Yellowjacket Basketball Teams Left Out of NCAA Tournament (Mar. 7, 2004)

BILLINGS, MT – For the first time since 2001 and just the second time since 1995, neither basketball team at Montana State-Billings will be going to the NCAA Tournament.  The Lady Yellowjackets had qualified for the tournament eight times since 1994 and seven times in the last eight seasons.  The Yellowjacket men’s team has been to the Big Dance four times since 1996 with their last trip coming in 2002.

The Lady Yellowjackets were ranked tenth in the final West Region regular season poll released on March 3, but failed to climb into the top eight in the final week.  MSU Billings wrapped up its season on February 23, finishing 16-11 overall.  The top eight teams from last week’s poll hung on to make the tournament, which will be hosted at No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Seattle Pacific.

The Yellowjacket men finished the season at 17-10.  Expected to make a run at the PacWest Conference title, MSU Billings was hampered by injuries for the second season in a row.  After starting the season 7-4, including a win preseason No. 1 Humboldt State, the Yellowjackets played much of the stretch run of the season with just six players.  They had five in uniform for the final road game at Hawaii-Hilo. 

The men’s West Regional will be hosted by Cal State-San Bernardino for the second time in three years.  The Jackets’ PacWest rival BYU-Hawaii earned the No. 2 seed as the only PacWest team in the tournament.  Hawaii-Hilo lost at home to Chaminade on Saturday to spoil their chances for the No. 8 seed.

NCAA West Region Women’s Basketball Tournament Seeds
1. Seattle Pacific; 2. Cal State-Bakersfield; 3. Cal Poly Pomona; 4. Western Washington; 5. Sonoma State; 6. Cal State-Chico; 7. Grand Canyon; 8. UC-San Diego.

NCAA West Region Men’s Basketball Tournament Seeds
1. Cal State-San Bernardino; 2. BYU-Hawaii; 3. Humboldt State; 4. Cal State-Bakersfield; 5. Alaska-Fairbanks; 6. Cal Poly Pomona; 7. Alaska-Anchorage; 8. Cal State-Chico.