WAC Play Begins Early...With a Title Rematch
WAC Play Begins Early...With a Title Rematch
It is Taco Tuesday on Nov. 28, 2023. And for those who are new to the WACky Western Athletic Conference, we want to spell it out for you.
Conference play takes place on this Nov. 28, 2023. Yes, prior December 1, 2023, there will be 10 WAC games that tip off league play.
And the first one is a bit of a doozy.
First, the first game of WAC play is a rematch of the 2023 WAC Tournament championship game.
Second, one team is undefeated. The other team hasn’t beat a Division I opponent through four games.
Third, the two teams have won two of the last three WAC regular season titles.
Fourth, the two teams are on very different trajectories right now to start the 2023-24 season.
And fifth, one coach is about 6-feet tall, the other coach stands a good six inches taller at 6-6.
Welcome to Southern Utah vs. California Baptist.
The problem is this matchup doesn’t hold as much mystique as it did when conference schedules were released back in August.
First Team All-WAC selection Tomekia Whitman has not played a minute for the T-Birds and may not see the floor until February.
Utah Valley transfer Jaeden Brown was supposed to fill the void left by WAC Defensive Player of the Year Lizzy Williamson. However, Brown still hasn’t played a minute for the T-Birds through the first four games of the season.
So, Tracy Mason’s options are somewhat limited. With that being said, the T-Birds had a rough start to 2022-23 before winning the WAC regular season and tournament titles.
However, WAC play begin in late December in 2022-23 and not in late November. So, can the T-Birds keep up with a very talented and red hot Lancer squad?
That is going to depend on Megan Smith, Daylani Ballena and Samanthan Johnston.
Smith is averaging a team-high 18 points. Ballena is also in double figures at 15 points per game. And Johnston, daughter of head coach Tracy Mason, can light it up from the perimeter. The T-Birds also have freshman Ava Uhrich who is averaging in double figures at 10.3 points per game.
Perhaps the bigger question is if the T-Birds can slow down the Lancers. Jarrod Olson’s crew plays fast, evidenced by the fact that they are averaging over 76 points per game.
Chloe Webb leads the charge, averaging 20.6 points per game. The niece of former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis loves to get downhill but can also known down a shot from the perimeter.
Grace Schmidt is averaging 15.6 points per contest. The sophomore forward has continued where she left off in 2022-23.
Keep an eye on the Lancers, though. The trip to CBU is the first time the Lancers have left the state of California in 2023-24. CBU won at UC San Diego and San Diego State to open the season and have played three straight at Fowler Events Center in Riverside.
In a game that has real meaning considering that only eight teams make it to WAC Vegas, it will be interesting to watch which team buckles under the pressure of a league game.
Tip is set for 6:30 p.m. MT on ESPN+.