10 years later: Western men's basketball national title revisited

When the Western men’s basketball team claimed the 2012 national title, the Vikings were just the second team from the state of Washington to earn an NCAA national championship at any level.

Ten years later, that still rings true.

Western’s 72-65 win over the University of Montevallo in the Division II national title game from a decade ago remains the last basketball championship to come from the state, helping further cement the legacy of that Vikings squad.

Brad Jackson, the Vikings’ head coach in 2012, said looking back on that run, the mentality of the team heading out to the Elite Eight stands out still.

“They were a confident team and tough team mentally, really the whole year,” Jackson said. “Coming into the championship game, I thought they felt confident, calm and expected to do well.”