The calendar says the Big Sky men's basketball tournament begins Saturday, March 5 at campus sites.
Not for Northern Arizona. Bluntly, the tournament begins tonight for the Lumberjacks at the Skydome. And for all of the 128 scenarios that were in place at the beginning of last week, breaking down all of the potential league tournament pairings, only one matters now.
Win and you're in.
Lose and you're done.
Pretty simple, huh?
"We're in a position that, for the rest of the year, if we lose, we're done," NAU point guard Kyle Feuerbach said. "It is basically the playoffs."
NAU could have clinched the sixth and final tournament spot with a win over Sacramento State Saturday, but Hornets guard DaShawn Freeman dashed those hopes by draining a 23-foot 3-pointer with less than two seconds left to give the Hornets an 87-86 victory.
Thanks to Montana's win over Portland State Saturday, and Montana State's win over Eastern Washington, NAU's fate finally rests in its own hands. After so much hand wringing, scenario solving and scoreboard watching, the Lumberjacks can finally just concentrate on the task at hand -- beating the Grizzlies.
"You lose, and you're season is over. That's what playoff basketball is," NAU coach Mike Adras said. "We have to treat this as a playoff game."
Tonight, it will be Eastern Washington chewing its collective fingernails, rooting heavily for a Grizzlies victory. If NAU falters, the Eagles will gain the tournament berth.
If NAU wins, it will have a familiar opponent in the first round of the conference tournament Saturday.
The sixth-seeded Lumberjacks would head on the road to Missoula to face the Griz again. Game time at Dahlberg Arena for Montana's quarterfinal is set at 2 p.m., since Montana will meet Weber State in a women's game later that night.
"It would be nice for scouting purposes, since we would already know what to expect," Feuerbach said. "Playing at Montana ... It's a fun atmosphere. It'll be packed. It's a good place to play.
"I'd just be happy to be there. Once you get in the door, everybody's 0-0. We've just got to get in."
While tonight's game is a must-win in every sense of the word, it also represents the final home game for Lumberjack seniors Feuerbach and Stephen Garnett. Both are Arizona products, Feuerbach from Phoenix and Garnett from Winslow. Both will have plenty of family and friends in attendance.
"Definitely, there's a new sense of rejuvenation," Garnett said. "I think this is going to be a good game for us."
Montana beat the Big Sky champion Vikings at home Saturday night and quickly packed for the trip to Flagstaff Sunday. The game was moved because of NAU's participation in the ESPN Bracket Buster pool Feb. 19.
The Grizzlies won the first meeting in Missoula in January 83-79, with Kevin Criswell's offensive rebound and layup with 23.9 seconds left providing the winning margin. Montana didn't have senior forward Kamarr Davis that night as he missed his eighth and final game while serving an academic suspension. The 6-foot-8 Davis is a load in the paint, and he uses his considerable girth to bully his way into solid post position for easy looks at the basket.
Even though Davis didn't play, it wasn't like a Montana four-man didn't hurt the Lumberjacks. Freshman Andrew Strait filled in admirably for Davis, scoring 22 points on 9 of 16 shooting in 35 minutes. He also grabbed eight boards.
Still, defending Davis will be a major priority tonight.
"He's probably the best low-post scorer in the Big Sky Conference," Adras said. "I just look at how effective he is down there. You have to know where he is. And we have to be active. If you rest at all, he's going to take advantage of it."
Not for Northern Arizona. Bluntly, the tournament begins tonight for the Lumberjacks at the Skydome. And for all of the 128 scenarios that were in place at the beginning of last week, breaking down all of the potential league tournament pairings, only one matters now.
Win and you're in.
Lose and you're done.
Pretty simple, huh?
"We're in a position that, for the rest of the year, if we lose, we're done," NAU point guard Kyle Feuerbach said. "It is basically the playoffs."
NAU could have clinched the sixth and final tournament spot with a win over Sacramento State Saturday, but Hornets guard DaShawn Freeman dashed those hopes by draining a 23-foot 3-pointer with less than two seconds left to give the Hornets an 87-86 victory.
Thanks to Montana's win over Portland State Saturday, and Montana State's win over Eastern Washington, NAU's fate finally rests in its own hands. After so much hand wringing, scenario solving and scoreboard watching, the Lumberjacks can finally just concentrate on the task at hand -- beating the Grizzlies.
"You lose, and you're season is over. That's what playoff basketball is," NAU coach Mike Adras said. "We have to treat this as a playoff game."
Tonight, it will be Eastern Washington chewing its collective fingernails, rooting heavily for a Grizzlies victory. If NAU falters, the Eagles will gain the tournament berth.
If NAU wins, it will have a familiar opponent in the first round of the conference tournament Saturday.
The sixth-seeded Lumberjacks would head on the road to Missoula to face the Griz again. Game time at Dahlberg Arena for Montana's quarterfinal is set at 2 p.m., since Montana will meet Weber State in a women's game later that night.
"It would be nice for scouting purposes, since we would already know what to expect," Feuerbach said. "Playing at Montana ... It's a fun atmosphere. It'll be packed. It's a good place to play.
"I'd just be happy to be there. Once you get in the door, everybody's 0-0. We've just got to get in."
While tonight's game is a must-win in every sense of the word, it also represents the final home game for Lumberjack seniors Feuerbach and Stephen Garnett. Both are Arizona products, Feuerbach from Phoenix and Garnett from Winslow. Both will have plenty of family and friends in attendance.
"Definitely, there's a new sense of rejuvenation," Garnett said. "I think this is going to be a good game for us."
Montana beat the Big Sky champion Vikings at home Saturday night and quickly packed for the trip to Flagstaff Sunday. The game was moved because of NAU's participation in the ESPN Bracket Buster pool Feb. 19.
The Grizzlies won the first meeting in Missoula in January 83-79, with Kevin Criswell's offensive rebound and layup with 23.9 seconds left providing the winning margin. Montana didn't have senior forward Kamarr Davis that night as he missed his eighth and final game while serving an academic suspension. The 6-foot-8 Davis is a load in the paint, and he uses his considerable girth to bully his way into solid post position for easy looks at the basket.
Even though Davis didn't play, it wasn't like a Montana four-man didn't hurt the Lumberjacks. Freshman Andrew Strait filled in admirably for Davis, scoring 22 points on 9 of 16 shooting in 35 minutes. He also grabbed eight boards.
Still, defending Davis will be a major priority tonight.
"He's probably the best low-post scorer in the Big Sky Conference," Adras said. "I just look at how effective he is down there. You have to know where he is. And we have to be active. If you rest at all, he's going to take advantage of it."
