The Eastern Washington women's basketball team has been known more for its brains than its brawn.

The Eagles have been among the NCAA's top 10 teams in collective grade point average for the past eight years, even as their winning percentage rarely earned a passing grade.

That has changed, as Eastern Washington (19-10, 12-4) won its first Big Sky regular season title and will host the league tournament beginning today on its campus in Cheney.

Freshman guard Jordan Schoening of Post Falls High and junior guard Jessica Thielen are reserves for the Eagles.

Coach Wendy Schuller admits to recruiting for brains.

"We want players who know why they are going to college," Schuller, a former academic all-American at Fresno Pacific, said.

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Of course, lots of coaches profess to a deep concern for academics. "A lot of that would be lip service," Schuller said.

There is not a direct correlation between books and basketball.

"There is a difference between basketball smarts and book smarts," Schuller said. "Players who might not always be the best in the classroom are very, very cerebral on the court."

The Eagles have an abundance of players with both types of smarts.

Led by Julie Piper and Kyla Evans, the Eagles are seeking their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1987.

Piper, a 6-foot-1 junior forward, leads the balanced team with 12.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Piper, who has a 3.66 grade point average in elementary education, just became the first Eagle to be chosen the most valuable player in the league.

"The MVP honor is well deserved," Schuller said. "Julie is unselfish and cares about the team first."

Evans is averaging 9.4 points per game, is making 40 percent of her 3-point shots, and nailing a 3.97 GPA in communication studies.

Eastern Washington, a commuter school 10 miles from Spokane, is not particularly known for its academics, except among its female basketball players. For the past eight years, Eastern has ranked among the top 10 teams nationally in grade point average, a record matched only by Indiana State.

They were tops in the nation in 2004, with a combined team GPA of 3.63. Last year they were ninth (3.42), as nine of the 12 players had at least a 3.20.

Until now, that book learning didn't translate into wins.

The Eagles posted a record of just 24-63 the previous three seasons, including 4-25 when Piper and Evans were freshmen in 2008.

The tournament begins Thursday with Montana State (16-13, 9-7) playing Sacramento State (15-14, 10-6), and Portland State (15-14, 9-7) playing Idaho State (15-14, 10-6). On Friday, Montana (15-13, 10-6) plays the highest remaining seed, and Eastern Washington plays the lowest remaining seed. The championship game is Saturday.