YUMA, Ariz. - The Arizona Western men's basketball team (22-7, 12-2) is basking in the program's first outright ACCAC championship in 17 years. With the conference title the Matadors also locked in the No. 1 seed in the Region I playoffs, meaning the next time the Matadors could potentially be on the road, would be a trip to the national tournament. Not only will the Matadors be home for the Region I playoffs, they'll also host the District final should they get that far. One team looking to rain on Arizona Western's parade is Eastern Arizona. The Gila Monsters (18-11, 10-4) enter the season finale today as the No. 2 seed in the behind Arizona Western in the ACCAC standings and Region I playoffs. The Matadors enter on a two-game winning streak, having taken six of their last seven in the month of February, while the Gila Monsters have dropped tow of their last three games heading into this afternoon's regular season finale. 

About Arizona Western

Arizona Western is surging, posting 103 and 93 points in its last two wins and riding confidence from a dominant performance on the glass in the previous meeting. The Matadors outrebounded EAC 50-31 (17-7 on the offensive boards), turning that into a 20-6 edge in second-chance points and a 21-9 advantage in points off turnovers. Their formula centers on rebounding, interior control, and capitalizing on mistakes.

• #10 Marsai Mason (G/F) — Team leader at 16.6 PPG; erupted for 26 points and 18 rebounds in the last meeting. • #4 Matt Anglo (G) — Second-leading scorer at 14.3 PPG; held to 6 points (3-12 FG) last time and primed for a bounce-back. • #13 Illiam Fevry (G) — Steady third option; delivered 14 points and 3 assists in the previous matchup. • #14 Mario Brunetto (F) — Adds frontcourt scoring punch at 10.0 PPG; key to maintaining paint control. • #5 Boubacar Diatta — Impact rebounder; grabbed 11 boards in the last meeting.

About Eastern Arizona

Eastern Arizona seeks answers after back-to-back losses, including a 20-point setback to Central Arizona—a team AWC defeated by 24. The Gila Monsters will aim to flip the script by tightening ball security, closing the rebounding gap, and leveraging their bench depth that outscored AWC 28-22 in the previous contest.

• #33 Ryan Hunt (Post) — Delivered a 17-point, 16-rebound double-double last game; the anchor in the paint. • #1 Kahu Treacher (F) — Team's leading scorer (10.1 PPG); had 15 in the last meeting and must be highly efficient. • #13 Ty Solomon — Instant offense off the bench; hammered 20 points in the Feb. 12 matchup. • #4 Kofi Peyton (G) — Steady two-way guard tasked with challenging AWC's backcourt. • #0 Derek Collins (G) — Primary ball-handler; limiting turnovers (3 last game) is critical to curbing AWC transition points.

Matchup Keys and Edges

• Rebounding: Decisive advantage AWC after a 50-31 edge (17-7 offensive) and 20-6 second-chance points last time. • Ball Control: Advantage AWC, fueled by a 21-9 margin in points off turnovers in the previous meeting. • Offense: Advantage AWC, with recent scoring bursts of 103 and 93 points. • Bench: Advantage EAC, led by Ty Solomon's 20-point spark and a 28-22 bench edge last game.

Where to watch

Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 in "The House." It's also Sophomore Day with the eight Matador sophomore's being recognized before the game. The contest will also be streamed live on the Matador Sports Stream with Scott Gross, Seth Hartley and Alyssa Rosales on the call. https://portal.stretchinternet.com/awcmatadors