Game #29
#4 Seed ART U Urban Knights (17-11, 13-7 PacWest) vs. #5 Seed FPU Sunbirds (17-9, 11-8 PacWest)
Wednesday, Mar. 2, 2022 at 5 p.m.
Fresno, Calif. – FPU Special Events Center (Tickets available online here)
Live Stats | Live Video

Game #30 (If necessary)
#4 Seed ART U Urban Knights (17-11, 13-7 PacWest) vs. #1 Seed PLNU Sea Lions/#8 Seed CUH Silverswords
Friday, Mar. 4, 2022 at 2:45 p.m.
Fresno, Calif. – FPU Special Events Center (Tickets available online here)
Live Stats | Live Video

Game #31 (If necessary)
#4 Seed ART U Urban Knights (17-11, 13-7 PacWest) vs. TBD
Saturday, Mar. 5, 2022 at 2 p.m.
Fresno, Calif. – FPU Special Events Center (Tickets available online here)
Live Stats | Live Video

ROAD TO FRESNO
Finished with a regular season in which they set a new program record for wins in a year with 17, Academy of Art men's basketball is heading to the Pacific West Conference Championship Tournament for the third time in as many campaigns (no tournament in 2020-21) looking to live up to its billing as the No. 4 seed, its highest placement ever heading into the conference tournament. The expanded field this year means the Urban Knights will be home team in a first-round matchup for the first time, albeit against tournament host Fresno Pacific, with this meeting marking the second consecutive game between the two squads. 

TIP-OFF
Set for the third game of the PacWest Men's Basketball Championship Tournament, tip-off with the Sunbirds is set for Wednesday, Mar. 2 at 5 p.m. Should the Knights advance into the semifinal, tip time would be set for 2:45 p.m on Friday, Mar. 4, while the PacWest Championship final will commence at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 5. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram, as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
This year's PacWest Championship will feature an expanded field of eight teams, taking place from the FPU Special Events Center on the Fresno Pacific campus beginning on Mar. 2. Tickets are only available to be purchased online and can be found here, while all games will feature live stats and video for free through Fresno Pacific and the PacWest, with the live stream available here. For all the latest tournament news, as well as brackets and tournament programs, please visit the PacWest Tournament Central. 

KNIGHT WATCH
​It has been an absolute banner season for ART U men's basketball, setting program records for points scored (2,174), scoring average (77.6 ppg), scoring margin (+3.3; only positive scoring margin in program history), field goal percentage defense (42.8 percent), total steals (288; fourth in NCAA DII) and steals per game (10.3; fifth in NCAA DII). Meanwhile, they also recorded the second-most rebounds (1,051) and assists (386) in school history. All of these categories were among the three best marks in the PacWest with the exception of scoring margin, and they were the only team in the PacWest to average double-digit steals.  

The season would also culminate in a barrage of awards from the PacWest, as junior guard Klay Brown was tabbed as the Defender of the Year after he was honored as the PacWest Defender of the Week in three consecutive weeks while ranking seventh in NCAA DII in total steals (65) and 12th in steals per game (2.41), all of which are ART U records. The only all-conference selection was sophomore forward Latrell Williams, who was named to the All-PacWest Second Team after a season in which he poured in eight double-doubles and was one of the top rebounders in the PacWest, pulling down an average of 7.6 per game, a mark that was third best in both the PacWest and in ART U single-season history. Additionally, he snatched a total of 214 rebounds, which most in the PacWest and is the second most in a season in school history. Head Coach Scott Waterman was picked as the Coach of the Year after helping guide the team to the numerous records listed above as well as the program record for wins, and the program's first ever regular season victory over a NCAA DI opponent. It was the first time earning the respective honors for all three individuals. 

Academy of Art finished the season with a hot shooting hand, hitting over 40 percent of their attempts from the field in each of their past 10 games while twice going above 50 percent, including their season finale against Fresno Pacific (51.6 percent). A whopping 18 occasions this season ART U would score 75 points or above, hitting the century mark once this season for the third time in school history, posting a 15-3 record and averaging 83.9 ppg  in those contests. Active defense was part of the identity for ART U this season, reaching double-digit steals a total of 16 times with a season best of 20 against HPU on Jan. 15. Their 479 forced turnovers are also a conference best while slotting ninth in the nation, forcing opponents to turn the ball over an average of 17.11 times per game which is 14th in NCAA DII. 

A record of six Urban Knights averaged double-digit scoring this season led by graduate student guard Deang Deang with 12.2 ppg on the strength of 49.7 percent shooting. Providing value with both his scoring and his work on the glass, Williams is averaging 10.9 ppg to pair with 7.6 rebounds per game, with a total of eight double-doubles on the season. Matching Williams' scoring output at 10.9 ppg is Brown, while trailing just behind is graduate student guard Joshua Bagley with 10.7 ppg and 3.2 assists per game (ninth-best mark in ART U history). Rounding out the group is graduate student guard Denny Slay and junior forward Mike Asante, who are each tied with an average of 10.4 ppg. 

KNIGHTS' QUEST
A rollercoaster of a year has led to the best ART U season in history, capping the year off with a program record of wins after sitting below .500 at 2-3 in the early portion of the campaign. A key win over St. Martin's would precede a convincing victory over NCAA DI UC Davis for ART U's first win over a ranked opponent in the regular season, kicking off what would become a six-game winning streak. That span would also include four consecutive PacWest wins, with both stretches being program bests. 

After slowing down through the midseason, Academy of Art found its groove again down the stretch by posting its second five-game winning streak of the campaign, also a program record. The Knights would close the season as victors in seven of their past eight overall, including finishing the campaign with a thrilling 85-82 overtime win against their upcoming tournament opponent FPU. All would end in the first .500 or above overall record in ART U history. 

FLYING PAST FRESNO
Coming in just one game behind the Urban Knights are the Sunbirds of Fresno Pacific, who had a chance to knock off the Knights for the fourth seed, but ART U prevailed in an 85-82 overtime thriller during the season finale for both teams. That loss would give FPU two in their final three games of the year, though FPU did split the season series with ART U due to Fresno Pacific's victory back on Jan. 22. FPU is led by the 2022 PacWest Newcomer of the Year Jelani Watson-Gayle, as his 19.2 ppg average was third-best in the PacWest while he also led the Sunbirds in average assists (2.6 per game) and average steals (1.7 per game).  Meanwhile, the top rebounding average belongs to Darrin Person Jr., snatching 5.5 rpg while coupling that with 10.6 ppg. ART U's most recent victory over Fresno Pacific snapped a previous six-game losing streak against the Sunbirds, but FPU still leads the all-time series by a 14-6 margin. This will be the first ever postseason meeting between the two teams. 

POTENTIAL OPPONENTS
Should the Urban Knights capture a win in the opening round of the PacWest Tournament for the first time in history, ART U will face the winner of No. 1 seed Point Loma and No. 8 seed Chaminade. While PLNU split with ART U in both of their meetings this season, both games were extremely close, as clutch free throws from Slay helped seal Academy of Art's victory on Dec. 11. The most recent meeting between the two teams needed two overtimes as the Sea Lions stole a victory on Jan. 6. Meanwhile, it was also a season split between the Urban Knights and the Silverswords, as the Knights reached the century mark for the only time this season and third time in school history during their first battle back on Dec. 19, 2021. However, CUH would enact its revenge when the two met again later in the campaign on Jan. 17 in Hawaii. 

Academy of Art has never faced Point Loma in the postseason, but ART U previously battled Chaminade in the opening round of the PacWest Tournament on Mar. 5, 2020, with the Silverswords running away with a 90-64 victory. 

REGULAR SEASON ENDS WITH EXCITING 85-82 OVERTIME WIN
At one time leading by double-digits late in the second half, Academy of Art men's basketball found themselves trailing Fresno Pacific by two in with just seconds remaining in regulation, but a key second-chance bucket from graduate student forward Adrian Byrd-Jelinek would force overtime where ART U outlasted FPU for an 85-82 Pacific West Conference victory in the season finale for both teams. 

LOOKING AHEAD
Should Academy of Art advance through the PacWest Championship, next would be a spot in NCAA West Regional Quarterfinal that is set to begin on Friday, Mar. 11. The Selection Show will take place this Sunday, Mar. 6 at 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT).