Mid-season GNAC West Review/Preview

Through 15-17 Games here are the standings:

1.#7 W. New Mexico (indiansrck27) 11-4 (5-0)
2.#9 BYU, Hawaii (zhawks) 9-6 (4-1)
3.Hawaii Pacific (gw20404) 8-8 (3-3)
4.Chaminade (dr57) 11-5 (2-4)
5.Montana St., Billings (bscoresby) 9-7 (1-5)
6.Hawaii at Hilo (Sim AI) 6-10 (0-6)

The West Division has two top 10 ranked teams, with Hawaii P, Chaminade, and MSB having great non-conf schedules but slippng a bit in conference play, and H@H having a horrendous season. Like the East There are some major contributors in the West:

WNM - Bo Zhao has been a triple threat scoring, passing, and defense. He has scored13.6 PPG dished out 4.7 AST PG and has 2.0 STL PG

WNM - Chris Dial has been a scoring threat for WNM scoring 13.9 PPG while contributing 5.7 REB PG altough he is a natural PF he has played SF his entire time at WNM.

WNM - Michael Brackman has like many WNM players been a scorng threat but he is the defensive stopper with 8.0 REB PG, and 1.3 BLK PG while contributing 12.4 PPG

BYUH - Chris Humphrey who is the early favorite for CPOY has been scoring 15 PPG along with 2.8 REB and 1.9 AST

BYUH - Roberto Galindo has scored 12.6 PPG along with 3.3 AST PG for BYUH

BYUH - Has 3 big men in Marinez, Byerly, and Rumley combining to contribute 29 PPG and 24.3 REB PG

HP - Has Wallace Moore Leading the team with 11.9 PPG and 3.7 REB plus 1.9 AST PG

Chaminade - Andrew Chairez scoring 14 PPG

Chaminade - Stanley Shepard has been the perfect compliment for Chairez dishing out a conference 2nd best 5.7 AST

MSB - Richard Smith has been THE MAN for MSB scoring 12.2 PPG and grabbing 8.8 REB PG

Rest of year preview :

Conference Standings? I look for them to stay the way they are with WNM edging out BYUH for the regular season conference championship. But the real battle is for 3rd, 4th and 5th between HP, Cham and MSB, where i see those standing staying the same as they are also, with lowly H@H finsihing in last.

NT? I see WNM and BYUH making the NT for the West, and HP and Chaminade battling for PIT Berths, where i see them both gettting one.

Team to watch out for? WNM and BYUH. Why that battle is shaping up to be well a battle, and they are both very evenly matched and the battle for the 1 or 2 seed will be heated.

Player to watch out for? Chris Humphrey and Bo Zhao both have CPOY chances and ALL American chances, and if they continue to play as they have one of them very well could win it.