Only three things in this crazy world are guaranteed: death, taxes, and Eagles basketball getting hot as March Madness quickly approaches. 

With the Big Sky Conference tournament swiftly approaching in the upcoming weeks as both the men’s and women’s teams get ready to punch their ticket to the big dance, here is a quick season recap with everything that you need to know so far.

Men’s Basketball Recap

The Eagles suffered just their first loss in conference play after starting off 16-0 and dominating every team in their path. This start caused EWU to become the first team in Big Sky history ever to accomplish such a feat and has made them a force to be reconned with as the season winds down. 

Sadly, this winning streak ended on February 25th when the Eagles lost a challenging road game against Idaho State in a 71-63 point loss. However, this loss doesn’t take away from all of the things the Eagles have accomplished thus far, and where they hope to be as March creeps up on the calendar.

The Eagles stand at a record of 22-8 and are led in scoring by Sophomore sensation Steele Venters who is averaging just shy of 15 PPG on 45.8% shooting. Guard Tyreese Davis leads the team in assists with 3.7 and Forward Casey Jones rounds the squad out with 5.7 rebounds per game. 

The biggest trait that this Eagles team holds is its ability to not just compete at a high level, but to play through the strengths of one another on any given night. This sense of unity when competing makes the Eagles a scary matchup for anyone that they run into for the rest of their season. 

As the Eagles look to make their 4th March Madness appearance in school history, it will have to go through steep competition as every team in the Big Sky hopes to knock off the top dog in the tournament. Thankfully, the Eagles have shown they are a team that must be taken seriously regardless of who they play. 

The Eagles will end their season facing off against Montana State in Reese Court on Monday, February 27th, at 6:00 PM.

Women’s Basketball Recap

After a disappointing 9-21 season for the Eagles last year, the women’s team has bounced back in a big way and looks poised to remain competitive and a tough out for any team that they battle against. 

The Eags stand at 4th in the Big Sky with a 17-10 record and have a solid all-around ball club that has the ability to compete with the likes of anyone in the conference. A few of their key wins include victories over Boise State, Sacrament State, Northern Arizona, and a massive 90-44 win over Evergreen State. 

EWU is led in scoring by Freshman guard Aaliyah Alexander who is putting up 11.8 points per game off of 41% shooting. Arizona State transfer guard Jamie Loera has helped to breathe life into both sides of the basketball for the Eagles as she averages a team-leading 4.9 assists per game and a whopping 2.4 steals per game. 

With the Eagles making solid progress over the last few seasons, this very well could be the year that they reach their way to the big dance. They will look to defeat conference leader Montana State on the road in their last game of the season on February 27th at 6:00 PM.

The Big Sky tournament begins for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams on March 4-8 at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho, where both teams will look to soar their way into March Madness.