Race for WAC Vegas Heating Up
One month from now, WAC Vegas will be going on at Orleans Arena, and the race to get there is heating up.
One month!
More like 28 days since February is a weird month with either 28 or 29 days depending on the year.
But, one month to go before the WAC takes center stage at Orleans Arena.
How crazy is that?
Time flies when you are having fun, right?
Well, thus far, league play around the Western Athletic Conference has been a lot of fun.
At least for some teams.
Others have had their fair share of frustrations or disappointments.
It seems like a lifetime ago we were talking about Utah Tech being 2-0 in WAC play.
Two weeks ago, it seemed like ACU might be dead in the water and having to set plans to play in St. George on March 11.
UT Arlington was riding high a week ago but a road trip out West to Utah Valley and a John Christofilis buzzer-beater changed the mood a bit around the Mavericks.
Less than a week after getting embarrassed in Phoenix, Utah Valley got back in the win column with two rather dominant performances.
After a wild loss at Fowler Events Center on Thursday, CBU got arguably the biggest win in the Division I era by knocking off GCU on Saturday.
Tarleton State looked disinterested in its road trip out West in blowout losses at Seattle U and Utah Valley.
It has been quite the roller coaster ride through the first half of WAC play.
So, what will the second half of league play bring?
Here are just a few things to think about.
Is Thursday Night in Cedar City an Elimination Game?
Forgive me…I didn’t know what else to call Thursday night’s rivalry game between Southern Utah and Utah Tech at the America First Events Center.
Right now. Utah Tech is 2-6 in WAC play. Southern Utah is 2-8 in WAC play, and sitting at the bottom of the standings.
The new version of the WAC Tournament has a play-in game on March 11 at Burns Arena in St. George.
So, with eight games to play for the Trailblazers and just six games left for the T-Birds, could this be a game that determines one of the teams that will play in that play-in game?
Here is the remaining schedule for both teams after Thursday night.
Southern Utah - vs. Utah Valley (Feb. 15), at ACU (Feb. 20), at Utah Tech (Feb. 27), at Utah Valley (March 1), and vs. Seattle U (March 6)
Utah Tech - at CBU (Feb. 15), vs. Utah Valley (Feb. 20), at ACU (Feb. 22), vs. SUU (Feb. 27), vs. CBU (March 1), at GCU (March 6), vs. Seattle U (March 8)
The T-Birds have been depleted by injuries at the guard line. However, Dom Ford came back in the loss to ACU on Saturday. There is hope Tavi Jackson can come back but will he be at full strength?
Utah Tech, on the other hand, is simply lacking depth, especially in the paint. Beon Riley has to play out of position on most nights and gets worn down. Hakim Byrd is a really good guard. Noa Gonsalves can shoot it. But Jon Judkins crew just doesn’t have the size to matchup on a nightly basis.
So, who wins the rivalry game? And will it be a preview of 2025 WAC Tournament Play-In Game?
Can Utah Valley Finish the Job?
Coming into the 2024-25 season, Utah Valley was picked to finish 5th in the preseason coaches poll.
However, the Wolverines started WAC play 7-0, which included a home win over GCU, and road wins at CBU and at Seattle U. The lone blemish for the 9-1 Wolverines was an embarrassing loss at GCU on Feb. 1.
Here is the good news for the Wolverines.
They have already played GCU, CBU, and UT Arlington twice, sweeping two of the season series and splitting the other.
The bad news is that Utah Valley has to play four of its final six games on the road, including trips to Southern Utah, Utah Tech, and finishing up with the West Texas two-step at ACU and Tarleton State. GCU fans know what nearly happened last year in that West Texas road trip. It almost cost the Lopes an outright regular-season title.
So, can Todd Phillips’ crew finish the job and win another outright WAC regular season title? It would be the second one in three years for the Wolverines who also won it in 2022-23.
Right now, Utah Valley is 6-6 in true road games. The lone games down the stretch are against Seattle U (Feb. 22) and Southern Utah (March 1).
The Wolverines control their destiny for the top seed at the WAC Tournament.
But, can they handle the pressure and finish the job?
Is ACU Back?
It was quite the week for Brette Tanner’s team.
Sitting at 1-6 in WAC play, the Wildcats were looking like a team that was destined to play in St. George on March 11 in the WAC Tournament Play-In game.
The guard play was lethargic with the lack of offense coming from the perimeter. The ability to get key stops was becoming a problem, especially with the offensive struggles.
But, last week, the Wildcats went on their fifth trip out West in six weeks and played arguably their best basketball of the season.
Hunter Jack Madden had 18 points to lead a balanced scoring attack in an 86-72 wire-to-wire win at Utah Tech.
And on Saturday in Cedar City, Hunter Jack Madden went for 22 points in another balanced scoring attack as the Wildcats swept the road trip with an 84-70 win over Southern Utah.
The first half of WAC play wasn’t friendly for the Wildcats.
Trips to Utah Valley, Seattle U, GCU, CBU, Utah Tech, and Southern Utah.
Brutal.
But, the good news is the Wildcats do not leave the state of Texas for the rest of the season.
Five of the final seven games are at Moody Coliseum. The lone road games are at Tarleton State on Feb. 27 and at UT Arlington on March 1.
Could the Wildcats make a run at a higher seed than seven?
The schedule is favorable and as we have said before, if Hunter Jack Madden gets going, the Wildcats could pose a problem.