Fast Break: Basketball optimistic, spring sports look to kick off

A duck in a Willamette jersey about to score a goal on the soccer field while the crowd cheers behind them. Art by Wes Mowry-Silverman.

Hello, Bearcat Fan! As swim prepares for their postseason, we have fewer competitions to report on, and as such this Fast Break is even faster than normal. I also have a lot of work to do for my thesis, so I suppose that makes my job easier. Prepare yourself! We had a lot of highs and lows this week, so let’s get onto the news.

Women’s basketball went 1-2, losing to No. 4 George Fox 41-65 on Tuesday, then dropping a close match to the No. 3 Whitman Blues on Friday, before rallying back to defeat the Whitworth Pirates on Saturday, due in large part to Kaitlin Imai’s (’26) 18 points and 5 steals. The ’Cats remain in the No. 5 position in standings, and are looking to finish out the season strong to secure a playoff berth.

Men’s basketball went 1-2 over the week as well, beating last-place George Fox but then losing two very close matches to No. 8 Whitman and No. 1 Whitworth on Friday and Saturday. The ’Cats shot better from three than the Pirates and went 100% from the line but couldn’t quite compete with Whitworth’s 50% shooting from the field despite Tanner Overby’s (’28) 33-point performance.

In the wider world of sport: Arizona MBB remains No. 1 in NCAA AP polling, to the surprise of absolutely no one, and UConn WBB remains No. 1 in the women’s basketball equivalent. Also to the surprise of no one. The Super Bowl is next weekend, and otherwise it is business as usual for the vast majority of professional sports. In the NBA, trade rumours are going wild for where star power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo might land after he requested a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks, and 37-year-old Jimmy Butler of the Golden State Warriors tore his ACL on Jan. 19, which puts the weathered Warriors in a tough(er) spot. In the EPL, Arsenal remains No. 1, but surely they will choke and lose that spot in about three months time when it matters most. As always.

In the coming weeks: Both men’s and women’s basketball will head up to Tacoma on Friday to face the Loggers and then the Lutes, and both are looking to crawl out of the No. 5 spot as the season winds down. Swim is continuing to prepare for NWC championships in Boise, Idaho, of all places, which start on Feb. 13. Good luck to our winter sport Bearcats! Spring sports also start this week, with lacrosse facing Eastern Oregon at home on Feb. 7, and track & field kicks off their brief indoor season on Feb. 7 with a meet at George Fox.