SIMPSON WINS 1ST CAL PAC TITLE, #1 TOURNEY SEED
Simpson rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit at Cal Maritime, winning in overtime and sealing the school's first California Pacific Conference regular season men's basketball championship. The Red Hawks (7-2 in league play) are the #1 seed entering next week's conference tournament and have a bye to Sunday's first semifinal game.
MEN'S SEEDS
#1 – Simpson (7-2 / 14-11)
#2 – Northern New Mexico (3-1 / 8-11)
#3 - Cal Maritime (4-4 / 9-12)
#4 – Westcliff (4-5 / 9-10)
#5 – Stanton (4-5 / 6-16)
#6 – Pacific Union (2-7 / 2-21)
The Cal Pac championships tip-off with three opening round games on Friday, February 27, at Cal Poly Maritime Academy with both the men's and women's tournaments at Vallejo, Calif., campus. Four semifinal contests take place on Sunday, March 1, with the men's and women's championship games on Monday, March 2.
League newcomer Northern New Mexico (3-1) earned the #2 seed and the other bye to the semis, based on winning three-of-four league games in Arizona over Westcliff, Stanton, and Pacific Union. The Eagles' overall RPI is second-best in the conference.
Tournament host Cal Maritime (4-4) is the #3 seed and will face #6 Pacific Union (2-7) at 3:00 p.m. on Friday in the opening round. The Keelhaulers and Pioneers are both charter members of the Cal Pac, and this match-up concludes a conference rivalry which started back in 1995.
Westcliff (4-5), the 2025 tournament champions, is the #4 seed and faces an immediate rematch with So Cal rival #5 Stanton (4-5). The two teams split their season series, a triple-OT track meet (104-100 WU) and a comeback-special (66-64 SU) in the season finale. A total of 6 points over 95 minutes of action sets the stage for a potential thriller in the opening round's finale.
The Cal Pac tournament champion will be crowned Monday, March 2, with that game's winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the 2026 NAIA National Championship field.
CAL PAC BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS - MEN'S & WOMEN'S SCHEDULE
February 27 (Friday)
Game 1 – 12 Noon – Women - #4 Stanton vs. #5 Pacific Union
Game 2 – 3:00 p.m. – Men - #3 Cal Maritime vs. #6 Pacific Union
Game 3 – 5:30 p.m. – Men - #4 Westcliff vs. #5 Stanton
March 1 (Sunday)
Game 4 – 12 Noon – Men's Semifinal - #1 Simpson vs. Winner Game 3
Game 5 – 2:30 p.m. – Men's Semifinal – #2 Northern New Mexico vs. Winner Game 2
Game 6 – 5:30 p.m. – Women's Semifinal - #1 Simpson vs. Winner Game #1
Game 7 – 8:00 p.m. – Women's Semifinal - #2 Cal Maritime vs. #3 Northern New Mexico
March 2 (Monday)
Game 8 – 5:00 p.m. – Men's Championship
Game 9 – 8:00 p.m. – Women's Championship