is far from a lock to make it to the post season and will give MSUB everything they have this week to remain in the hunt.
 
Alaska carries the seventh ranked offense (75.9 points/game) and the tenth ranked defense (83.6 points/game). They are third in the GNAC in steals averaging 8.2 per contest.  
 
Arguably the front runner for the GNAC Player of the Year, Shadeed Shabazz leads the conference in scoring with 23.2 points per game. The junior guard has season high 43 points against Concordia University Portland and has scored 30 or more points in 10 games this season. Shabazz has only been held below 15 points three times this year. Spencer Sweet is the only other Nanook in double figures with 13.2 points per game.
 
Scouting the University of Alaska Anchorage 
Game Day: Saturday, February 22-Anchorage, AK-9:00pm MST
2019 Record: 17-11, 10-7 GNAC, 11-4 home, 4-5 away, 2-2 neutral
2018 Record: 14-14, 9-11 GNAC, 9-7 home, 5-7 away, 0-0 neutral
Head Coach: Rusty Osborne (15^th Season)
 
UAA is coming off a 94-81 point victory over rival Alaska Fairbanks this past Tuesday. The win place the Seawolves squarely in fifth place in the GNAC with three games remaining. UAA was named the GNAC team of the week for two wins over Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington last week.
 
The Seawolves have the GNAC's fifth ranked offense (79.0 points/game) and the sixth ranked defense (75.8 points/game). The Seawolves lead the GNAC and rank 12th in Division II with 18.2 assists per game while also ranking ninth in Division II with 12.1 three-pointers made per game.
 
Reigning GNAC Player of the Week, Oggie Pantovic is 12^th in the GNAC and leads the team in scoring (14.9 per game). He is also third in the league and leads the team in rebounding (7.8 per game). Niko Bevens is second on the team with 12.9 points per game, Tobin Karlberg is third with 12.2 points and Tyrus Hosley is averaging 11.0 per game to round out the top four.

GNAC STANDINGS 
 

MEN'S BASKETBALL	CONF	PCT	OVERALL	PCT	HOME	AWAY	NEUTRAL	STREAK
*+Seattle Pacific	15-1	.938	19-5	.792	9-3	10-1	0-1	Won 5
Western Oregon	10-6	.625	16-6	.727	8-2	5-4	3-0	Won 3
Western Washington	10-6	.625	15-9	.625	10-3	5-5	0-1	Won 1
Northwest Nazarene	10-6	.625	13-8	.619	8-3	5-5	0-0	Won 1
Alaska Anchorage	10-7	.588	17-11	.607	11-4	4-5	2-2	Won 3
Alaska	9-8	.529	10-15	.400	4-5	5-3	1-7	Lost 3
Central Washington	8-8	.500	15-9	.625	10-4	3-5	2-0	Lost 1
Simon Fraser	7-9	.438	14-11	.560	7-3	2-6	5-2	Lost 1
Montana State Billings	5-11	.313	10-14	.417	6-5	2-8	2-1	Won 1
Saint Martin's	3-13	.188	5-20	.200	2-10	3-6	0-4	Lost 4
Concordia	2-14	.125	3-21	.125	2-8	1-8	0-5	Lost 3
*-indicates clinched berth in GNAC Championships. +-indicates clinched regular season championship.