The Nanooks represented the University of Alaska Fairbanks and were coached by Erik Largen in his 3rd season.

Alaska was rather ambitious with its early-season slate, playing their first 12 games against teams that were ranked for most or all of the season.

It wasn't until December that the players started to work together consistently, but the early season struggles forged the Nanooks into a unified group.

After winning three consecutive games against Rensselaer, Alaska tied Denver and then defeated Minnesota, both of whom finished the season as top-5 teams.

The Nanooks even managed to sweep Arizona State, who had NCAA tournament aspirations, in the midst of a 5-game winning streak.