Surprises and Disappointments Abound After First Week of 2024-25
Some teams played well, some were inconsistent, and others were just bad in the first week of the season
Two games up, and two games down.
The 2024-25 season has officially tipped off for the Western Athletic Conference.
And, the first week of the season brought a bag of mixed results.
“Well, some might call it luck. I like to call it, well, luck, I guess. So what?”
You remember Happy Gilmore after winning the Waterbury Open to earn a spot on the PGA Tour??
Well, some teams got lucky in week one. Others were pretty solid in a pair of wins. And others just downright struggled.
Injuries have a way or derailing things for a squad. Just ask Tarleton.
Comeback wins have a way of paving the road for a wild season. Just ask California Baptist and perhaps, even GCU.
A dominant win over a decent mid-major could be a stepping stone in the right direction.
On the other hand, a blowout loss at home could put a damper on things even though it is still EXTREMELY early in the new season.
Here is a look at the first week of the season for each team.
Abilene Christian: 1-1
It was kind of an interesting first week at Moody Coliseum. The Wildcats blew out non-Division I opponent Howard Payne like they should have to open the 2024-25 season.
However, five nights later, the Wildcats forgot how to play defense, allowing Middle Tennessee to show 62 percent from the field in a 79-56 blowout win in the WAC/Conference USA Scheduling Alliance.
Along with the struggle on defense, the Wildcats were also just 2-14 from 3-point range in the 23-point loss.
Brette Tanner said he had some concerns about shooting in the Straight Outta WAC podcast. But, losing at home by 20-plus points is a concern.
The Wildcats have a pair of home games in week two against non-Division I McMurry on Tuesday before welcoming Texas State to Moody Coliseum on Saturday.
California Baptist: 2-0
Dom Daniels Jr. is back. But, it is another returner for the Lancers that has made a world of difference in the first two contests of the 2024-25 season.
Kendal Coleman…who could have been chosen as Player of the Week had it not been for a bigger stat line from GCU’s JaKobe Coles.
Coleman averaged 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in helping the Lancers to wins over Incarnate Word and Kennesaw State in the first week of the season.
Against Kennesaw State, Coleman had 21 points and 10 rebounds as the CBU was able to hold off the Owls at Fowler Events Center.
Against UIW, Coleman had 17 points and six rebounds to help the Lancers in a comeback win over the Cardinals.
CBU is the lone team in the WAC with no non-Division I games on its schedule.
The Lancers host rival UC Riverside on Tuesday, and LIU on Friday.
Grand Canyon: 2-0
A pair of teams had their chance to knock off one of the best mid-majors in the country. However, WAC Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week JaKobe Coles had other ideas.
Coles and Co. made plays down the stretch in Monday’s season-opening win over Cal State Fullerton.
Then, on Saturday, against a good Western Kentucky squad, the Lopes hit free throws, and got the play of the game from Ray Harrison to escape 74-72.
Coles averaged 21.0 points and 12.0 rebounds in his first two games in a GCU uniform.
The Lopes got lucky. Similar to California Baptist. But, down two starters, sometimes luck is a good thing.
Now with Tyon Grant-Foster back, and potentially Duke Brennan coming back from injury, the Lopes will be favored in nearly every game the rest of the season.
Seattle U: 0-2
This might be the most disappointing start among WAC teams. That’s not to say the Redhawks didn’t battle in opening week losses at Eastern Washington and at home against Liberty.
It’s just more of the expectation that Seattle U will win a lot of games that we have become accustomed to.
Against Liberty on Saturday at Redhawk Center, the Redhawks led 64-60 with a minute to go. But, Liberty hit a pair of 3-pointers in that span while holding the Redhawks without a point for the 66-64 win.
Against Eastern Washington, the Redhawks couldn’t get a defensive stop in the 93-86 loss.
It should be pointed out that Kobe Williamson, who is one of the best rim protectors in the WAC, did not play in either game. So, make of that what you will.
The Redhawks go on the road to California for a pair of games this week at Cal Poly and at UC San Diego.
Southern Utah: 2-0
Non-Division I games are hard to judge a team by. Division I teams are expected to win those games and win in convincing fashion.
Southern Utah did that on Monday to open the season in a 28-point win over Western New Mexico.
On Saturday, the T-Birds then had a balanced 80-75 win over FIU in the WAC/Conference USA Scheduling Alliance.
The final score doesn’t exactly indicate how close the game was. Southern Utah just forgot to play defense in the final two minutes. The T-Birds led 75-64 with 2:04 to play.
So, the final doesn’t indicate how good SUU really was. Three players were in double figures led by Hercy Miller’s 18 points off the bench.
Rob Jeter has some ‘dawgs’ as he puts it. The T-Birds host a non-Division I opponent on Tuesday before hosting Omaha on Saturday.
It is very possible the T-Birds could be 4-0 after two weeks, just ahead of a four-game road trip at Loyola Chicago, San Diego, Idaho, and UCLA.
Tarleton: 0-2
Injuries happen. That is understandable. But, four of Tarleton’s top players have not played a minute yet in 2024-25. And the results show that the Texans are missing that experience.
A 34-point loss at SMU to open the season was followed by a 29-point loss to reigning Conference USA regular season champion Sam Houston five days later.
It hasn’t been pretty. And the tough part for the Texans is it doesn’t get any easier with trips to Florida State, Baylor, and Michigan in three of the next four contests.
Tarleton gets a non-Division I home game on Thursday. Between that game and two other non-Division I games between now and the start of WAC play, unless the Texans get healthy immediately, it could be a rough start to the 2024-25 season for a team that won 25 games a year ago.
UT Arlington: 1-1
KT Turner had just two returners from a 20-win team in year one. All five starters gone. The majority of the scoring gone.
So, take the mixed bag of results in week one of year two as you will.
UT Arlington won its season opener against a non-Division I opponet.
However, the Mavs fell flat against a good La Tech team in the WAC/Conference USA Scheduling Alliance.
A 15-point loss at College Park Center despite balanced scoring…Mavs had four guys in double figures in the loss, isn’t a good look…especially in the situation where you get a quality opponent to come into your home gym.
Fans should get to know more about the Mavs over the next two weeks. UTA is at USC on Wednesday, home for a non-Division I opponent, then at Missouri State on Nov. 19. During the week of Thanksgiving, the Mavs play Murray State on a neutral floor, and then Austin Peay and Rhode Island in the Jacksonville Classic.
Utah Tech: 0-2
Listen, I picked Utah Tech to finish ninth in the preseason poll. Losing Tanner Christensen, Jaylen Searles, and a few other key pieces from 2023-24 hurts.
But, and here is the frustrating part with the 2024-25 squad, the Trailblazers have been in both of their first two games…for about 30 minutes.
At Oregon State, the Trailblazers were within two with about 10 minutes to go. But, Utah Tech went ice cold from the field, and got outscored 26-5 over the final nine minutes in the 80-57 loss
At home against New Mexico State on Saturday, the Trailblazers got within one with 10:24 to play. However, Utah Tech couldn’t get enough stops or hit the big shot down the stretch in the 75-63 loss.
Beon Riley is really good. But, either he or Noa Gonsalves have to step up and be THE guy late in games. Or else it could be a long season for the Trailblazers.
Utah Valley: 2-0
The Wolverines might be a bit of a surprise.
Sure, Utah Valley played and beat a non-Division I opponent to open the season. That was to be expected.
However, on Saturday, hosting UTEP in the WAC/Conference USA Scheduling Alliance, the Wolverines dominated from start to finish.
Utah Valley jumped out to a 15-0 lead and never looked back in the 89-60 win over the Miners.
What’s even more impressive is that Utah Valley big man Carter Welling was in foul trouble and only played 13 minutes. Welling was technically ejected in the second half for coming off the bench in an altercation between the teams
But, in a balanced effort, the Wolverines were able to maintain control all afternoon.
Four players were in double figures led by Dominick Nelson’s 21 points. The Wolverines also owned the glass, 44-28.
We will learn more about the Wolverines over the next month. Utah Valley doesn’t play another home game until Dec. 11 when the Wolverines host North Dakota…the same team Utah Valley plays on Thursday in Grand Forks.
Games against North Dakota twice, Murray State, Samford, North Dakota State, Stanford, and James Madison are on the slate over the next four weeks.