Men's Basketball | 1/20/2016 3:39:00 PM

ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Jan. 20) – The Central Washington University men's basketball team is back in the friendly confines of Nicholson Pavilion this week as they play host to Simon Fraser on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. matchup with rival Western Washington on Saturday Jan. 23 that will be televised regionally on ROOT SPORTS Northwest.
 
On Saturday the Wildcats (10-3, 5-3 GNAC) will once again host the Vikings (10-7, 4-4) as part of ROOT SPORTS "Game of the Week" for the second straight year.  Last season the Wildcats defeated the Vikings on a last second three-pointer by former Wildcat Dom Williams in front of a sold out crowd.
 
"This has been and always will be a big game for us," CWU Head Coach Greg Sparling said.  "In recent years we have had some really close battles and it seems that ROOT SPORTS always brings out special moments.  The atmosphere our fans bring is exciting and we are looking forward to matchup."
 
The first 1000 students in attendance will receive a free "White Out" t-shirt courtesy of the CWU Alumni Association, and all fans in attendance will get to witness Grammy award winner, and CWU Alum Michael Wansley – A.K.A. Wanz – who is best known for his performance in Macklemore's "Thrift Shop".  Wanz will be performing the National Anthem for the game and will also perform at halftime.
 
Tickets for the event are going fast, and can be purchased at Wildcatsports.com/tickets.  Students have free access into the Saturday's game but must have a ticket.  Students can pick up tickets at the Wildcat Shop to secure a seat.  Doors to Nicholson Pavilion will open at approximately 4:30 p.m.
 
Central and Western Washington will each bring two of the most potent offenses in the conference into the game.  The Wildcats are averaging just shy of 88 points per game while the Vikings are scoring at an 86.5 clip.
 
Although the Vikings have lost three of their last five games, they still pose a big threat.
 
"Western is a very dangerous team," Sparling added.  "They have a lot of talent and can put the ball in the hoop as good as anyone in our conference.  In games like this, you can throw records out the window, it is a matter of execution and keeping a strong focus in a building that will be rocking Saturday night."
 
Before the Wildcats can focus on Saturday they must first faceoff with Simon Fraser (1-13, 0-8) for the second time this season.  The Wildcats played a non-conference game with SFU already this season and defeated the Clan 94-82.  This will be the second of three games against Simon Fraser.
 
"Simon Fraser is not the same team we faced back in November," Sparling added.  "They have had a rough go so far this season, but we have to make sure to take care of things on our end.  If we rebound the basketball and continue to play unselfish basketball, we should give ourselves a great opportunity to win this game."
 
After losing to CWU in the season opener, the Clan won its next contest against Douglas but has yet to record another win this season having lost their last 12 games.
 
Dating back to 1967 the Wildcats hold a 47-14 series record over SFU, including a 27-2 record at home.  The last time CWU lost to SFU at home was in 1997.

Live stats for each game can be found at Wildcatsports.com, and due to ROOT SPORTS televising Saturdays game, there will not be a live video stream.